Two Shipyards Compete for Kingston Ferry Contract - Kitsap Sun

By Ed Friedrich
Tuesday, September 29, 2009

KINGSTON — Two Puget Sound shipyards are vying to build a passenger-only ferry for the Port of Kingston.

Representatives from All American Marine of Bellingham and Kvichak Marine Industries of Seattle attended a mandatory pre-proposal conference Tuesday morning at the port’s office.

The port requested bids on Sept. 4 for an aluminum catamaran capable of carrying 150 people between Kingston and downtown Seattle. The trip, at 25 knots, would take about 35 minutes. Bids are due on Oct. 16. Port commissioners expect to issue a notice to proceed on about Dec. 2 and have the boat on the water within a year.

Art Parker from Kvichak, and All American’s Joe Hudspeth, Gene Quanz and Del McAlpine clarified proposal expectations with Marty Robbins, who is managing the ferry project for the port. During the two-hour meeting, they discussed such things as crewing, bonding, acceptance trials, progress payments, freeboard at the docks and fueling.

“As pre-proposal conferences go, this is the best one I’ve ever done,” Robbins said. “No one ever wants to talk. Everyone wants to keep their cards close to their vests.”

The port owns a loading dock in Kingston, has an agreement with the state to use a terminal in Seattle, received a $3 million grant from the Federal Transportation Administration to buy a boat, and got $150,000 from the state Legislature this year to help with first-year operating costs. A new boat is expected to cost at least $2 million.

All American Marine has built more than 100 aluminum boats since it was founded in 1987. Its early mainstay was the “bow-picker” used in Alaska commercial fisheries. Ten years ago it moved into the high-tech catamaran business in partnership with New Zealand naval architect Nic deWaal. All American is building Kitsap Transit a 118-passenger, ultra low-wake catamaran for $5.3 million.

Kvichak has built aluminum boats since 1981 for law enforcement, firefighting, passenger ferries and commercial use. It recently teamed with Nichols Brothers Boat Builders to deliver two high-speed catamarans to the Water Emergency Transportation Authority in San Francisco. They cruise at 25 knots, seat 149 passengers inside and 49 outside, and carry 35 bikes.

“We’ve got two good shipyards here to bid on it, and the port is going to get a good boat at the end of the day,” Robbins said.

Robbins lives in Silverdale but spends every other week in Vallejo, Calif., where he is general manager of the city’s Baylink ferry system. It runs four 34-knot, 300-passenger ferries between Vallejo and San Francisco. Three were built by Dakota Creek Industries in Anacortes.

If that isn’t enough, Robbins is the project manager for overhauling and repowering Washington State Ferries’ former fast ferries, the Chinook and Snohomish, for Golden Gate Ferries.

Golden Gate bought them from Washington state for a total of $4 million. The Snohomish’s name was changed to the Napa. It took over temporarily for the Del Norte on the Larkspur-San Francisco route in June when the Del Norte went in for new engines.

The Chinook remains at Eagle Harbor on Bainbridge Island. Golden Gate Ferries is taking bids on refurbishing it and the former Snohomish, including expanding them from 350 to 450 passengers, Robbins said. The Chinook will be towed to a Washington or California shipyard. After that, the Snohomish will be worked on at the same place.

All three boats were built by Dakota Creek Industries


Read more: http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/sep/29/two-shipyards-compete-kingston-ferry-contract/#ixzz0Sbko9oY2

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Keeping King County's tiny Navy afloat

Keeping King County's tiny Navy afloat

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This parallels Tim Eyman's Initiative 1033 - More to follow

The rust bucket Hyak - Kitsap Sun

Demeroutis VP Labor Relations at Crowley - marinelink.com

Crowley Maritime Corporation announced that effective October 1, Steve Demeroutis will assume the role of vice president, labor relations, replacing Jerry Dowd who is retiring after 25 years of service. Demeroutis is domiciled in Jacksonville and reports to Bill Pennella, vice chairman and executive vice president.

In his new position, Demeroutis will be responsible for the development and implementation of Crowley's overall labor strategy. He will also oversee contract negotiations, union relationships and the day-to-day administration of collective bargaining agreements throughout the entire Crowley organization and will have functional responsibility for labor relations for all Crowley subsidiaries. Reporting to Demeroutis will be both East and West Coast labor functions.

