Ferry commuters on Friday were in for a surprise when the aging Issaquah broke down at the Fauntleroy ferry dock around 7:30 a.m.

As the boat was blocking the dock’s only slip, three sailings from Southworth and the island were cancelled and another Fauntleroy-bound boat was redirected to Colman Dock in downtown Seattle. The Fauntleory dock was cleared in about half an hour and the Issaquah was removed from service, putting the triangle route on a two-boat schedule until around noon.

The incident caused grief for many Vashon commuters who expressed frustration with the issue on the island’s Ferry Advisory Committee (FAC) Facebook page. The instance is the most recent in an ongoing saga of the 47-year-old Issaquah needing repairs.

Friday’s breakdown and ensuing issues came only days after Washington State Ferries officials met with islanders to discuss the ferry system and potential improvements and challenges. For years, the system has been struggling with underfunding and staffing issues and is unable to keep up with maintenance on the fleet’s vessels as they approach more than five decades of in-service life.

Lawmakers earlier this month passed a transportation budget that allocates $44 million to Washington State Ferries to help pay for a new 144-vehicle Olympic-class ferry, and two additional Olympic-class boats are expected in coming years.

While WSF has gathered these funds for new boats, the boats are too large for use on the triangle route.

Washington’s legislature needs to understand the state’s ferry system and the importance it holds to those who rely on it. Lawmakers are extremely out of touch with the system, as was demonstrated when the tiny and slow 34-car Hiyu was proposed as the fleet’s permanent replacement vessel.

The current legislative session is almost through, but later this year, Vashon’s FAC will lobby lawmakers for more ferry funding. Islanders need to use the committee and call for increased funding for the ferry system, specifically for updates to the triangle route, which is currently using some of the fleet’s oldest boats (Issaquah, Klahowya and Tillicum). The more than 50 islanders that showed up to Wednesday’s meeting was a step in the right direction, but more needs to be done to ensure those making the decisions understand the impacts those decisions have on islanders.