Seattle -- Bainbridge ferry - wikipedia Seattle -- Bainbridge ferry Seattle -- Bainbridge Island ferry Ferry Wenatchee en route to Bainbridge Island. Waterway Puget Sound Transit type Jumbo Mark - II - class ferry Route Seattle -- Bainbridge Island Authority Washington State Ferries ( 1951 -- present ) System length 8.6 miles Travel time 30 - 35 minutes ( 2015 ) Yearly ridership 6,320,820 passengers ( 2015 ) Connections at Winslow Kitsap Transit, Clallam Transit SR 305 Connections at Seattle King County Water Taxi Pioneer Square station King County Metro, Sound Transit Express SR 519 The Seattle -- Bainbridge ferry is a ferry route across Puget Sound between Seattle and Bainbridge Island, Washington. The route was called the Seattle -- Winslow ferry before the city of Winslow annexed the rest of the island and changed its name. Since 1951 the only ferries employed on the route have belonged to the Washington state ferry system, currently the largest ferry system in the United States. Contents 1 Description 2 History 3 Current status 4 See also 5 Notes 6 References 7 External links Description This ferry route is 8.6 miles long, with terminals at Colman Dock in Seattle and, on Bainbridge Island, at Winslow. Near the Winslow terminal is the main shipyard for the Washington State Ferry system. History Before ferries were dominant on Puget Sound, the route was served by passenger and freight - carrying steamboats. The wooden steamship Florence K served the route for the Eagle Harbor Transportation Co., until 1915 when the company put the new steamer Bainbridge on the route, and shifted Florence K to the Seattle -- Port Washington route. In 1949, the Chippewa served on the route, except during summers, when Chippewa was transferred to the Anacortes - Sidney route. From 1951 to 1968, the main ferry on the route was the Illahee which ran along with the Quinault ( 1951 - 1953 ), Evergreen State ( 1954 - 1959 ), and Tillikum ( 1959 - 1968 ), with the steam ferry San Mateo occasionally running as an extra boat. In 1968, with increasing demand exceeding vehicle capacity, Tillikum and Illahee were reassigned to the Edmonds - Kingston route, and replaced by the Super Class boats Kaleetan and Elwha, both with capacities of 2,500 passengers and 160 ( originally ) automobiles. In 1972 - 1973 the Super Class vessels were displaced by the Jumbo class Spokane and Walla Walla, which remained in Bainbridge Island service until they were displaced in turn by the Jumbo Mark II Class vessels Tacoma and Wenatchee in 1997 - 1998. Current status Assigned to the route as of September 2017 were the Jumbo Mark II class ferries Tacoma and Wenatchee, each with a capacity of 2,500 passengers and a maximum of 202 vehicles. Seattle 's waterfront from the Bainbridge Island ferry as it approaches the Seattle ferry terminal at Colman Dock See also Ferries in Washington State Notes ^ Jump up to : Demoro, Harre, The Evergreen Fleet, pp. 45 -- 47 Jump up ^ Newell, ed., H.W. McCurdy Marine History, at 90, 254, 326, 351, 372, 425, and 593. Jump up ^ Kline and Bayless, Ferryboats -- A Legend on Puget Sound, p. 53. Jump up ^ Washington State Ferries, `` Summer 2016 Sailing Schedule ''. Jump up ^ `` Wenatchee ''. Retrieved 2016 - 07 - 23. References Demoro, Harre, The Evergreen Fleet -- A Pictoral History of Washington State Ferries, Golden West Books, San Marino CA ( 1971 ) ISBN 0 - 87095 - 037 - 1 Kline, Mary S., and Bayless, G.A., Ferryboats -- A Legend on Puget Sound, Bayless Books, Seattle, WA ( 1983 ) ISBN 0 - 914515 - 00 - 4 Newell, Gordon R. ed., H.W. McCurdy Marine History of the Pacific Northwest, Superior Publishing, Seattle WA ( 1966 ) External links Media related to Washington State Ferries at Wikimedia Commons Washington State Ferries Routes Anacortes -- San Juan Islands Edmonds -- Kingston Fauntleroy -- Vashon -- Southworth Mukilteo -- Clinton Point Defiance -- Tahlequah Port Townsend -- Coupeville Seattle -- Bainbridge Seattle -- Bremerton Terminals Colman Dock ( Seattle ) Current fleet Jumbo Mark - II - class MV Tacoma MV Wenatchee MV Puyallup Jumbo - class MV Spokane MV Walla Walla Super-class MV Hyak MV Kaleetan MV Yakima MV Elwha Olympic - class MV Tokitae MV Samish MV Chimacum MV Suquamish ( under construction ) Issaquah 130 - class MV Cathlamet MV Chelan MV Issaquah MV Kitsap MV Kittitas Issaquah - class MV Sealth Evergreen State - class MV Tillikum Kwa - di Tabil - class MV Chetzemoka MV Salish MV Kennewick Retired fleet Steel Electric - class MV Enetai MV Illahee MV Klickitat MV Nisqually MV Quinault MV Willapa Wood Electric - class MV Chetzemoka ( 1927 ) MV Kehloken MV Klahanie Southern Pacific Class SS San Mateo SS Shasta Skansie Class MV Skansonia Anderson Class MV Kitsap ( 1925 ) MV Vashon Governor Class MV Olympic MV Rhododendron Evergreen State - class MV Evergreen State MV Klahowya Skagit Kalama - class MV Kalama MV Skagit Passenger - Only Fast Ferry - class MV Chinook MV Snohomish No Class MV Chippewa MV Crosline MV Hiyu MV Kalakala MV Kulshan MV Leschi MV Rosario MV Tyee Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Seattle -- Bainbridge_ferry&oldid = 798922057 '' Categories : Ferry routes in western Washington ( state ) Transportation in King County, Washington Water transport in Seattle History of King County, Washington Transportation in Kitsap County, Washington History of Kitsap County, Washington Bainbridge Island, Washington Hidden categories : Commons category without a link on Wikidata Talk Contents About Wikipedia Add links This page was last edited on 4 September 2017, at 16 : 04. 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Question: how long is the ferry from seattle to bainbridge island
Answer: 8.6 miles