The exodus of holiday visitors from Whidbey Island has begun.

Drivers heading to the mainland face are facing a three-boat wait this afternoon.

At noon on Monday, the lot at the Jack Metcalf Ferry Terminal in Clinton was full and the line of vehicles waiting for a ferry to the mainland stretched up Highway 525 as far as Cedar Vista Drive.

There were 182 vehicles parked past the “One Hour Wait” sign, and the ferry waiting lane was nearly full. The line had nearly doubled in size from 11 a.m. to noon on Memorial Day.

The Clinton-Mukilteo route is operating on a holiday sailing schedule today.