Puget Sound Sunrise, image by Dustin Lemke

Wicked cool photo by USMMA ’98 grad and Jackson Hole local, Dustin Lemke.  Mt. Rainier is a glacier-topped volcano that rises from sea level to 14,410 feet and is the most dominant feature in the Seattle skyline.

“These difficult times require bold action to not only save taxpayer money but to improve the way the state does business and serves the public,” said Gregoire.

The governor will introduce legislation to create a Puget Sound Regional Ferry District to operate the ferry system. The district would consist of all or a portion of the following counties: Clallam, Jefferson, Kitsap, Island, San Juan, Skagit, Snohomish, King and Pierce counties. The district’s funds would come from fares, a state subsidy to fund a core level of service, and regional taxing authority to ensure service levels are consistent with local and regional needs.

The ferry system is facing serious financial trouble. Washington State Ferries has lost more than $1.2 billion in funding since 1999 when voters repealed the motor vehicle excise tax, or MVET, with Initiative 695. According to the national Passenger Vehicle Association, this lack of stable funding is a critical challenge to the system’s sustainability and level of service. The system faces a $900 million shortfall over the next ten years.

“Rather than patch together funding for the ferries for another two years and subject ferry riders and communities to more uncertainty, I believe it is time to take bold action so the system is sustainable, safe and accessible,” Gregoire said. “A regional district will give the communities and families who depend on the ferries the stability and control they deserve.”

After the Legislature creates the district, an interim board needs to form to begin discussions with the state about the level of state funding and other details. Once those discussions conclude, the Legislature would need to approve the state’s subsidy.

Download the  governor’s ferry proposal HERE.

Join the discussion on this story in the gCaptain forum

Earlier this week I received a request from our friend Ben Ellison at Panbo to poll our readers on the use of AIS. He was especially concerned with the upcoming release of AIS-B, vessel tracking system for boaters, and how the watch officers of large ships expected to process the increasingly large amounts of data on their radar screens. You can read that post HERE.

While writing the post I was curious about the other side of the equation namely, what do experienced boaters think about us? To answer my questions I contacted our friend Richard Rodriguez of BitterEnd blog, an experienced vessel assist Captain on one of nation’s busiest inland waterways; the Puget Sound. Here is his reply;

1) What should ships worry about when interacting with boats?

That most boats have no clue as to how to interact with ships. In the Licensing Courses I teach, I used to be surprised when folks indicated that they didn’t know ships do not guard channel 16. Ships should be afraid, very afraid, as most boats don’t have a clue, as to what to do or how to do it when they encounter a ship. Easily 1/3 of the boats I tow in the season, can’t give their Lat/Long, even though the have a GPS, let alone know about what to do related to ships. Boats usually run the other way; expect the unexpected.

2) Top 10 things I wish ships did to make boating safer?

1. Call a Securité, on channel 16, to announce a departure from norm.
2. Slowed down, when transiting congested waterways.
3. Occasionally use channel 16 when unsure of a boat’s action.
4. – 10. I’ll let readers fill in the blanks in the comment section.

3) Top 5 close calls I’ve had with ships.

1. Hiding out in the Sep Zone as I was waked by ships on either side of me.
2. Being in restricted visibility with out a radar, before I knew the rules and almost hitting a CG Cutter off the Columbia Bar.
3. Attempting to beat a 900′ USNS RoRo across the lanes. – I lost.
4. – 5. I’ll let readers fill in the blanks in the comment section.

4) Constant Bearing, Decreasing Range… how to tell if a boater is unable to get out of the way.

CBDR – now there’s a concept. Joe Blow thinks that if he bumps the throttle a few hundred RPM’s that he can beat you across the VTS lanes. He has no idea that you’re pumping 20+ kts, five to seven miles away when he starts across the (1.25 nm) lanes at 5.5 kts.

5) Lessons learned from my years boating the Puget Sound.

Conditions change – be prepared for the worst case scenario. Always have a plan B and a plan C.

Practice, practice, practice. Can you navigate with traditional tools? If you’re a sailor – can you make it to your slip under sail? When was the last time you did a man overboard drill?

By all means remember that S**T HAPPENS. If you think that something is about to happen, it is “Deemed to Exist.” Don’t put your head in the sand and boldly keep going.

Also be sure to read his related articles:

• AIS – A Mixed Blessing

• VTS – Working with large vessels

Seattle Teenager who takes cancer patients boating could win National Hero Award

From BYM news: “Seventeen year old Brian Tolkin spends his free time boating on Lake Washington and Puget Sound for a good cause. Four years ago, Tolkin co-founded the nonprofit organization Beams and Dreams to provide cancer patients, survivors and their families respite from grueling medical challenges through all-day boating excursions. Now, Tolkin has been identified as one of the nation’s top 40 heroes and is in the running to be named “America’s Greatest Hometown Hero” in the 6th Annual Volvo for life Awards — an annual, nationwide search for real-life heroes across America.

The American public can visit the Volvo For Life Awards website and vote for Tolkin HERE. This democratic vote will decide the program finalists in Volvo’s hero search. Three winning heroes will receive $100,000 for their charities. One extraordinary winner will receive a new Volvo car every three years for life.”

You can read Brian’s story here.

The Seattle Times archive article and pics are here.

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This article was written by Richard J. Rodriguez, Rescue Tug Captain, San Juan Islands, Washington.
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