Demeroutis joined Crowley in 2007 as director, labor relations. He has more than 15 years of experience in labor relations including his prior position as vice president, United Inland Group of the International Organization of Masters, Mates and Pilots. He served as a trustee for several different employee health and benefits plans and has conducted educational seminars for the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. He received his Master's license in 1986 and sailed as Master and First Class Pilot with the Washington State ferries.

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Ensenada Harbor

OPED - Kitsap Sun

MY TURN | Ferry Riders Should Be Grateful for Taxpayers' Help

BELFAIR — Reader submitted

This commentary is solely my opinion and not that of the Washington Transportation Commission (of which I am a member) or any elected official; I am not an elected official, nor am I likely to ever be one.

Your paper frequently publishes news and commentary regarding the Washington State Ferries (WSF) and the news articles are generally pretty accurate. Your opinion pieces are sometimes on track, but last Wednesday’s community columnist — complaining about ferry service, high rates, inadequate taxpayer subsidy, and ill treatment of Bremerton — needs some help connecting the dots. Let me try.

First, most of us on the west side of Puget Sound chose to live here. There are many reasons for our choice — our job, favorable surroundings, family ties, and, for many, the lower cost of housing. Second, crossing water, whether by bridge or by ferry, costs much more than crossing land. Watercraft that move people and automobiles are so expensive to operate that the general public could not afford fares high enough to safely run the system as a private operation. That is why the State took over the ferry system from Black Ball in the 1950s. Third, the ferry system received a large state subsidy from the Motor Vehicle Excise Tax (MVET) until voters, including a large majority on the Kitsap Peninsula, made clear in supporting I-695 they did not want to pay that tax. Voter decisions have consequences. Repeal of the MVET cost WSF 58 percent of its operating support and 70 percent of its capital support. It has struggled ever since.

With that kind of loss, the State had to make changes. It could reduce service, it could increase fares, or it could shift money from funds primarily used to build and maintain highways. It chose to do a little of all those things. Fares have increased substantially — perhaps as much as 70 percent over the last 10 years — an increase which doesn’t cover the fuel cost inflation we have experienced over much shorter periods of time. WSF also has received an increased share of gas taxes over the last 10 years. That is testament to the effectiveness of elected representatives from this area in the State Senate and House — most members of the Legislature are not from ferry-dependent counties. Every dollar that goes to the ferry system could have been spent on highway projects in large population centers like Spokane, Seattle, or Vancouver, USA .

Is the ferry system receiving its “fair share”? State fuel tax revenue received by the Department of Transportation (WSDOT) funds construction and major repairs to all state highways, bridges and other state transportation facilities. That is the WSDOT Capital Budget. Of that capital budget about 6 percent ($285 million), is allocated for ferries and terminals over the next 2 years (2009-2011). In addition to the Capital Budget WSDOT has an Operations and Maintenance budget, which also comes primarily from fuel taxes. Of the total statewide WSDOT operations and maintenance budget fully 37 percent ($400 million) is allocated to ferries. That is a lot of money and a large portion of the entire transportation budget. Yet it is not enough.

WSF has just enough fully functioning ferries to serve the existing schedule. Any glitch causes a reshuffling and those routes with the most demand will get first crack at the most ferry capacity. Fares are high, but don’t cover even 70 percent of operating costs — the remainder of operating costs and all capital costs (i.e. money for building ferries and retrofitting terminals) comes from fuel taxes.

Contrary to the belief of some, the Transportation Commission is a group concerned about keeping the system running in the absence of sufficient money coming from elsewhere. And that is true even though 4 of the 7 members do not live in the Puget Sound area — indeed, only 2 of us ride ferries frequently.

