As most of you know, the KENNEWICK is visiting the Columbia Beach - Mukilteo run this week due to a breakdown of a major ferry elsewhere in the fleet. Today, I took a ride aboard her on this busy run. Here's my photo journal of her:
At Mukilteo with its famous lighthouse.
Loading the KENNY. The terminal building has its holiday lights.
Underway for Whidbey Island (the south end, not Keystone).
Underway.
From the Sun Deck. This is a 15 minute run, so it's hurry up and enjoy the crossing. On her normal run, it's 30 minutes up in Admiralty Inlet.
It's "KENNEWICK", not "KENNIWICK". This unfortunate misspelling is on most of the liferings. WSF will have to replace these all with new ones showing the right spelling. Mount Baker and Glacier Peak rise in the distance.
Leaving the mainland astern. Being on the Sun Deck aboard these KDT ferries brings me happy memories of promenading on the long open deck aboard the Steel Electrics.
At Columbia Beach. Small, but longer than a Steel Electric. I still can't accept the fact that the KDT ferries are the smallest of the fleet nowadays. The even smaller OLY, RHODY, KULSHAN, VASHON, Steel Electrics, Wooden Electrics, and others were the big ferries in their days on this run.
KENNEWICK at Columbia Beach. Mount Baring and Persis/Index rise at her south end.
Inside the waiting room. We didn't have this view during the days the older ferries ruled on this run.
All aboard for Mukilteo.
The people who did these liferings need to take a spelling test!
Nearing Mukilteo. It's so nice to see green tiles, seats, and interior benches again on this run. The OLYMPIC, the wooden cabin Steel Electrics, and the "pre-clowned" ES class had close to the same colors.
What do you do for an encore? Take another round trip!
Inside the cabin.
Whidbey, again!
From the observatory. You had this same view from the Steel Electrics' observatories.
Back aboard for the last time today, these seats would be full of riders if this was a hot summer day. Quite a few folks ventured up to this deck today, though.
This seagull enjoys riding ferries. Should that funnel be painted buff? The ISLAND HOME has it as well as most of her fleet mates in MA.
Arriving Mukilteo once more.
The KENNEWICK at Mukilteo.
Getting close and personal with the 274-foot ferry.
Underway again for Columbia Beach.
Thanks for the good ride, MV KENNEWICK. Yes, there were long lines today. But, in my opinion, you did the best you could under the traffic circumstances we have today.
See you again at Keystone, KENNY!
This ferry is no stranger to these waters she's been sailing this week. She did pre-acceptance trials in this area before being delivered to WSF and starting service on the Keystone run.