|
|
Post by SS Shasta on Sept 30, 2007 13:37:25 GMT -8
Looks like a few problems have surfaced in the San Juan Islands with the beginning of the fall schedule. What has happened? MV Yakima has a engine problem that limits her speed. Wonder why she didn't come down to Eagle Harbor for repairs rather than sending MV Hyak south? MV Illahee apparently had a minor problem on Friday night. I always wondered why WSF pulled MV Evergreen State off the Inter-island run so quickly rather than keep Evergreen in place and assign MV Illahee as #2 on the Keystone route replacing MV Nisqually. MV Elwha is also apparently having mechanical problems on her first day on the International run. Guess this is all in a days work for the crews that work so hard to keep the old gals running in good order!  |
|
|
|
Post by Barnacle on Sept 30, 2007 14:24:56 GMT -8
Looks like a few problems have surfaced in the San Juan Islands with the beginning of the fall schedule. What has happened? MV Yakima has a engine problem that limits her speed. Wonder why she didn't come down to Eagle Harbor for repairs rather than sending MV Hyak south? MV Illahee apparently had a minor problem on Friday night. I always wondered why WSF pulled MV Evergreen State off the Inter-island run so quickly rather than keep Evergreen in place and assign MV Illahee as #2 on the Keystone route replacing MV Nisqually. MV Elwha is also apparently having mechanical problems on her first day on the International run. Yakima's problem isn't severe enough to require removal from service. Her current operating speed is about 14-15 knots, which is close enough for our purposes. Illahee's problem was also pretty minor and was easily rectified by an adjustment, though one that necessitated pulling her out of service for a trip to make sure it was done correctly. As for why she isn't down at Keystone, I don't know. Unless WSF wanted to have a spare (!) boat that was useful somewhere other than Port Townsend or Tahlequah. Motives are not always transparent. It could even be a ploy to call attention to the fact that someone needs to come up with some scratch to replace the elderly and frail "fine old vessels." The Elwha also had a crewing issue, which probably meant that someone didn't show up and they had to find another body. |
|
|
|
Post by SS San Mateo on Oct 1, 2007 8:00:42 GMT -8
Illahee's problem was also pretty minor and was easily rectified by an adjustment, though one that necessitated pulling her out of service for a trip to make sure it was done correctly. As for why she isn't down at Keystone, I don't know. Unless WSF wanted to have a spare (!) boat that was useful somewhere other than Port Townsend or Tahlequah. Motives are not always transparent. It could even be a ploy to call attention to the fact that someone needs to come up with some scratch to replace the elderly and frail "fine old vessels." Another (previously mentioned) theory: The USCG won't allow WSF to use the Illahee on the Pt. Townsend-Keystone route. |
|
|
|
Post by SS Shasta on Oct 2, 2007 11:56:22 GMT -8
Illahee's problem was also pretty minor and was easily rectified by an adjustment, though one that necessitated pulling her out of service for a trip to make sure it was done correctly. As for why she isn't down at Keystone, I don't know. Unless WSF wanted to have a spare (!) boat that was useful somewhere other than Port Townsend or Tahlequah. Motives are not always transparent. It could even be a ploy to call attention to the fact that someone needs to come up with some scratch to replace the elderly and frail "fine old vessels." I was sort of wondering myself about the possibility that this was a ploy too.  Perhaps it was to call attention to the tough summer. Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not. The MV Illahee has a very low auto deck clearance which is a major factor on the Port Townsend/Keystone route, but not so much on the Inner-island route. BTW: It seems like MV Evergreen State did a excellent job on the Inner-island run this summer. When we rode her she was loaded with several trucks loaded with high clearance farm equipment. I doubt that it would have fit on the MV Illahee. Hope she (Evergreen) comes back to the Islands next summer!!  |
|
|
|
Post by Barnacle on Oct 2, 2007 19:44:51 GMT -8
Depends on what's running... And, if you'll pardon the grammatical nit-picking, it's 'inter-island,' not 'inner-island.' ;D |
|
|
|
Post by SS Shasta on Oct 3, 2007 9:54:16 GMT -8
Depends on what's running... And, if you'll pardon the grammatical nit-picking, it's 'inter-island,' not 'inner-island.' ;D Sorry about that! The "inter-island ferry" does make one run to Anacortes per week. Back in the 70's when MV Vashon was on the route, she would make one Anacortes run per day! Oh, for the "good old days"  . |
|
|
|
Post by Barnacle on Oct 4, 2007 7:31:43 GMT -8
The good old days of the 1970s? When the Steel-Electrics would routinely lose their certificates of inspection because of the thinness of their hulls, their leaky passenger cabins... ...the routine stack fires on the Olympic... ...seeing the gaps in the floorboards open and close again on the Vashon on a heavy roll, or worse yet, feeling the entire superstructure wrack... ...ferries in the San Juans sailing past any given island because they had no traffic for that particular island and the boat was full... ...the Kulshan was the big boat at Clinton, along with the Rhododendron and Olympic, but had passenger accomodations for about sixteen people... ... Okay, I'll go away now. |
|
|
|
Post by SS Shasta on Oct 6, 2007 14:40:36 GMT -8
Looks like more problems in the Islands today with the International Route being cancelled. The MV Elwha is out of service. Is she the "hard luck" vessel of the Super class? Her year "in the yard" apparently did not clear up all of the problems.  |
|
Perhaps it was to call attention to the tough summer. Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not.
.