It is time for people to get real. Transportation, like any other public or private service, costs money. Ferries cost more than most any other form of surface transportation. People on this side of the water have long opposed another bridge. Voters who want lower taxes need to recognize there are consequences of lower taxes. Every day people consciously or unconsciously decide whether the benefits they enjoy from living on the west side of the water are worth the inevitable transportation costs and inherent inconveniences. Looking for scapegoats is a time honored human endeavor — however, it does interfere with rational thinking and, worse, it produces no answers. People on this side of the water or who live on islands should enjoy their beautiful surroundings, experience the area opportunities, appreciate the cheaper housing, recognize their taxes are relatively low, appreciate the benefits of lower population, and be thankful that other taxpayers are helping them.


Read more: http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/sep/20/my-turn-ferry-riders-should-be-grateful-for-help/#ixzz0RrB2V0Xw

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State Exploring the Idea of Selling Naming Rights for Ferries - Kitsap Sun

State transportation officials are appraising whether the corporate zeal to buy naming rights might extend to ferry boats and terminals.

From Safeco Field to Kitsap Sun Pavilion, sports venues are known for the company names they take on. Washington State Ferries, facing a $3.5 billion shortfall over the next 22 years, wants to get in on the act.

A long-term ferry financing study completed in February for the state Transportation Commission concluded that “ancillary” revenues, including vessel and terminal naming rights, wouldn’t put much of a dent in operating costs, but should be explored anyway “given the magnitude of WSF’s financial crisis and the need to identify new sources of revenue.”

The study recommended that a detailed analysis be performed. The Legislature put a proviso in the budget in April directing the Transportation Commission to conduct one, and in August it chose TB-Rogstad Consulting for the job.

Traci Brewer-Rogstad, principal and executive director of the company, said a report is due to the Legislature in January and she wants to present it to the Transportation Commission at its Oct. 21-22 meeting.

Time is short, Brewer-Rogstad said, because there’s a 64-car ferry being built at Todd Shipyards in Seattle and it doesn’t have a name. It will be delivered to the Port Townsend-Keystone route next summer.

Naming rights would mean more than just getting a company’s name painted on the hull, said Brewer-Rogstad, a former Washington State Ferries executive. One idea is to continue with the traditional Native American names and attach a sponsorship to them. For a certain number of years, for example, a ferry could be named the MV Illahee sponsored by Puget Sound Energy, or the Illahee sponsored by Detroit, which is building the new boat’s engines. Blocks of space on the boat could be guaranteed to the company for advertising, its name could go on the WSF Web site and schedules.

“You’re no longer just selling a name but marketing a package,” said Brewer-Rogstad, whose firm is earning about $5,000 for the study. “They get their name out there on multiple venues. It’s just not on a boat going to Port Townsend, which is very low-profile.” Selling ferry sponsorships is uncharted territory. The only thing close is a trio of Oklahoma City boats. The city, in exchange for locally based Devon Energy paying $2 million to build the 50-passenger boats, allowed the company’s name on them for 15 years. They weren’t meant to be marketing tools.

“The primary motivation was to provide the funds necessary to build the boats so the boats would be able to play a role in enhancing continued development of this river,” Devon spokesman Chip Minty said. “They move up and down the Oklahoma River, which is an emerging focal point in Oklahoma City for development.”

The Devon Discover, Devon Explorer and Devon Pioneer aren’t ferries but tour boats aimed at tourists, Minty said.

Ferries wouldn’t land a company’s name on TV, radio and in the newspapers as regularly as stadiums do, which is main appeal, said Chris Foy, president of General Sports Alliances, a Denver sports marketing firm that specializes in naming rights.

“When you look at an entity such as a ferry boat, you have a significant void in the editorial media coverage traditionally tied to naming rights platforms,” he said. “Unless the boat sinks, there would not be any kind of media coverage.”

Still, ferries could be attractive because of the high traffic volume, Foy said, and they provide an interesting platform for promotional opportunities, like a VIP club.

The tradition of giving ferries Indian names goes back to at least the 1930s. The state, which took over the ferry system from Puget Sound Navigation Company in 1951, agreed to continue the practice in 1958 after catching flak from Native Americans and history buffs for naming its first new boat the Evergreen State.

Sen. Tim Sheldon, D-Potlatch, sponsored a bill last legislative session that included tribes among those that should be consulted about new ferry names. It also added that “when naming or renaming state ferry vessels, the commission shall consider selling the naming rights and make recommendations to the legislature.”

