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Post by BreannaF on Aug 27, 2008 12:31:32 GMT -8
Speaking of 'political crap'.... It really riles me when newspapers in the U.S. or Canada print stuff like this without giving some perspective. This article was financed by the Evergreen Freedom Foundation, which is basically the same as Canada's Fraser Institute; i.e., a right wing lobby group, financed largely by corporate interests, or in the EFF's case, by private trusts and foundations such as the Walton family and Milton Friedman's ideological heirs, which they can claim to be private sources because they don't have a corporate name. The goal of these groups, while they seem to be presenting legitimate research, is to increase public distrust of government, public institutions such as WSF, and the idea of taxation in general, and to foster the belief that only a strongly corporatist state with a markedly shrunken public sector can provide good governance. The EFF, like the Fraser Institute, are also strongly anti-union, and they have had a long standing propaganda war against Washington's teachers. They offer articles to newspapers and other media outlets, who run them as if they're letters to the editor, or independently written research papers, when in fact that is not the case. There may be good points in this article, but keep in mind it comes from an organization with a very definite agenda that goes well beyond ferry financing issues. Actually, I came to roughly the same conclusion with a writer from the Evergreen Freedom Foundation elsewhere online yesterday. They definitely only have a need to post innuendo and opinion that meets their own agenda, not necessarily to get to the truth. I'll share my altercation from yesterday on a different ferry-related subject at this link. And, yes, sometimes I think I should just take a chill pill and relax...
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Post by Low Light Mike on Aug 29, 2008 15:52:36 GMT -8
This may be of interest to some....... As I read this (and know that I am unfamiliar with the labour-relations climate at WSF or the collective-agreement rules), I'm wondering why the WSF collective-agreement doesn't have a whistle-blower clause, and why the collective-agreement would allow that engineer to be forced to work with that cleaner-chemical that he is allergic to. I thought that in most large public-sector organizations, Unions were able to protect against these types of issues. What went wrong here? ======================= seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/377013_ferries29.htmlFerry worker awarded $2.8 million from state Complaints of paycheck padding led to backlashBy VANESSA HO P-I REPORTER A worker at Washington State Ferries won a nearly $2.8 million judgment against the state this week after a federal jury found that his bosses had retaliated against him when he complained about paycheck padding and misuse of funds in his department. Ken Marable, a longtime chief engineer, made allegations that his supervisor had earned $245,500 over his contract salary in five years, from 1998 to 2002. He said in court records that his supervisor had billed for hours he didn't work, or for work he didn't need to do, and that his department had frittered away thousands of dollars on flawed and unnecessary projects. While Marable was making his complaints, he said his managers disciplined him on false misconduct charges and ordered the continued use of a chemical cleanser aboard the ferry he was assigned, even though it caused him severe breathing difficulties. "It's my opinion that the jury was sending a strong message that state officials should not retaliate against whistle-blowers," Marable's attorney, Shawn Hart, said Thursday. The ferry system wouldn't comment on the judgment in U.S. District Court in Seattle. The state has not decided whether it will appeal. In his lawsuit, Marable named as defendants his boss, Richard Phillips, a staff chief engineer; Phillips' boss, Mark Nitchman, the former director of maintenance and preservation; and Douglas MacDonald, the former director of the Washington State Department of Transportation. In 2002, Marable, then a chief engineer aboard the MV Puyallup, was one of five whistle-blowers who complained that some senior managers were padding time sheets and using a vague, secretive "Special Projects" program to run up expenses. The managers were known as "the inner circle." At one point, Marable complained about a co-worker who billed for eight hours of overtime, after calling in from home to ask about the cleaning of some treatment tanks. That worker was found to have done no wrongdoing, but agreed to give back the overtime pay, which was about $570, according to court records. That amount was small compared with what Marable believed Phillips was overbilling the department. He said in court documents that one project -- the redesign of a saltwater heat exchanger -- was so flawed that it wasted more than $1 million. The state did not comment on whether Marable's allegations on overbilling had any merit. Marable said his supervisors retaliated against him by continuing the use of a heavy-duty degreaser called Oil Eater 99 in his ship's engine room, despite knowing that he was allergic to it. A log entry filed in court records shows that the cleanser wasn't removed until a federal safety official intervened. Further retaliation included a guilty finding of insubordination and other misconduct, resulting in an 80-hour suspension, Marable alleged. Marable, who has worked for the ferry system for 34 years, could not be reached for comment Thursday. The multimillion-dollar judgment is the latest problem facing the cash-strapped ferry system, which has struggled with a fleet of aging boats, disrupted routes, ticket-scanner problems and passenger ire. Ferry chief David Moseley said he is disappointed with the verdict, but declined to talk in detail about the lawsuit, which was filed in 2005. "I wasn't here at that time and don't have any direct knowledge about any of that," said Moseley, who joined the department in March. "I do know that we have big challenges at the ferry system, obviously in building new boats and improving the culture within our organization. I want to move toward a very clear culture of customer service, morale, teamwork and cooperation." Kristin Alexander, spokeswoman for the state Attorney General's Office, said lawyers are preparing to file a post-trial motion. P-I reporter Vanessa Ho can be reached at 206-448-8003 or vanessaho@seattlepi.com. =============
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Post by SS San Mateo on Sept 6, 2008 13:13:51 GMT -8
State considering Port Townsend-Edmonds freight ferry during Hood Canal Bridge closurewww.peninsuladailynews.com/article/20080904/NEWS/809040311By Jeff Chew, Peninsula Daily News PORT TOWNSEND — A letter from the Washington State Ferries chief assures Jefferson County leaders that an Edmonds-Port Townsend commercial ferry run during the Hood Canal Bridge closure in 2009 is being seriously considered. The three county commissioners are lobbying Gov. Chris Gregoire and state lawmakers to provide a temporary Edmond-Port Townsend run to carry commercial trucks during the six- to eight-week May-June closure to replace the bridge's long-deteriorating eastern half. "[Rep. Lynn Kessler] told me she and the governor were behind the Port Townsend-Edmonds ferry route idea," county Commissioner John Austin, D-Port Ludlow, said during a commissioners briefing session Tuesday. Commissioners David Sullivan, D-Cape George, and Phil Johnson, D-Port Townsend, said they hoped for at least two round trips a day. During the Hood Canal Bridge closure, U.S. Highway 101 will be the only land route to the east side of Puget Sound, and the 54-car Christine Anderson will be the only ferry operating between Port Townsend and Keystone. North Olympic Peninsula truck lines would have to drive about 100 miles around the bridge to get to Interstate 5 freight destinations. For the Port Townsend Paper mill, it would mean traveling almost 100 miles south before going north to Canada. Drivers would have to travel as far south as Shelton or Olympia to access the other side of the Puget Sound. Moseley discussing idea The commissioners' Aug. 5 letter to Gregoire asking for ferry mitigation during the bridge project landed on the desk of David Moseley, assistant transportation secretary for state ferries. "We will be discussing possible options with commercial ferry users and local communities in the coming months," Moseley replied in an Aug. 26 letter to the commissioners. "I will be in touch soon when we have