The M/V Tustumena is still in drydock but that doesn’t mean Kodiak Island communities won’t be without ferry service this week. The M/V Kennicott is making its return to the island today after being away for several years.
According to the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry schedule, the Kennicott is sailing from Kodiak to Ouzinkie tonight at 4:30 p.m., then to Port Lions and finally to Homer.
The mainliner ferry has temporarily filled in for the Tustumena in the past and covered service to the island, but this is the first time the Kennicott has been back to Kodiak in several years.
It’s scheduled to sail from Homer to Kodiak tomorrow, April 24, and go there and back again on Saturday before it continues on its usual route across Southeast Alaska to Bellingham, Washington.
Meanwhile the Tustumena is still in dry dock for annual maintenance and is not scheduled to sail to Kodiak again until May 2, according to the state’s website.
The Kennicott’s sailings to Kodiak overlap with the arrival of the first cruise ship of the season, the Volendam, which is scheduled to anchor offshore on Friday morning.
The Volendam is a Holland America vessel carrying roughly 1,400 passengers and is coming from its last port of call in Japan.