The House didn’t like that part, and the bill never got passed.

“In Olympia they had trouble with the bill,” Sheldon said. “Some legislators thought this cheapens a state icon. I don’t think so. It’s just a business decision and riders will appreciate it if we can lower their cost and get them a newer and better terminal or better service.”
By Ed Friedrich
Saturday, September 19, 200

Count Rep. Sherry Appleton, D-Poulsbo, among those against selling ferry naming rights. Putting advertising inside the boats was one thing, but this would be too much.

“This is Puget Sound, this is where people come to get on our ferries,” she said. “It’s huge for tourism, it’s huge for commuters. To name ferries or have them sponsored by a corporation is just not what people really want.”

Sheldon said the Muckleshoot Tribe in Auburn is interested in having a ferry named after it. Tribe Chief Executive Officer Jerry Henke couldn’t be reached last week for comment.

Russell Steele, CEO of the Suquamish Tribe, said naming rights is an interesting concept, but not something the tribe would pursue at this point.

“Most people on the ferries are the same people every day, and I think the people of Kitsap County know who we are,” Steele said. “We do other things to reach out to new markets already. At this point I don’t think it’s something we’d consider.”


Read more: http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/sep/19/state-exploring-the-idea-of-selling-ferry-naming/#ixzz0RgRyJhYX

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PAM DZAMA | Fed Up With the State's Ferry Follies - Kitsap Sun

For those dependent on the Washington State Ferries system as a critical transit link to work or an appointment east of Kitsap County, frustration and dissatisfaction with the system is never far away.

It didn’t fail to disappoint recently when the Wenatchee, coming from Bainbridge Island, failed to slam on the brakes in time to avoid colliding with the Coleman Dock in Seattle. That incident set up the standard chain of events which moved the 144-car Hyak, usually operating in Bremerton, to Kingston. And the 208-car Puyallup, normally in use in Kingston, to Bainbridge Island.

Kingston has the most vehicle traffic in the Puget Sound area, so I don’t understand why the larger Puyallup was sent to Bainbridge and replaced with the smaller Hyak. Maybe there’s just something really special about Bainbridge Island.

Of course Bremerton took the brunt of the travel mess. WSF tried to alleviate the transit dilemma by adding two private passenger-only ferries to augment the one remaining car ferry, but for those dependent on vehicles, it hardly solved the problem. Maybe it’s a conspiracy spawned by the green lobby who want everyone out of their cars and into alternative modes of transportation.

A recent letter to the editor from a rider on the Bremerton ferry quoted a WSF spokeswoman as indicating Bremerton commuters were “getting accustomed to being resilient in their travel patterns.” He correctly labeled that comment as propaganda and went on to say riders weren’t “resilient” but instead were hostages. He’s right — as is another writer who referred to the Bremerton run as the “redheaded stepchild” of the ferry system.

Bremerton riders suffer through this poor service. But how long will their employers continue to tolerate tardiness before they find someone who’s not a prisoner to the ferry system?

I’m glad WSF was able to return all vessels to their respective runs before the long Labor Day weekend. Under normal circumstances, the ferry waits are lengthy for this holiday and it would have been even worse in Kingston if the Puyallup hadn’t been returned.

At the same time the ferry system was moving boats around Puget Sound like chess pieces on a board, the state Transportation Commission held a meeting in Silverdale to obtain input about implementing the Legislature’s recommended 2.5 percent fare increase in October — in addition to a 10 percent super surcharge next summer. There was near-unanimous opposition to the surcharge and thankfully the Commission didn’t adopt it.

Understandably, those of us dependent on the ferry system are fed up with an unelected commission dreaming up funding schemes which invariably sock it to the riders. From 2000 through 2007 fares increased 70 percent. This latest super-surcharge tactic was the commission’s interpretation of “pricing strategies” planning authorized by the Legislature in 2007 when ferry fares were frozen.

The idea of creating various “pricing strategies” was supposed to alter riders’ behavior and ultimately reduce capital costs. Did it occur to anyone that residents have limited options if they want to leave the peninsula?