reached a decision on whether we will be able to implement this mitigation option." Moseley has said there was no ferry to spare to provide a Port Townsend-Edmond car ferry route until a new 60-car Island Home-model ferry was built. In their letter to Gregoire, the commissioners suggested diverting one Edmonds-Kingston ferry for at least one evening run. "Please do all in your power to implement this mitigation, or one that would be as effective in maintaining this vital economic and commercial link for the Olympic Peninsula," the commissioners' letter to the governor says. The letter notes that during the three-day August 2005 bridge closure to replace the bridge's on-ramps that the Port Townsend-Keystone route reported a nearly 70 percent increase in traffic. At the time, two larger Steel Electric ferries were serving the route, running every 45 minutes. Today, with the Steel Electric vessels pulled from service since Nov. 20 because of unsafe hulls, a lone, smaller ferry, the Steilacoom II, serves the route. It is leased from Pierce County and will be replaced this year by its sister ferry, Christine Anderson. Too small for trucks Both vessels are too small to handle commercial trucks weighing 80,000 pounds or more, which rules out Port Townsend Paper Corp. trucks hauling finished kraft paper products from its mill to its box-making plants in British Columbia, Canada. Hadley Greene, state ferries spokeswoman, said Moseley was unavailable for comment Wednesday, but that he plans to conduct public outreach this fall through the Jefferson County Ferry Advisory Committee. She said the agency is contacting trucking firms that are documented to have routinely used the Port Townsend-Keystone route in the past and now use Kingston-Edmonds runs. "He's continuing to pursue the option," said Greene, adding that Moseley was seeing if a boat would be available on the Edmond-Kingston route. In July, former Port Townsend Chamber of Commerce general manager Tim Caldwell presented Moseley with the idea of creating a temporary ferry run between Edmonds and Port Townsend during the Hood Canal Bridge closure. Each run would have room for about 30 trucks, and Port Townsend Paper mill managers have confirmed they could use up to 15 spots going both ways, Caldwell has said.
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Post by EGfleet on Sept 10, 2008 8:30:58 GMT -8
British Columbia selling three ferries, but they can't come here
By Jeff Chew, Peninsula Daily News
PORT TOWNSEND — Those wondering why Washington State Ferries has passed over four boats offered for sale by BC Ferries at a time when Port Townsend needs a bigger ferry can forget about it.
The problem is two-fold, a state ferries spokeswoman said: an unsafe design for the Port Townsend-Keystone route and the Jones Act.
BC Ferries earlier this year announced it was seeking buyers for the retired Queen of Tsawwassen, Queen of Esquimalt, Queen of Saanich, and Queen of Vancouver, each of which is approaching 50 years old.
"The Queen of Tsawwassen is the one we've looked at the most," said Hadley Greene, state ferries system spokeswoman.
"They're double-ended ferries. But they have one navigational bridge, so that means the captain would have to back the vessel out," she said.
"The bridge faces one direction, and we really need a double-ended ferry to work for Keystone."
The Queen of Tsawwassen holds 138 cars and 989 passengers.
The necessity of backing the ferry out of the harbor, and its size, is an unsafe proposition at Keystone Harbor, which often strikes fear in ferry captains for its dangerous currents and its narrowness, she said.
Then there's the Jones Act, which states that no foreign vessels shall transport passengers between ports or places in the U.S., either directly or by way of a foreign port.
It would take an act of Congress to change the law, state ferries officials have said.
Greene said there are no other state ferries that are small enough to safely operated in Keystone Harbor.
That is why the 50-car Steilacoom II is the only temporary replacement vessel the state could lease from Pierce County for the Port Townsend-Keystone route this summer.
The route has been without its two 81-year-old Steel Electric ferries since Nov. 20, when state Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond declared them unsafe.
Ferries based on the 64-car Island Home used in New England are planned for the route, but the first boat is not expected to be completed until 2010.
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Post by EGfleet on Sept 10, 2008 8:35:17 GMT -8
State seeks bids on two new ferries for Port Townsend runBy Jeff Chew, Peninsula Daily News PORT TOWNSEND — A contract to build two Island Home-model ferries for the Port Townsend-Keystone route will be advertised beginning today, a Washington State Ferries spokeswoman said. Work on the first of the two 64-car ferries could start as early as November, and the ferries could be completed in mid-2010, depending upon how soon the state awards a contract and construction begins, said Hadley Greene, state ferries communications manager. Bids will be opened Nov. 6, she said. "The current schedule said that first construction would start upon contract award, and take 18 months," Greene said. She added that the second ferry would have to be built in time to go into service six months after the first ferry is completed and operational. The contract proposal calls for a bid on an optional third vessel, but Greene said it had not been determined how the vessel would be used. Only two vessels would be needed for the Port Townsend-Keystone route to return the run to the service it had before the aging Steel Electric ferries were pulled in November for safety reasons, and the route was reduced to one boat. With two ferries, boats would leave every 45 minutes during peak use. The state ferries system will advertise the contract in the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce for bid opening at the state ferries office in Seattle, Greene said Modifications to the Island Home-model contract to meet the specifications of the Port Townsend-Keystone route also are to be posted today on the state ferries Web site at www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries. Fill the void The Island Home ferries would fill the void left when state Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond pulled the Steel Electric vehicle ferries from service on Nov. 20. She cited unsafe pitted and corroded hulls. The state leased the Steilacoom II from Pierce County, a smaller 50-car ferry, which has served the Port Townsend-Keystone route on reservations only throughout the summer. The Steilacoom II will remain on the route until it can be replaced by its sister vessel, the Christine Anderson, which will be in drydock in the coming month for maintenance, Greene said. The vessel would have to undergo additional sea trials before it is ready to replace the Steilacoom II.10 days Greene said state ferries officials expected to take up to 10 days to award the contract, but that the bids would still be good for up to 90 days in the event that more time is needed to evaluate them. David Moseley, state deputy Transportation secretary for ferries, has said the agency would do its best to make the bidding process competitive. The state ferries service advertised this year to build a Steilacoom II-model ferry for the route, but the effort stalled when only one builder, Todd Shipyards, vied for the contract, and its bid came in at $26 million, $9 million higher than state engineer estimates. The bid was called to expedite construction of a replacement ferry for the Port Townsend-Keystone route. Port Townsend residents have long opposed plans for another 50-car Steilacoom II-type ferry, wanting instead a larger vessel that can handle more cars and passengers. Gov. Chris Gregoire, after a visit to downtown Port Townsend businesses earlier this year, agreed after she heard business owners' concerns about the size of the Steilacoom II ferry. Island Home-model design modifications could save the ferry system money. An $85 million budget remains for the two larger ferries. The modifications would include no bow doors on the ends of the vessel, and no air conditioning system, which suit New England winters and summers only, ferries officials said. The original Island Home ferry operates in Massachusetts. The Island Homes would be large enough to handle commercial distribution trucks, including those hauling kraft paper from Port Townsend Paper Corporation's mill to the company's Canadian box-making plants. The Steilacoom II can handle only vehicles of 80,000 pounds or less.
