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Post by SS San Mateo on Sept 26, 2010 11:19:56 GMT -8
Water taxi rams Seattle pier, passengers in waterMore here.
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Post by BreannaF on Sept 26, 2010 12:36:21 GMT -8
West Seattle Blog has some current pictures and comments from people who were on the Rachel Marie when it hit the dock at Pier 50 at 11:15 this morning. Highlights to this point include: - At least 7 people injured, and at least one overboard (with reports of perhaps more). No "life-threatening" injuries.
- Rescuers are using the fireboat Leschi to get people off the boat, taking them over to the fire station next door for aid or just to get off the boat.
- Captain announced over the loudspeaker "Everybody hold on, we’re going to hit" just before the impact with the dock.
And I'm sure the detractors will start right away telling us that this is why we shouldn't have passenger ferry service. Sheeesh! Latest updates: - Coast Guard reports that they suspect mechanical failure.
- No passengers in the water after all. The person in the water turned out to be a Coast Guard swimmer. Just in case.
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Post by Kahloke on Sept 26, 2010 13:16:51 GMT -8
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Post by SS Shasta on Sept 26, 2010 14:22:08 GMT -8
Hmmm....... More opportunities for lawyers?
King County needs to be out of this business, the sooner, the better!
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Post by fargowolf on Sept 26, 2010 14:45:39 GMT -8
Good heavens. They can only use 28-inch boarding ramps? That's a recipe for slow-flow at the dock... . My wheelchair van has a ramp that is 28" wide, mostly because that is roughly the width of the door on a Dodge Caravan minivan. From the ADA standpoint, many wheelchairs will fit on that width, and many others are just too wide for both wheels to get on there at the same time (in which case, we cue the full-size van or the bus). That's interesting... I was under the impression that the minimum permissible width was/is 36" That allows for a bit of room for the wheel chair user's hands. (Bicycle pathways, are also based on these guidelines... Epic fail there...)
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FNS
Voyager
The Empire Builder train of yesteryear in HO scale
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Post by FNS on Sept 26, 2010 15:06:12 GMT -8
OUCH!
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Post by lmtengs on Sept 26, 2010 15:15:23 GMT -8
That'll cost a fair bit in repairs.....
Thank god nobody died!
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Post by Freeland on Oct 12, 2010 15:30:51 GMT -8
For what it is worth department. They just brought in the King CO Taxi the Rachel Marie into Nichols Brother's Shipyard in Freeland today. Lot of work going on in the ship yard. The Real McCoy II an eight car ferry is just about done for the town of Rio Vista. Also the completion of the second Keystone Ferry is getting close to being done, with all three section line up in a row. They have started painting the bridge white. Emory in Freeland
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Post by Kahloke on Oct 14, 2010 9:37:14 GMT -8
Kingston PO boat starts on Monday - read on: New Puget Sound foot ferry service to launchBy LARRY LANGE, SEATTLEPI.COM
Walk-on ferries will attempt another resurgence on Puget Sound on Monday, when the Port of Kingston starts weekday service between Kingston and Seattle.
Dubbed the "Sound Runner," the weekday service starts with two commuter sailings to Pier 50 in Seattle each morning and two return trips in the afternoon. The port hopes the service can at least break even by the end of 2011. Success, if it comes, could inspire others to attempt it once economic conditions improve.
"People are looking for alternatives, and, also, quality of life has become an important factor," said.Eric Osness, the port's ferry manager, who said the port hopes the shorter commute will lure riders.
There's been an ongoing push for Seattle-Kingston ferry service for some time, and "it's going to be interesting to see if the Kingston (service) can make it. It's a pretty slimmed-down, homegrown operation," said Bruce Agnew, director of the Cascadia Center for Regional Development and a big foot-ferry booster. "It may bode well for them to make a go of it."
The service will be the second experiment on the 16-mile route in five years. The private Aqua Express ran a similar service for about eight months in 2005, discontinuing it due to lack of enough riders, spiking fuel prices and the inability to extend its service to Vashon and Southworth.