Another brilliant idea floated by the WSF is a reservation system for ferries. A pilot project is to be developed this fall. The Kingston/Edmonds route was chosen to be the guinea pig for this proposal. The reservations are supposed to lessen congestion, which is always a problem in Kingston. While there are normally backups in Edmonds, the traffic doesn’t go through the middle of town as it does in Kingston.

Of course, this whole concept runs afoul of the mandate in our Washington Constitution which specifically stipulates that the ferries are part of the highway system and should be treated as such. Reservations aren’t needed to access any bridge, road or highway in the state.

A reservation system is currently in place on the Port Townsend route. But comparing its 370,000 cars per year to Kingston’s 2,278,000 is like comparing apples to oranges.

There are a myriad of unanswered questions regarding the reservations. Will they be flexible enough to accommodate the needs of riders, as opposed to the convenience of the system? How much will it cost, and wouldn’t it be more cost-effective to add capacity to the system? What happened to the efficiency that was supposed to be generated by the “Wave-2-Go” cards that are still being hand-swiped by ticket-takers in booths? Exactly how much did that technological “advance” cost the system and the public?

While there has been mismanagement of the ferry system over the years, the ultimate responsibility for adequately funding it falls on the Legislature. Until Olympia acts, I’m afraid we’ll be held hostage to ever-escalating fares and the nautical equivalent of Super Glue, WD-40 and duct tape while the system finds ways to solve its various problems.

Pam Dzama can be reached at pdzama@gmail.com.


Read more: http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/sep/16/pam-dzama-fed-up-with-the-states-ferry-follies/#ixzz0ROkhhVSi

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Catamaran replaces Vashon-Seattle foot ferry - Vashon Beachcomber

By AMELIA HEAGERTY
Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber Reporter
Sep 16 2009, 7:00 AM
Commuters who ride the Vashon-downtown Seattle foot ferry will board a catamaran on Sept. 28, a new vessel leased by King County to operate the route from now on.

The 21-year-old catamaran, the Melissa Ann, is coming to the Puget Sound from Hawaii, where it operated as a commuter ferry for Honoluluans for a year.

The new vessel arrives the same day that the King County Ferry District takes over operations of the ferry route. Beginning Monday, Sept. 28, the 77-foot catamaran, emblazoned with the King County Water Taxi logo, will shuttle riders between Vashon and Pier 50 in downtown Seattle in a 22-minute crossing.

The route, which operates only on weekdays, will also have an extra morning and afternoon sailing, with schedules slightly altered to accommodate the extra crossings.

“Vashon riders have been asking for additional sailings, and we feel great about being able to add one,” said Kris Faucett, a spokesperson for the newly formed county ferry district, which operates one other route, the water taxi between West Seattle and Pier 55 downtown.

“We hope it’ll provide people with more opportunities to take the boat,” she added.

The King County Ferry District is leasing the Melissa Ann from Four Seasons Marine Services based in Seward, Alaska, at a cost of $35,000 per month, said Susan Whitmore, communications specialist for King County’s marine division.

The new vessel carries 150 passengers and 18 bicycles and can travel at speeds up to 32 miles per hour. The crossing, which currently takes 30 minutes, will be eight minutes shorter aboard the Melissa Ann.

The Melissa Ann was built in 1988 as a passenger vessel for the U.S. Army, but has since spent 2006-2007 as the Bremerton-Seattle passenger ferry, and then served as a commuter ferry in Honolulu, Whitmore said.

After retirement from the Vashon-Seattle route, the two Washington State Ferries passenger-only vessels that served the run for years — the Skagit and the Kalama — will likely be sold, said Marta Coursey, communications director for the ferry system.

Besides being faster than the Skagit and Kalama, the Melissa Ann is also quieter, rides more smoothly and has more seating options, Faucett said. Riders can sit in theater-style seats or at bench seats facing tables, and there is also some outdoor seating on the boat’s upper deck. The Melissa Ann also has restrooms and a heating and air conditioning system.

“There’s a little bit for everybody,” Faucett said.

Fares for the passenger-only route will change Sept. 28 also, from $8.70 for a round trip, charged as riders leave Seattle, to $4.50 each way (or $3.75 if riders pay with a transit pass). There will be no surcharge for bicycles.

