ABOARD THE STEILACOOM II — The Steilacoom II rolled from side to side as it pulled out of Keystone Harbor on Friday, carrying passengers across Admiralty Inlet for the first time.
The state lawmakers on board clutched railings and tables to steady themselves as the ferry started across the choppy emerald water. Though none got seasick, many said the rough water between Whidbey Island and Port Townsend needs new ferries that are bigger and better suited to the crossing.
The state will need to build one new ferry modeled on the Steilacoom II because the boat can be assembled quickly and is needed immediately, said Sen. Mary Margaret Haugen, D-Camano Island. “But in the long run, there’s no question we have to have bigger boats,” she added.
Haugen was among the legislators and Washington State Ferry officials who inaugurated the Steilacoom II on Friday with a round-trip voyage between Port Townsend and Keystone.
The ferry began carrying walk-on passengers late Friday, and was scheduled to begin carrying vehicles today. The route has been without a car ferry for nearly three months, and commuters and business owners were anxious for service to resume.
On Friday, the Steilacoom II chopped through small waves on the notoriously rough Admiralty Inlet as rain sprinkled its deck. The ferry is unlike anything in the state’s fleet, with a relatively small passenger cabin perched on top of a tall, open car deck designed to accommodate tractor-trailers.
The state is leasing the 50-car ferry from Pierce County until new ferries for the route are built. State officials had already decided to build one ferry modeled after the Steilacoom II and had been discussing plans to build two more.
After Friday’s voyage, it was clear that decision-makers are now leaning toward alternative designs for the two additional vessels.
The Steilacoom-style “boat we are building is a great candidate for the Port Defiance-to-Tahlequah run,” said State Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond. “Are we building a boat we’ll never use? No. We’re building a boat we’ll use there or as a back-up.”
Money and time are among the main reasons lawmakers initially considered building three ferries modeled after the Steilacoom II. Officials hoped they would replace the 80-year-old Steel Electric-class ferries, which Hammond ordered out of the water on Nov. 20, because of safety concerns.
Coast Guard-approved designs are available for the Steilacoom II boats, which makes them quicker to build than most.
It would cost around $60 million to build three Steilacoom-style ferries, Hammond said.
The “Island Home,” a larger, more expensive ferry designed for use in Nantucket, Mass., also has been considered. Building two Island Home ferries and one Steilacoom II would cost around $85 million, Hammond said.
Rep. Barbara Bailey, R-Oak Harbor, said the state needs to find the money to build the right ferries. She’s tired of missteps by ferry officials and said public trust in the system is “very low.”
“We appropriated money in 2003 to replace the Steel Electrics that have been pulled out of service,” she said. “So there should be money to replace them. If we had built the boats in 2003, we would have the first of those boats on the water this year.
“Now we’re in a crisis situation and we have to react differently and we never should have had to do that. With that in mind, I want to make sure we get the right boats in the future.”
Capt. Mark Haupt said the Steilacoom II’s rounded keel makes it heave more than the Steel Electric ferries. The Steilacoom II also has less room between the surface of the water and the car deck and fewer protective bulwarks, Haupt said.
Consequently, the ferry will probably have to be pulled from service more than the Steel Electrics were during bad weather, he said.
“When it gets too rough, we just aren’t going to run,” he said, as the boat rocked its way across Admiralty Inlet on Friday. “It’s probably more appropriate to use it on other routes on the ferry system.”
Hammond said she thought the ferry rode fine, but said crews will be watching to see whether passengers are comfortable, especially during rough weather. Even without strong winds or choppy water, which are common for the crossing, the ferry was rolling.
“I didn’t feel unusually uncomfortable,” Hammond said.
The state is leasing the ferry from Pierce County for around $42,000 a month.
In the next few weeks, while crews and passengers become accustomed to the Steilacoom II, lawmakers plan to make key decisions on the design and cost of the next generation of Washington ferries.
Hammond said she’ll continue working to improve the ferry system’s shaky finances, and also to restore public trust in the system.
“I hope that people already feel like there’s a difference in Washington State Ferries,” she said. “I’m working hard to change the culture of communication openness. I’m trying to work hard so that when people ask a question, they feel like they get a straight answer. … As far as trust and confidence within the system, it’s really going to take getting boats we can rely on.”
Reporter Kaitlin Manry: 425-339-3292 or kmanry@heraldnet.com.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