The "Sound Runner" service will charge adults $15 for a round trip and $10 for a one-way ride between Pier 50 and the Kingston port dock. Monthly passes will be available; tickets will be sold at a booth on the Kingston side of the sound and on the boats to people boarding at Seattle.
As an introductory promotion, rides will be free Monday, with full fares going into effect Tuesday, said port spokeswoman Melissa Liton.
The port thinks it may make a go of the route using a smaller, less fuel-consumptive boat, the 65-foot-long catamaran Spirit of Kingston, and smaller crews.
The boat will make the crossing in 45 minutes but consume less than half as much fuel per hour as Aqua Express' vessels. Another advantage Aqua Express didn't have was $3.5 million in federal grants that paid for the port's boats, the Spirit of Kingston and the Victoria Express.
Another was $150,000 in state operating grant money that will help run the system. Osnes said the port has applied for national state money to help it run the ferries beyond next year.
"We want it to be fully self-sustaining. However we can get there, that's the challenge," Osnes said.
The port bases its business model on commuters, believing it needs 300 riders back and forth between the two communities each weekday in order for the service to break even financially.
Before Aqua Express' attempt, another privately-run ferry operated between Ballard and Kingston in 1924 but only lasted a few months, said Alan Stein, a historian at HistoryLink.org. "It couldn't compete with the Edmonds run," Stein said. The new service will offer a direct route to downtown Seattle that bypasses Edmonds.
Besides seeking other grants the port has sold some advertising that will appear on the boats, though Osnes declined to identify the advertisers before Monday. He said the port also is looking for chances to rent its vessels for charters on weekends to raise more operating cash, and if tourists ride the boats to tour the Kitsap Peninsula that will also help the bottom line.
The boats will have coffee and sandwiches aboard for travelers but no food preparation on board other than microwaves.
Agnew at the Cascadia Center said the port's use of federal and state money gives it a "leg up" making the route work. He said there have been discussions about other foot-ferry routes, including one linking Bellingham and Friday Harbor, but money's been lacking to support it
Agnew's organization has long supported the return of small foot ferries to help relieve traffic congestion but he said new routes will have to attract riders and prove themselves.
"I wish them well," he said of the Kingston port.
Other government entities have considered starting or re-starting foot ferry service. Kitsap Transit is experimenting with designs for a low-wake boat that could be used on new passenger-only service between Seattle and Bremerton; that service was discontinued after a court battle over wakes from earlier boats.
King County, which operates a downtown-to-West Seattle water taxi, has taken over the Seattle-to-Vashon foot ferry service after the state got out of it. The county has discussed the possibility of starting other routes but a supportive property tax levy for ferries was reduced this year to allow addition of a property tax for the Metro transit system.
The county plans to add year-round service to the water taxi, where ridership has grown. But with tax revenues down, the county's focus is on maintaining what it has and "we're certainly not looking at expansion during the coming year," said Linda Robson, an aide to King County Councilwoman Jan Drago.
Raising taxes to pay for new ferry programs "is a discussion for another day, when the economy is recovered," Robson said.www.komonews.com/news/local/104957759.html
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Post by Kahloke on Oct 18, 2010 11:03:36 GMT -8
The Spirit of Kingston made her maiden voyage today. Debut of Kingston passenger ferry draws commuters, joyridersBy TAD SOOTER Kingston Community News Editor Today, 10:05 AM · UPDATED
Photos by Brad Camp.
KINGSTON — Onboard the Spirit of Kingston Monday morning, halfway to Seattle, commuter Catherine Borstad forgot her commuter worries for a moment and enjoyed the ride.
"It's a lot smoother than the Aqua Express, and it's amazing how fast we're moving," Borstad said of the Port of Kingston's new passenger boat, as the lights of Seattle slid into view.
