Why did WSF choose the Island Home design?
The vessel design is well-suited to the unique conditions of the Port Townsend/Keystone route and meets all the baseline performance requirements established in the Port Townsend/Keystone Vessel Planning Study (December 2007) (pdf 1 MB). The study looked at over fourteen vessel options and eight different propulsion systems for vessels that met the baseline criteria for operating in Keystone Harbor. The Island Home design rose to the top as one of the preferred options. It is a proven design by a local firm, Elliott Bay Design Group, allowing WSF to accelerate the design phase and begin construction as soon as possible. In February 2008, a Staff Chief Engineer, Staff Master, Port Captain and Vessel Construction Project Engineer traveled to Wood’s Hole, MA (on Cape Cod) to tour and see the Island Home in operation on the route to Martha’s Vineyard. Their report on the vessel’s performance and its suitability for the operating conditions at Port Townsend and Keystone was favorable. The v