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Post by SS San Mateo on Sept 10, 2008 9:22:53 GMT -8
First she says that they're double ended ferries (which they are not), then she more or less admits that they're not double ended ferries in that last sentence.
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FNS
Voyager
The Empire Builder train of yesteryear in HO scale
Posts: 4,947
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Post by FNS on Sept 10, 2008 12:19:04 GMT -8
First she says that they're double ended ferries (which they are not), then she more or less admits that they're not double ended ferries in that last sentence. The only way they could operate the MV QUEEN OF TSAWWASSEN is, like what's said above, to have her bow land at Keystone and the stern at Port Townsend. WSF would need to lease a tug and station this at Keystone. The tug would assist the TSAWWASSEN if needed during landings and lashing the tow lines to her stern and pull her out of Keystone each trip. She could be of good use while the Hood Canal Bridge is closed during construction and the Vancouver 2010 Games, tide and weather permitting.
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Post by Barnacle on Sept 10, 2008 16:36:39 GMT -8
First she says that they're double ended ferries (which they are not), then she more or less admits that they're not double ended ferries in that last sentence. The only way they could operate the MV QUEEN OF TSAWWASSEN is, like what's said above, to have her bow land at Keystone and the stern at Port Townsend. WSF would need to lease a tug and station this at Keystone. The tug would assist the TSAWWASSEN if needed during landings and lashing the tow lines to her stern and pull her out of Keystone each trip. She could be of good use while the Hood Canal Bridge is closed during construction and the Vancouver 2010 Games, tide and weather permitting. I hate to sound obnoxious, but this is truly fantasy, far beyond the realm of practicality. And to use the vessel for such an application--even if it were technically possible with all the Jones Act complications--would be a operational nightmare of pink-pachyderm proportions. That having been said, someone really needs to clue Hadley Greene in that a double-ended ferry sports a pilothouse/bridge at each end, as well as a propeller and a rudder.
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Post by Kahloke on Sept 10, 2008 20:23:02 GMT -8
This, just in from KOMO tonight: Study: Ferry system could save millions on gas By ED FREDERICH Kitsap Sun OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Slowing down ferries slightly and idling them while docked could save the state a great deal of money. Those are a couple of the initial findings of a study presented Wednesday to lawmakers from both houses who are members of a Joint Transportation Committee group working on ferry financing. Kathy Scanlan of consultant Cedar River Group said, for example, that if the ferry Walla Walla reduced its speed from 17.5 knots to 16 on the Bremerton route, it would add only 2.6 minutes to the crossing time but cut fuel costs from $648 to $448 per hour. Similar slowdowns across the fleet could save the state millions of dollars. The state could analyze on which routes slowdowns could be made without reducing the number of sailings, and if a sailing had to be cut, weigh the savings against how badly the trip is needed. Washington State Ferries also keeps ferries' engines running while loading and unloading so they stay pushed against the slip. Other ferry systems latch onto the boats as they arrive, shut down the engines and winch them into the dock. That method could reduce fuel use considerably, Scanlan said. The study, officially called the Vessel Acquisition Sizing and Timing Study, examined at how the ferry system will look in 2030. It determined it wouldn't be all that different. Besides the five new boats already approved for construction - two 60-car Island Homes for Port Townsend-Keystone and three 144-car ferries - seven more would need to be built during that span. But they wouldn't be any larger than those they'd replace. The focus of the study is whether 23 ferries is the proper number, and how they should be assigned. Paying for new boats is the topic of a different study. Building the bigger Jumbo Mark II boats, like those running on the Bainbridge and Kingston routes, isn't planned because no other terminals can accommodate them except Bremerton, and the demand there doesn't warrant one. In fact, Scanlan suggested that the system might cut costs by sticking a smaller boat on the Bremerton route. She also said the Point Defiance-Tahlequah route might not need an 87-car ferry planned for it after the 48-car Rhododendron retires. A 60-car Island Home-class boat might be fine. Smaller boats cost less, burn less fuel and need smaller crews. The ferries slated to be replaced by similarly sized ones before 2030 are the four 144-car Super class boats, two 87-car Evergreen States (the oldest of the three will be retired earlier) and the 34-car Hiyu. The state can stretch its money by maintaining ferries 10, 20 or even 30 years beyond their expected 60-year-life, Scanlan said. Buying an extra 10 years would cost just 8 percent the amount of buying an all-new ferry, she said. More savings could be gained by increasing the amount of time ferries are available. Today, they operate 45 out of 52 weeks of the year. The other seven weeks they're in the shipyard. It takes 3.2 ferries to cover out-of-service time. www.komonews.com/news/28226469.html
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Post by Barnacle on Sept 10, 2008 20:42:46 GMT -8
This, just in from KOMO tonight: Study: Ferry system could save millions on gas By ED FREDERICH Kitsap Sun OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Slowing down ferries slightly and idling them while docked could save the state a great deal of money. Oh boy, here we go again. Fuel monitors were put on the boats in the 1980s, but they never did work correctly, and they don't really think they actually helped save gas. That having been said, the fact that slowing down saves fuel is a revolutionary factoid that dates back to the 1970s, hence the US' initial 55 MPH speed limit cap on the freeways. The run where the slow-downs would manifest themselves the most would be the long ones, like the San Juans... service has already been cut to the bone there. But doesn't take into account the added time for docking, or the added time for starting the engines back up. These aren't cars, and the engines still like to warm up. It isn't like we have dwell times in excess of 25 minutes anywhere (except, of course, the San Juans). Natch. Fiscal realities are enough to blow anyone's fantasy high, and they don't wanna deal with that. (Insert second 'early 1980s' reference here!) Setting aside for the moment that operating costs and crewing levels for the Island Home class boats are pure unadulterated conjecture at this point, we have some pretty d*** concrete proof that an 87-car boat does well at Point Defiance... we've done it, Ms. Scanlan. Where have you been? ARRRRRRRRRRGH! We just got this problem solved! Wait a minute... wasn't the Cedar River Group the ones who recommended the 60-year cut-off just eight months ago? At the cost of maintenance, which is how we got to this problem in the first place.Either these people don't read their own studies, or they're a bunch of smarter-than-thous sitting around a conference table making this stuff up as they go along, and quite possibly laughing until they lose bladder control.