The inaugural 5:55 a.m. sailing of the SoundRunner ferry service attracted 75 riders. About half were commuters like Borstad, eager to test the new connection to Seattle. The port's 149-seat ferry, which runs four round trips daily, is the first direct link between North Kitsap and downtown Seattle since the Aqua Express ferry discontinued service five years ago.
"This is the future of Kingston," Port Commissioner Pete DeBoer said. "This is the future of the North Kitsap Peninsula, and all the way to Port Angeles."
The first sailing of the Spirit of Kingston drew a cross section of riders, including stalwart commuters, casual travelers and ferry supporters who woke up early to experience the maiden crossing.
Laura Eccles and Pat Ryan had traveled from Port Townsend to be on the first SoundRunner sailing. Eccles and Ryan, both retired, said the ferry would be a valuable link for Jefferson County residents who usually drive to the busy Bainbridge ferry terminal to reach Seattle.
This morning the friends were onboard to "do something we'd never done before and watch the sunrise," Ryan said.
They weren't the only joyriders.
On the ferry's starboard side, Jim and Renee Chrisman were riding to show their support of the ferry.
"We've been waiting for this for a long time and wanted to support it," Jim said. "I think it's an outreach, a lot of people here are connected to Seattle in one way or another."
For other riders, Monday was a testing day for the new service.
Several commuters onboard said they were still deciding whether the ferry's timetable would mesh with their work schedules.
Graham Breakwell usually rides the Kingston to Edmonds ferry. He said he and his wife pay for parking in Kingston and Edmonds and keep a car on the east side of the sound to reach their jobs in Seattle. Breakwell said whether they make SoundRunner their new routine will all depend on how the schedule impacts their day.
"I'll give it four stars right now, and reserve the last star for the timing," Breakwell said. "But they can't please everyone."
Commuters streamed off the Spirit of Kingston at Colman Dock but no new passengers came onboard for the 6:50 a.m. return trip to Kingston.
Ferry project manager Eric Osnes said he was encouraged by the commuter turnout for SoundRunner's first sailing but he hopes to see more passengers on the westbound sailings.
"That will be the challenge, to get people riding the other way," Osnes said.www.pnwlocalnews.com/kitsap/kin/news/105183569.html
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Post by lmtengs on Oct 18, 2010 14:15:52 GMT -8
She looks like a real nice boat!
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Post by Northern Exploration on Oct 18, 2010 16:37:37 GMT -8
The ferry reminds me of a distant cousin to the high speed passenger ferries that scoot around Manhattan.
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Post by Barnacle on Oct 18, 2010 21:26:18 GMT -8
And still they haven't resolved the lack of parking... and since Richard Hayes isn't running the boat, I would suspect Kitsap Transit won't do much in the way of support either.
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D'Elete BC in NJ
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Dispensing gallons of useless information daily...
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Post by D'Elete BC in NJ on Oct 19, 2010 9:30:47 GMT -8
The ferry reminds me of a distant cousin to the high speed passenger ferries that scoot around Manhattan. Me thinks I might have some recent photos of said ferries...I will try to get to uploading them sometime this week along with many others I've taken over the last 2 weeks!
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Post by Northern Exploration on Oct 19, 2010 19:26:44 GMT -8
The ferry reminds me of a distant cousin to the high speed passenger ferries that scoot around Manhattan. Me thinks I might have some recent photos of said ferries...I will try to get to uploading them sometime this week along with many others I've taken over the last 2 weeks! I am expecting some interesting stories as well whether you post them here or not .
