Chappy Ferry service will very likely be interrupted by high winds and high water both Friday and Saturday during the morning high tides. Both the Friday mid-morning high tide and the Saturday noon-time high tide are predicted by the tide chart to already be a foot above normal.

The wind is forecast to be steady at 32 knots throughout the day on Friday and until mid-afternoon on Saturday. The system producing these conditions is still evolving so we are not able to predict what will be the extent of interruptions.

If you look at the ferry webcams and the water is all of the way up onto the first step of the Old Sculpin gallery, the ferry probably isn’t running. If you drive down to the ferry on the Chappy side and the salt water is a foot deep at the Caleb Pond overwash, we probably aren’t running. In either case, driving through that salt water will ruin your car.

The fire, ambulance, police and highway departments are aware of the likelihood of ferry service interruption. Additional emergency vehicles will be stationed on Chappy to avoid the necessity of driving through deep salt water to respond to calls for help. In this particular storm, even if the ferry isn’t making regular runs, it will operate for emergencies. If you need the fire department, the ambulance, the police or if you are driving yourself to the emergency room, always call 911.

I recall that at the height of the Covid pandemic, when hospital beds were so scarce, the director of the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare told folks to stay off of the roof and save the chain sawing for another day. Same advice applies here for this Friday. It’s always preferable to have your accident on a sunny day.

It’s never too late to get your 2023 Chappy Community Center calendar. They are available for purchase online at the center’s website, chappycommunitycenter.org. They can be picked up at the center or shipped to your home.

A mere 15 years ago, Christmas Day was so quiet that the Chappy Ferry only ran on the hour, all day long. There would be less than a dozen travelers total. These days, by afternoon, the traffic is steady. But as Christmas morning is still very quiet, the ferry will operate on the traditional abbreviated schedule. The ferry will make a trip on the hour every hour from 7 to 11 a.m. At noon, the continuous service resumes.