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Post by BreannaF on Sept 12, 2008 7:22:21 GMT -8
Gosh, I was just getting all worked up about this article and thinking up all the ways to debunk all of their statements when, lo and behold, I turn the page and find that Barnacle did a better job of it than I could have. A couple of comments I can't hold back on though: I'm pretty sure we did some real-life research on that one already. Was it the Tillikum or the Klahowya that was sent to Bremerton for a while this Spring? In any case, didn't that work out well....... Besides, I think I accused a forum member of pulling an April Fool's joke once when he suggested that we have one fleet of boats for commuter hours and another fleet for slack times when we could save money by running smaller boats. The sad part is, I think these folks really might believe what they are saying. Just the level at which these two consecutive paragraphs contradict one another makes my wonder why a reporter didn't ask "why" or "how" just one more time. Yup, I must have remembered it wrong from Journalism 101. It was who, what, when, where, why, how, and "OK, whatever you say 'cuz you're the expert."
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Post by EGfleet on Sept 18, 2008 8:56:07 GMT -8
This wasn't getting much light thrown on it, but it is a good thing that Todd avoided a strike: Todd Pacific shipyard avoids strike Workers to build up to four ferries after approval of original offer By DAN RICHMAN P-I REPORTER
The work force at the largest private shipyard in Seattle, Todd Pacific, avoided a strike Wednesday by approving the same offer it rejected earlier this month.
With 433 workers voting, 68 percent of them approved the contract, which lasts five years and is critical to letting the shipyard participate in building several ferries.
Wednesday's ballot provided that a "no" vote was also a vote for a strike at 12:01 a.m. Thursday.
"The guys had a little more to think about this time," said Gary Powers, business manager of the largest union at the yard, the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Local 104.
The contract provides a 22.68 percent wage and fringe-benefit increase over the next five years. The yard's workers, from 11 unions collectively represented by the Puget Sound Metal Trades Council, have been without a contract since July 31.
"I think everyone's relieved," Powers said. "It was a fair offer, and the stress of the unknown is gone."
Securing the new accord, with its unusually long duration, is important to Todd's ability to move forward under a contract it won in December 2007 to build as many as four 144-car boats for Washington State Ferries, said Todd's general counsel, Michael Marsh, in an earlier interview.
The contract requires bonding, and "in general, it's doubtful you could get surety bonding without a labor contract covering the labor period," Marsh said.
On Wednesday, he called the latest vote "the culmination of five months of negotiation" and said the company is "looking forward to a good five-year relationship and hopefully to a lot of work."
T.R. Leary, a Teamster who's been at Todd for 20 years, called the agreement "the richest we've ever had in my time here."
He said that even though it was the same offer the workers rejected earlier, "the guys finally woke up. The Boeing strike, the stock-market crash, unemployment at 6 percent -- those all made a difference."
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Post by Kahloke on Sept 24, 2008 18:03:23 GMT -8
This is kind of a cool story. This comes from the Islands Sounder: From Orcas tomboy to Ferry CaptainSep 23 2008 · UPDATED Laura Kohler, a Washington State Ferries (WSF) captain who is working as first mate on this day, pushes the button that sounds a loud bellowing horn as the ferry starts out of the dock at Friday Harbor heading for Sidney. “That’s so everyone knows to get out of the way,” she says. “You wouldn’t believe how many boats and kayaks don’t seem to understand that it would probably be a good idea to get out of the way of a 2000-ton ferry. We often have to divert around them.” “It’s worse, of course, when it’s foggy and you cannot see the end of the jack staff outside the window. Not only is there the lack of visibility for us, but boats start to follow us, I guess to figure out where they are themselves. It can get dicey when they get too close,” she says. It’s a beautiful sunny day in early fall. The surface of the water is clear and smooth and green. From the pilothouse of the ferry you can see miles in every direction. Traveling the ferries with Kohler’s perspective is an experience most island travelers never enjoy. Guiding the boat is one of the captain’s responsibilities Boats cut in front of the ferry all the time. “I am always saying, ‘You know, if that guy’s boat dies, we’re really going to be in trouble.’ “This time, there was a pleasure boater going port-to-port with me. All of a sudden, for some reason, he decided to cut in front of me. I am watching the guy carefully. He cuts in front of me about 50 yards in front of us. I am thinking, ‘What the heck is he doing?’ All of a sudden he is jumping up and down and waving his arms. His boat did die. I told the quartermaster to stump it full astern. “Fortunately ferries stop pretty fast, but we were barely able to squeak around the guy without hitting him. When you change course that quickly, the whole ferry shakes. It was hairy. I am not sure why these guys always want to be on the other side of the ferry.” Kohler, whose family has had a summer home on Orcas since 1961, lives in Anacortes during the winter. Growing up she was a bit of a tomboy who liked fishing and playing in the woods and doing all the grubby things boys liked to do. She spent her summers on Orcas since the 1960s, and says, “I love Orcas. I don’t know if there is a better place on earth for a kid that likes the outdoors. I have had so much fun here. Fishing, looking for agates on the beach, playing in the woods, swimming, floating on inner-tubes and logs and crabbing. All in an idyllic setting.” She is still as easygoing and still a bit tomboyish but now she carries her command with dry humor. She has worked for WSF since 1988 and received her Master’s License (certificate that she can work as a captain) in 1998. She says she was a bit aimless in her 20s and did not stay at any job long. “I worked at the Skyline Dock and in Alaska at some canneries and did some commercial fishing. I applied to work on the ferries because it was a local non-seasonal job. It seemed like it would be fun,” Kohler says of her decision to apply for a job with