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Post by EGfleet on Nov 1, 2010 6:36:53 GMT -8
Bremerton Fast Foot Ferry Tests Could Be Delayed, Again* By Ed Friedrich BREMERTON — Kitsap Transit’s low-wake research ferry might not carry passengers until 2012 because of prolonged experimentation on its foil, or underwater wing. The 14-foot-wide wing, which lifts the Rich Passage I off the water, fell off during high-speed testing March 31 in Bellingham Bay. It was fished off the bottom, and engineers have been studying it ever since. They need to determine how much stress it’s under at different speeds and depths, and strengthen it accordingly. “If we lose another wing, it’s a real disaster,” said Kitsap Transit Executive Director Dick Hayes. The $5.3 million catamaran was originally scheduled to operate between Bremerton and Seattle for seven months beginning in June to study the wake and business model. The start date got bumped to April 2011 because of complications with federal funding and an Endangered Species Act review. Now it could be later. “We’re entertaining the prospect of having to do it in 2012,” Hayes said. “My point of view is this is probably Bremerton’s last chance. It’s much more important that this boat works and meets the wake specifications. We don’t have any money to begin service operations so whether the testing occurs in 2011 or 2012 really isn’t an enormous deal.” About $800,000 in federal funds is available for the research runs, but nothing beyond that. Kitsap County Commissioner Josh Brown, chairman of the Kitsap Transit Board of Commissioners, echoed Hayes. “The sooner we can get the wake research completed, the better, but we don’t have an absolute deadline,” he said. “It’s really important that things are done right both in terms of construction of the boat and doing the wake testing, including the public outreach that needs to go on as part of that.” Washington State Ferries provided passenger-only service between Bremerton and Seattle from 1986 until 2003. The private Kitsap Ferry Company ran a scaled-down operation with help from Kitsap Transit from 2004 until 2007. Many city officials and business people see a 30-minute fast-ferry crossing as the key to reviving Bremerton. The 118-passenger Rich Passage I must complete open-water trials of about 400 runs in front of wake-measuring buoys before Kitsap Transit accepts it from boatbuilder All American Marine of Bellingham. They explored conducting the tests in the Canadian Gulf Islands to avoid a time-consuming special permit to put buoys in U.S. waters for a few weeks. “The Canadians turned us down flat,” Hayes said. Now they’re looking at a couple places here to put unanchored buoys. “Since we’re not anchoring anything, the process gets a lot simpler,” Hayes said. Hayes expects the tests to be conducted in December and January. Read more: www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/oct/30/bremerton-fast-ferry-tests-could-be-delayed/#ixzz142dNMpAf
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Post by EGfleet on Nov 1, 2010 6:39:46 GMT -8
Director of Kingston Foot Ferry Program Fired Two Weeks Into Service By Ed Friedrich Kitsapsun KINGSTON — Eric Osnes, program manager for the Port of Kingston’s two-week-old passenger-only ferry service, was fired Friday. Pete DeBoer, chairman of the Port of Kingston board of commissioners, said the SoundRunner program manager must live in North Kitsap to be responsive to circumstances that effect the operation. When it became apparent that Osnes couldn’t relocate from North Seattle for personal and family reasons, he was let go. “For this project to be successful, the leadership needs to be a full-time part of the local community and develop professional relationships with dozens of local groups, businesses and governments,” DeBoer said. The importance of living near the ferry operation became apparent last week when a morning departure from Kingston to Seattle had to be aborted because of bad weather seven minutes into the run, according to a statement from DeBoer. The commissioners reviewed candidates for past positions and believe a couple are qualified for the program manager position. It’s possible that one could be hired over the weekend, DeBoer said. Osnes has been at the helm of SoundRunner service since March. Read more: www.kitsapsun.com/news/2010/oct/29/director-of-kingston-foot-ferry-program-fired/#ixzz142eCti9w
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Post by EGfleet on Nov 18, 2010 9:06:37 GMT -8
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Post by EGfleet on Nov 21, 2010 17:24:45 GMT -8
