LeConte out of service until at least Thursday due to repairs

DOT optimistic ferry will be fixed by Friday to get people and vehicles to Skagway for Klondike Road Relay

The LeConte state ferry. (Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities photo)

By Mark Sabbatini

Juneau Independent

The LeConte state ferry is expected to be out of service until at least Thursday following a mechanical breakdown during the weekend, state transportation officials announced Tuesday.

The LeConte should be repaired in time to ferry people and their vehicles from Juneau to Skagway on Friday for the annual Klondike Road Relay, Shannon McCarthy, a spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, said Tuesday. Contingency plans are also being drafted in case the ship isn’t repaired.

"We've got other vessels that are running, so we'll be able to announce more specifics if we can't get the LeConte back up and running by Thursday," she said.

The LeConte suffered an engine malfunction between Kake and Angoon, and is now in Juneau after being towed to the Auke Bay ferry terminal on Sunday. Sailings on the ship were cancelled Monday and Tuesday, with MV Hubbard filling in Monday to provide service to Hoonah and Gustavus customers originally booked on the LeConte, according to a service notice published Sunday at the AMHS website.

A subsequent service notice posted Tuesday at the Alaska Marine Highway System’s website states "repairs to the LeConte are taking longer than expected."

"Service to Angoon and Tenakee on Wednesday, September 3rd, 2025, and Thursday, September 4th, 2025, have been canceled," the notice states. "AMHS staff will be reaching out to customers with reservations and assisting them in making alternative arrangements."

Among those arrangements are a catamaran to Tenakee Springs and Angoon that will depart Statter Harbor at 7 a.m. Wednesday, according to the notice.

The LeConte is scheduled to depart from Juneau at 8 a.m. Friday and arrive in Skagway at 1 p.m. Friday. The Klondike Road Relay starts at 8 p.m. the same evening. Typically the ferry on the day of the race is loaded with scores of participants and supporters, along with their vehicles to help get the relay teams to the finish line in Whitehorse, Yukon.

• Contact Mark Sabbatini at editor@juneauindependent.com or (907) 957-2306.