WSF. “After a couple of years as Ordinary Seaman, I wanted to do something a little more interesting, so I studied and became an Able Bodied Seaman. Then I decided I didn’t want to be on the car deck all the time. I wanted more responsibility and a different set of duties, so I started working on my Mate’s License. “It required a lot of studying and took a lot of time. I had to get my radar certification, attend advanced firefighting school, take a mate’s course and get my Merchant Mariner’s License (issued by the United States Coast Guard). In firefighting school, they basically set things on fire and you go put them out,” she said. “Then I had to add pilotage to the license. That means on my own personal, unpaid time, I had to take 12 observation runs on each route in the fleet, plus three interconnecting trips, not just the ones I was going to be working. If you do the work and get your master’s license it’s worth it. If not, you’ve just had some really crappy vacations,” Kohler says of the observation runs. Each candidate must pass a test on each route that requires drawing a chart with depths, contour depth lines, traffic lanes, navigational aids, land masses and dangers to navigation and writing a route description for each run. “After putting in the amount of sea time as a mate required, I took the Coast Guard exam to get my Master’s License that got me to the rank of Captain,” Kohler said. In 1998, when she first got her license, only nine other women had a Master’s license out of the 74 WSF employees with licenses. “I didn’t think about there not being a lot of women as captains when I decided to get mine. I ran into a couple of male officers who could have made it easier than they did, but 99 percent of them were great. There will probably always be some men that don’t think you belong in a man’s world. A couple of them did not want a woman in their pilothouse. I would just get off their boat and go ride with another captain. “What was harder for me was learning to be the boss. One day you are working deck hand, the next day you’re the boss and the following day you’re a deck hand again. It played havoc with some of my friendships while I was figuring that out,” Kohler says. Kohler, who works both captain and first mate, says she has probably worked only 100 days as captain in the ten years she has had her Master’s license, mostly in the San Juan Islands. She usually bids to work Sidney in the summer and the San Juans in the winter. Along with the technical expertise required of a Captain, she is required to have customer service skills to answer passenger problems and concerns. Some of the questions she’s fielded have been: What time do the whales come out? When does the fog lift? Where do the islands go in the winter? Do the ferries run on tracks? Is this a lake? Does the water freeze in the winter? “Handling passengers is always interesting,” she said. “Once, we were making our approach to Anacortes when the crew told me a couple had lost their car keys. This happens a lot and we usually can break into the car for them, but not this time. The crew searched everywhere for the keys – bathrooms, cabin area and car deck. No luck. To save time, I told the couple they’d have to take another round trip with us and we’d just load around them. Being a wonderful and fun couple, they looked at it as one grand adventure – they were having fun! “We called a locksmith who was to meet us upon our arrival in Anacortes. As we were approaching the dock, a deckhand told me that the couple had found their keys; the woman found them in her underwear. “When I talked to the couple again, they were cracking up. The woman had had the keys in her sweater pocket and when she went to the restroom, unbeknownst to her, the keys slipped into her underwear. When she went to use the restroom prior to our second landing in Anacortes, she found them! “The husband said he was going to write a song about it,” Kohler said. Kohler is also responsible for training; each crew in the fleet goes through weekly training. “Sometimes when you are riding the ferry we are doing drills – fire drills, abandoned ship drills and rescue drills. I am responsible for rescue operations, so I have to make sure the crew does the drills in a timely fashion. “Two years ago, we were coming out of Friday Harbor, and as we came around Brown Island, I saw this little boat going around in circles. At first I thought it was some kids fooling around, but it just looked strange. “Then the quartermaster said he saw a head in the water. I told the crew, ‘We got a man overboard. This is not a drill. Let’s go!’ It went perfectly. We had the rescue boat in the water so fast. But by the time they got there the guy had gone down. The crew had to reach into the water up to their shoulders to pull him out. I could smell the booze on him before we even got the rescue boat back up. He was pretty near death when we brought him aboard. We peeled his clothes off and packed him in heat packs and returned to Friday Harbor with him. We joked, ‘Booze is probably lighter than water, which is why he didn’t sink sooner.’ “I am hoping to be working full-time as a captain in the next couple of years,” Kohler says. “I love the job. I work with great people. I have challenging experiences. I love being on the water; every day out here is different and interesting,” she says, looking out across the sun-drenched water. “I just can’t imagine being inside at a desk job every day.” Kohler has many spare time interests. A few years ago she started raising chickens, “because they make great pets.” She also has a dog, Zeke, she loves to play with and two cats. She gardens and goes to hockey games and rock concerts. She spends a lot of time with her motorcycle club, the Buscadors del Sol Women’s Motorcycle Club, and is looking forward to the Sept. 28 Oyster Run in Anacortes. One of the greatest pleasures in being a ferry boat captain, says Kohler, is, “When I pass my dad and his friend out fishing in their little fishing spot; I blow the whistle at them to say, ‘Hi Dad!’” www.pnwlocalnews.com/sanjuans/isj/lifestyle/29479859.html
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Post by BreannaF on Oct 8, 2008 10:26:07 GMT -8