Port of Kingston suspends passenger ferry service for repairsBy TAD SOOTER Kingston Community News Editor Nov 18 2010, 11:09 AM KINGSTON — The Port of Kingston suspended passenger ferry service to Seattle indefinitely Thursday after a second engine failed on the Spirit of Kingston. Ferry Programs Manager Karen Arnold said SoundRunner service will not resume for at least two weeks as repairs are made to the Spirit. The port will also use the time to improve its rider alert system and make provisions for the ORCA card system before relaunching, Arnold said. "I felt like I needed to stop, get these repairs done and get this fixed right," said Arnold, who took over as manager in late October. "I want to get this right, get the boat healthy and get this straightened out." SoundRunner sailings have been cancelled on seven of the 24 days the ferry has been in operation, due to both bad weather and mechanical failures. A starboard side engine threw a rod on the first day of service and the Spirit has been operating on three of its four engines ever since. The engine was supposed to be replaced last week but the port was unable to reach an agreement with the engine's warranty company. Arnold said the second starboard engine failed Thursday morning, before the first sailing from Kingston, disabling the Spirit completely. Arnold said she is confident the replacement will be covered under the engine's warranty. Meanwhile the port's backup boat, Victoria Express, is still not being used on the route. Arnold said the crew is now certified to operate the vessel but the monohull ferry is too unstable at the dock to safely load passengers. So far the port hasn't found a way to make the boat stable with its existing facilities. "At the dock she pitches wildly," Arnold said. "It's just not safe." Arnold said once the Spirit is fixed service could resume without a backup boat if necessary. About 30 passengers are riding SoundRunner daily, far fewer than the port had hoped for in its first months of operation. Arnold said frequent cancellations have made some riders leery of trying the service. "It's easy to understand, because people need reliability," Arnold said. www.pnwlocalnews.com/kitsap/kin/news/108994904.html
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Post by Barnacle on Nov 21, 2010 18:45:19 GMT -8
I suspect this is probably the next-to-last strike for the service. One more and that's going to be the ballgame.
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Post by SS San Mateo on Nov 21, 2010 19:00:48 GMT -8
I wonder how many of the riders had previously used the regular ferry to go to Edmonds and then rode either the bus or Sounder to downtown Seattle.
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Post by Barnacle on Nov 22, 2010 16:15:00 GMT -8
I wonder how many of the riders had previously used the regular ferry to go to Edmonds and then rode either the bus or Sounder to downtown Seattle. Both of them. ;D
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Post by BreannaF on Nov 22, 2010 23:04:22 GMT -8
Port of Kingston suspends passenger ferry service for repairs...Meanwhile the port's backup boat, Victoria Express, is still not being used on the route. Arnold said the crew is now certified to operate the vessel but the monohull ferry is too unstable at the dock to safely load passengers. So far the port hasn't found a way to make the boat stable with its existing facilities. "At the dock she pitches wildly," Arnold said. "It's just not safe." ... Um, wait a minute here. I've lost track of which Victoria Express is which, but I've been on each of them at least once in the last 5 years or so, and don't recall any wild pitching at the dock. Also, isn't this one of the boats used for a while as a passenger ferry back when the Bremerton run was down to one ferry a while back? I don't recall anyone mentioning that issue at that time. So, is this really a boat issue, or is it an issue with the dock that is being used? Well, the dock isn't seemingly a problem when the Spirit of Kingston uses it. I'm confused. But I predict that (1) it may be that the new manager is the one confusing us, and (2) it's pretty likely from reading this that it will be a moot point soon anyway. Sad. Still, inquiring ferry geek minds want to figure this out sometimes...... ============================================ And that other thing.... I wonder how many of the riders had previously used the regular ferry to go to Edmonds and then rode either the bus or Sounder to downtown Seattle. Both of them. ;D Dude! That's not the first time you made me spit my tea into my keyboard!!! ;D
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Post by Low Light Mike on Nov 23, 2010 22:36:57 GMT -8
Here are 2 pictures of mine of the MV Victoria Express at the Kingston dock, on October 27, 2010:
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Koastal Karl
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Been on every BC Ferry now!!!!!
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Post by Koastal Karl on Nov 24, 2010 9:33:51 GMT -8
Now what was she doing at Kingston???
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