Catching the first ferry from Victoria to Port Angeles, it used to be that if you got to the ferry terminal the previous evening. they would let you in, put you in line, and then lock the gate behind...
Yes, we have now taken that trip and there is a window between 4-4:30 when you can enter the terminal the night before and they lock the gate behind you. You can get in and out on foot though through a gate that they put a false lock on.