A study in contrasts:From the Everett Herald. Translation: We have a bit of reduced capacity this week, but all is good. Second ferry back on Edmonds-Kingston runHerald staff EDMONDS -- Ferry service on the Edmonds-Kingston run returned to two-vessel service Tuesday after being reduced to just one ferry Monday. Ferry officials found problems with the Walla Walla during an inspection Sunday night and it was pulled from service for repairs, officials said. The ferry Hyak, which can carry 144 cars, has been moved from the Seattle-Bremerton route to cover for the Walla Walla, a larger ship capable of holding 188 cars for the 30-minute crossing. The Edmonds-Kingston route has a high volume of vehicle use, and is heavily used by commercial traffic throughout the day. It links the I-5 corridor with the Olympic Peninsula. The Walla Walla is at the Everett Shipyard for repairs that are expected to take a minimum of two weeks, officials said. ========================================================= From the Kitsap Sun. Translation: The sky is falling! Our city's economy will die because the ferry went away! And so on........ Second Passenger Ferry Added to Bremerton RouteBy Ed Friedrich Tuesday, October 7, 2008 BREMERTON -- State ferry officials are adding a second passenger-only boat to try to prevent Bremerton riders from being left at the dock. On Tuesday, the Bremerton-Seattle route ran without one of its two car ferries, the Hyak. It was moved to the Kingston-Edmonds route to replace the Walla Walla, which went down with a bad thrust bearing early Monday. On Tuesday morning, the contracted Victoria Express packed in 148 passengers for the popular 6:20 a.m. sailing from Bremerton and left about 200 behind, said Joan Dingfield, one of many commuters who watched the passenger ferry sail away. "There were some grumpy people, especially when I got on my bus," said Dingfield, chairwoman of the Bremerton ferry advisory committee. "The bus driver told us the 6:20 passenger ferry was already full. People had to start making phone calls and changing meeting times." The 7:20 a.m. car ferry Kaleetan, which can carry 144 cars and 2,500 passengers, emptied the dock an hour later. Back-to-back passenger ferry departures are planned Wednesday at 6:05 a.m. and 6:20 a.m. They wouldn't have handled Tuesday's crowd, but the demand might be lighter. "The sense I got from walk-on passengers was that people will start adjusting their schedules," Dingfield said. Other passenger ferry departures have also been added. They are 9:20 a.m. from Bremerton and 4:50 p.m. and 6:55 p.m. from Seattle to help with the commuter rush. Kitsap Transit has adjusted its routes to accommodate the extra sailings. Extra service will run from the McWilliams and Gateway park-and-ride lots in the morning and will meet the ferries in the evenings. Those wanting to transfer to the Bremerton-Port Orchard foot ferry won't have to wait more than 15 minutes, said service director John Clauson. Washington State Ferries tried to get another passenger ferry from Victoria Express earlier Tuesday, but it was delayed by a Coast Guard certification. There won't be any help for drivers until another car ferry can be sprung free. The Walla Walla is expected to remain at Everett Shipyard for at least two weeks, said ferries spokeswoman Marta Coursey, and no backup boats are available. The 124-car Cathlamet should soon complete a two-week stay at the Eagle Harbor maintenance facility. It's scheduled for an annual Coast Guard inspection on Wednesday and Thursday, then could return to the Mukilteo-Clinton route. That would free the 124-car Kitsap for Bremerton. When the Cathlamet comes out of Eagle Harbor, the Kaleetan is scheduled to go in for its annual inspection, but that might be postponed. "We're looking at all options," Coursey said. There will be a vessel meeting Wednesday morning at 7:30 where boat moves will probably be determined, she said. Two boats are in the middle of extended work and out of the picture. The Puyallup, which is generally assigned to the Kingston route, is at Everett Shipyard until January, and the Sealth is scheduled to complete a long stay at Dakota Creek Industries in Anacortes the last week of October. Repairing the Walla Walla's thrust bearing is a huge job, Coursey said. A thrust bearing transfers force developed by the propeller to the ferry's frame, pushing the boat forward. A hole has to be cut in the middle of the car deck, the bearing dismantled and a 5,000-pound shaft removed, she said. It has to be sent to an outside machine shop because it's too big for Eagle Harbor's. Washington State Ferries expects to contract with Victoria Express for three days, paying the owner's cost plus 7 percent. Coursey said the cost estimate is $52,000. In February, after the Yakima ran into the Bremerton breakwater, it was replaced by the two Victoria Express ferries and the state passenger-only ferry Snohomish. At other times when Bremerton was down a boat, it got one of the three that operate on the Southworth-Vashon Island-Fauntleroy route, although two of them are too slow to keep Bremerton's schedule. This time, Kingston got Bremerton's car ferry, Coursey explained, because it has more vehicle traffic than any route in the system while Bremerton has a large number of walk-ons who could be served by passenger ferries.
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D'Elete BC in NJ
Voyager
Dispensing gallons of useless information daily...
Posts: 1,671
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Oct 16, 2008 10:48:08 GMT -8
little tidbit I came across today: www.marinelink.com/Story/TWICcompliance-PugetSound%2cPortland%26SanFrancisco-213097.html TWIC compliance-Puget Sound, Portland & San FranciscoThursday, October 16, 2008The US Coast Guard issued an official notice stating that regulated facilities within the Captain of the Port (COTP) Zones Puget Sound, Portland (Oregon), and San Francisco must commence enforcement of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) requirements not later than February 28, 2009. (Source: Holland & Knight) Link to the USCG Site regarding TWIC
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Post by Low Light Mike on Oct 22, 2008 8:16:53 GMT -8
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Post by Barnacle on Oct 23, 2008 5:43:44 GMT -8
The answer is six, maybe eight. Unless they're going to try three abreast in the tunnel, which is a REALLY bad idea.
The outer wings have full height clearance, but the 82-footers can't make it around the bendy bits at the end.
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Post by BreannaF on Oct 23, 2008 12:36:25 GMT -8
I saw the article here, and the first thing I thought it was talking about was relieving the pressure on the current PT-Keystone service. Perhaps, somehow, I dreamed that management had figured out a way to free up a ferry at night, and perhaps even employ a crew at night, to get people and freight moving to where they need to go in a timely manner. Alas, they were talking about something completely different. Silly me!!
