Tokitae is a colloquial greeting that means "nice day, pretty colors" in Chinook Jargon.

[2] Tokitae was also the earliest name of an orca that had been captured in Penn Cove, Whidbey Island.

It was joined by the completed superstructure the following week; it was built by Nichols Brothers Boat Builders of Freeland, a community on Whidbey Island.

[9] The Tokitae was christened by state Secretary of Transportation Lynn Peterson on March 20, 2014 at Vigor, during a ceremony opened to the media, officials and workers.

[10] The official public unveiling occurred on June 8, 2014, at the Clinton ferry terminal.