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Post by EGfleet on Oct 24, 2008 6:56:10 GMT -8
Can we say "witch hunt?" Shouldn't WSF be concentraiting on, oh, I don't know...building boats instead? Ferry Breakdown Under InvestigationBy Ed Friedrich (Contact) Thursday, October 23, 2008 What's this?Washington State Ferries officials are investigating how a thrust bearing was damaged on the Walla Walla two weeks ago. The probe of the Oct. 5 incident is in the fact-finding stage, said ferries spokeswoman Hadley Greene. Once that's completed in two to three weeks, the director of maintenance, Paul Brodeur, will determine whether anybody should be disciplined, she said. The 188-car ferry had to be taken off the Kingston-Edmonds route for 12 days, inconveniencing riders there and at Bremerton, which gave up one of its two boats to Kingston. Greene couldn't track down Thursday the cost of emergency repairs at Everett Shipyard. The Walla Walla was shut down after metal shavings were found in the thrust bearing oil. That led to the discovery of the damaged bearing. The ferries system stated in an Oct. 6 news release that engineers discovered damage to the thrust bearing during a planned inspection on Sunday night, Oct. 5. It was planned because they suspected there was a problem, Greene said. A thrust bearing transfers force developed by the propeller to the ferry's frame, pushing the boat forward. There is one at each end. Workers had to cut a hole in the car deck, remove the 6-foot-long, 2 ½-ton shaft, send it to a machine shop for repairs, reinstall it and put the ferry back together
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Post by old_wsf_fan on Oct 24, 2008 17:11:25 GMT -8
Huh? Mechanical systems and their components wear-out despite constant maintenence. No matter how often systems are watched and serviced, wear is going to occur. That bearing is turning every moment that vessel is moving, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Now if it is due to neglected maintenence or oversight then it should be delt with from within WSF and not necessarily be made public, in my opinion.
When was that bearing last replaced and what is the service life of that part? If the wear was caught earlier on, could the repair have been done at Eagle Harbor?
I think incidents like this should be handled in a different manner.
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Post by BreannaF on Oct 29, 2008 2:57:30 GMT -8
Article from the Anacortes American where David Moseley probably promises more than he can ever hope to deliver. Yes, Anacortes needs a new terminal at some point to meet the needs of the future. Besides, the current one so much more matches the now-gone Steel-Electrics than the modern ferries now in use there. On the other hand, not to minimize any potential needs there, but we need terminals at Mukilteo, and Edmonds, and something changed at Fauntleroy (or expanded in Seattle), and so on and so on. For the records: Ferry terminal part of 2009 state budget requestOctober 23, 2008 - 08:00 AM by Joan Pringle Though the main focus is on boats and keeping the Washington State Ferries system operating, many involved in planning for the agency’s future feel the Anacortes terminal project is an important priority. “There will be potential for this to occur this year or at least this (Legislative) session,” WSF Director David Moseley said at an Oct. 15 meeting with the Anacortes Ferry Advisory Committee. Moseley said WSF has recommended the terminal be included in the governor’s 2009-2011 capital budget. From there the proposal would have to make it through the Office of Financial Management and the Legislature. Also going to the Legislature in the January session is the ferry system’s long-term plan. The draft plan currently points out a projected funding gap of $3.9 billion over the next 22 years. The shortfall includes $20 million a year in operating costs and $155 million in estimated future capital needs that include vessel acquisitions and terminal upgrades, but no new slips and no big projects. Filling the funding gaps would continue the current level of services but not address future projected growth. The San Juan Island route ridership is expected to increase 33 percent by 2030. Ridership on the Sidney, British Columbia, run is expected to increase 26 percent. The ferries system is not and will not be financially sustainable in the future because of Initiative 695, which passed in 2000 and removed the state’s motor vehicle excise tax, Moseley said. Revenues from the tax were a major source of funding for the ferry system. What the Legislature has done since then is transfer funds from other areas in the state’s transportation department and “cobbled the system together,” he said. The good thing is the governor’s office and the Legislature recognize that fact and in 2007 charged WSF, the Joint Transportation Committee and the Washington State Transportation Commission to work in a collaborative effort to come up with strategies for operating and funding the system in the future. “That’s the challenge before us,” Moseley said. “It’s a big challenge.” The process has gone well so far with all the parties involved concurring on the numbers, Moseley said. That consensus will help when WSF hands the proposed options over to the Legislature. The Legislature has had a good working relationship with WSF for the first time because of work going into the long-range plan, said Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen. She added, though, she’s not completely on board with the funding ideas or the pricing strategies in the plan. Rep. Jeff Morris, who admits he’s been a longtime WSF critic, said Moseley is doing a good job of bringing the ferry advisory groups together in support of proposals. The draft plan includes a three-part funding structure of operating revenues, state sources and local sources. State funds could come from various taxes such as the fuel tax and/or motor vehicle licenses, permits and fees. Proposed local funds could come from taxes and impact and license fees. Also being proposed are voter-approved transportation benefit districts and a state tax that would help with other transportation projects in the state. If the community jells around the draft plan, Morris said he would support it. But new taxes wouldn’t be his first choice and he prefers funds come from the general transportation budget. “I don’t see a great push for taxes of any kind,” Haugen said. “The state (WSF) needs to have a firm funding source.” The draft plan addresses congestion by possibly implementing a reservation system, pricing strategies and transit enhancements. By expanding its reservation system, WSF could operate with the smallest possible terminal facilities by reducing the number of vehicles arriving at a terminal for any one sailing. Reservations have been used for years with the Sidney, British Columbia, Canada, run and recently on the Port Townsend/Keystone route. Pricing strategies would involve higher fares during peak commuter hours to shift demand to slower travel times. Implementing a small vehicle incentive pricing is also being considered to increase the vehicle capacity on ferries and lower walk-on passenger fares. Pricing changes suggested for the San Juan Islands routes include a 20 percent surcharge for peak summer travel, 20 percent small car discount and 10 percent passenger discount. For the Sidney run, fares would increase as necessary to maintain the balance between vehicle demand and vessel capacity. The idea behind transit enhancements would be to entice commuters to shift from driving to walking onto ferries with the guarantee they could use other sources of public transportation, such as buses, to reach their final destination. The difficulty in this is that WSF is not in control of other transit systems, Moseley said. But one solution would be to invest in better parking and drop-off areas at its terminals. Additional services to the ferry system over the next 22 years would depend on demand conditions and funding availability. They could come in the form of additional vessels or sailings in the San Juans, but no additional service to the Sidney run is proposed. But the service would not be reduced either, Moseley said. “Our challenge is to maintain services we have,” he said. “That includes the Sidney run.” But Anacortes Chamber of Commerce Director Mitch Everton said in an e-mail to members following the meeting that the fate of the Sidney run is clearly not assured for next year. “Much of the ferry operation will be dependent on steps taken by the Legislature in filling the projected budget deficit,” Everton said. Given the state’s financial situation, it is unclear whether the Anacortes terminal project will actually be funded,” Everton also said. Moseley said the Anacortes project is being recommended to the governor due to the condition of the terminal, the long-term need to upgrade it and the completed design work for a scaled-down version of the project. Haugen agreed the Anacortes terminal project needs to go forward. It’s a terminal where people actually spend time as opposed to someplace like Mukilteo where a boat comes every 20 minutes. Morris, who was not at last week’s meeting, compared building terminals to putting the cart before the horse. If you don’t have ferries, you don’t need terminals, he said. But he added that if the governor approves any funding for terminals, Anacortes’ project would be at the top of the list. Moseley and WSF staff have been meeting with advisory committees and stakeholders for the past two months to get input on the draft plan scheduled to be completed mid-November. Moseley and WSF staff will be back for more community meetings the first two weeks of December to get more input before the final funding plan goes to the Legislature. “So there’s still a lot of work to do,” Moseley said. “Still time for you to review ... and comment.”
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Post by Kahloke on Oct 29, 2008 6:06:49 GMT -8
Oh boy - here we go. There's definitely a few points I disagree with Moseley about, but the biggest one of all is this notion of charging higher fares during peak commuter times to shift traffic to slower travel times. That is an absolute load of crap! Commuters, of which I am one, on the Central Sound routes (Bainbridge, Bremerton, & Kingston) constitute the bulk of fare sales as I understand it. In fact, I heard that fares alone actually do pay for the Seattle-Bainbridge ferries without the need for subsidies - someone please correct me if I am wrong. If that is the case, Moseley's proposal wants to essentially punish the "bread and butter" of the ferry system - commuters. Most people have set work hours, and even though a lot of companies offer flexible work hours, and telecommuting options, the majority of us still have to be at our work place during the day, during the core hours between 9 & 5. Way to alienate your largest constituency, Moseley!
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Post by BreannaF on Oct 30, 2008 0:19:55 GMT -8
Random comments and open questions about the above article:
Do a lot of people really spend a lot of time at the Anacortes terminal? Don't people generally get there a bit ahead of their scheduled ferry, give or take, like most other places?
We do know about problems at other terminals. Is the Anacortes issue a new one? Is it an issue? Or is it something that was said because Moseley was sitting in Anacortes at the time of the interview?
Did I miss something about there being a ferry every 20 minutes at Mukilteo? Perhaps that was something from when Ms. Haugen was a young lady. Doesn't seem current to me, though.
Yes, the ferries system is not and will not be financially sustainable in the future because of Initiative 695. This, I believe, is one of the best arguments that we should not have initiatives that have not been vetted by the legislature or some other group. It is a sign of a dysfunctional system that we can cut finding to programs without addressing the consequences of not funding them. Were we supposed to stop maintaining roads, or add a new tax somewhere else? At least the legislature would have fully discussed the issue and not left us hanging.
I agree with orcasnative, and ad this: Why do we necessarily have to have the same solutions for both the Central Sound routes and the island routes? Two different problems = two different solutions.
Yes, while that is not the solution to all of our problems, it would be a part of a solution. Yes, WSF may not be in control of the transit systems. But if WSF could really identify some people that could easily use the bus on both sides, I truly believe that Kitsap Transit on one side and Metro/CT/Sound Transit on the other side would be more than willing to put a new route anywhere that would make sense, and time it to the ferry departures and arrivals. There is certainly some of that going on now, and there can be more. All it takes is finding and identifying the likely riders.
The only other point: Which do we need worse, ferries or terminals? We need both, but a few months ago we couldn't afford either. What makes anyone think that we can afford either one now.
================================================= Separate political point: Any ferry plan will likely depend upon having a Democratic governor and legislature in place. My take on the Republican stand on the issue is that as ferries die from lack of maintenance, we will just have to endure less service. (The above is not necessarily an endorsement of any particular candidate, other than to wonder whether the results of next week's election will have any bearing on WSF operations in the future.)
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Post by whidbeyislandguy on Oct 30, 2008 1:57:23 GMT -8
Random comments and open questions about the above article:Did I miss something about there being a ferry every 20 minutes at Mukilteo? Perhaps that was something from when Ms. Haugen was a young lady. Doesn't seem current to me, though. In regards to Mukilteo, we have been wait for years for it to be moved. I have gone to many meetings about this and talk about it. the funding we got and then it was taken away to do the boats. Mukilteo needs a new terminal. Do you know how much fun it is to be either one of the 15 people that can be inside the terminal out of the rain, or be stuck out in it along with 100-200 others in commute time? The dock there is so old that the sink holes keep coming back and the sea wall keeps being patch and the towers that hold the transfer span, they are so far gone they are being held up new steal and concrete braces to hold it up. The new terminal and dock built just northeast of where it is now, this is part of why there is the new sound transit train station there, the whole thing was to be built together. now well yeah not such.
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Post by EGfleet on Oct 30, 2008 8:37:08 GMT -8
Random comments and open questions about the above article:Do a lot of people really spend a lot of time at the Anacortes terminal? Don't people generally get there a bit ahead of their scheduled ferry, give or take, like most other places? We do know about problems at other terminals. Is the Anacortes issue a new one? Is it an issue? Or is it something that was said because Moseley was sitting in Anacortes at the time of the interview? People spend a lot of time at the Anacortes dock in the summer. There are often back ups in the summer (though I didn't notice any this year, frankly) and people are often forced to sit around at the terminal for a while. It doesn't seem to be much of a problem the rest of the year, though. Anacortes does have some special issues--mainly the seawall is in incredibly poor condition. The terminal building of course sits on/next to the seawall, so yes, it needs to be replaced. What I found incredible about this article was the ridiculous assumption of how much traffic is going to be increasing on the Sidney run--a number that has been falling consistently for the last eight years. Traffic was down this year again except for the month of August which only just matched '07. To me this line was most telling: For the Sidney run, fares would increase as necessary to maintain the balance between vehicle demand and vessel capacity.That doesn't sound good, given that in the off months some times ten cars in either direction is a good run. Add to that the passport requirement set to take place in June of 09, you're going to see traffic fall of even further.
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