New fare box machines will be installed at the Vashon and Pier 50 docks, Whitmore said. The machines will not give change. Beginning Oct. 1, Washington State Ferries fares will no longer be accepted.

Beginning Sept. 28, the Melissa Ann will sail from Vashon at 6:10 a.m., 7:10 a.m. and 8:15 a.m. in the morning, and 4:58 p.m. and 5:58 p.m. in the evening. The catamaran will depart from Pier 50 downtown at 5:38 a.m., 6:38 a.m. and 7:40 a.m. mornings and will leave at 4:30 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. in the evenings.

King County Metro bus schedules on both sides will be coordinated with the sailing schedules.

Open house

The Melissa Ann will visit Vashon for an open house from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at the north-end ferry terminal.

Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber Reporter Amelia Heagerty can be reached at aheagerty@vashonbeachcomber.com or 206-463-9195.

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Port Townsend's future ferry on schedule, builder says - Peninsuladailynews.com

By Jeff Chew
Peninsula Daily News

Construction of the Port Townsend-Keystone route's $65.5 million ferry of the future is at full throttle, with the vessel's pilot house structures nearing completion on Whidbey Island and hull keel units well under way, representatives of Todd Pacific Shipyard's project team said Tuesday.

While Nichols Brothers Boat Builders work on the pilot houses and the superstructure that will include the passenger cabin above the deck, Nichols is doing the work at the company's shipyard in Freeland on Whidbey Island.

At the same time, Todd workers in their building berth at Harbor Island in Seattle are fabricating the ferry's steel hull with bottom units and the box keel units. About 80 feet of keel has been laid.

Everett Shipyard is building the vessel's mezzanine section and curtain plates, the sides of the vessel.

Jesse Engineering in Tacoma is building bow parts.

Combined, the shipbuilding companies are racing to meet the June 30, 2010, deadline set by Washington State Ferries and the state Department of Transportation, which hope to have the completed vessel on the water for sea trials by August.

On schedule

"It's an exceptionally challenging schedule, but as of right now, Todd and all of our subcontractors are on schedule," said John Lockwood, Todd's marketing and business development director.

"Around January, the hull will be taken out of our building berth, and the superstructure grand block will be placed onto the ship and welded in place."

Todd has also begun work on the vessel's piping system, he said.

"It really is exciting to see the ship taking shape here in the building hall," he said.

Such "modularized construction" is the way ship construction is done today, according to Lockwood.

"Right now, we're just building the first ship of a class, and we hope to build more in the future. That just remains to be seen."

He said that "the lead ship of a class is always the toughest one" because it sets a model for future vessels of its kind and requires more refinement.

The Port Townsend-Keystone route was left with one boat, the 50-car Steilacoom II leased from Pierce County after state Transportation Secretary Paula Hammond in November 2007 retired the 80-year-old Steel Electric ferries, saying their pitted and corroded hulls made then unsafe.

Work on the new ferry began in May after it was designed to ply the waters of Admiralty Inlet.

The ship builders were allotted about 12 months to complete the job under Gov. Chris Gregoire's decision to build the new ferry on a fast track.

Greg Farrar, Nichols Brothers project manager, said the company's "grand modules," those sections of the vessel's upper superstructure, will be completed for towing to Todd Shipyard in mid- to late-January.

"It will leave in three great big, huge pieces and they'll hire cranes and set them in place [on the hull] and fit them and weld them into place," Farrar said.

Farrar said the aluminum pilot house structures, about 16 feet deep and 62 feet long and about 15 feet tall, are about a week away from being completed.

"We are getting ready to mock up the console for instrumentation" inside the pilot houses, with ferry system officials overseeing it, he said.

"It's kind of like what is on the ferry between Clinton and Mukilteo, except it stretches across the entire superstructure," Farrar said.

The mast structures will be installed atop the pilot houses, adding up to another 22 feet, he said.

About 50 skilled workers have helped construct Nichols portion of the project, he said.

The deck panels are being built at Everett Shipyard, and the superstructure will be erected above those panels. Farrar said each of three deck panels is 38 to 40 feet long and 62 feet wide.

Cost

Todd's lone bid on the 64-car vessel proposal in December 2008 came in $40 million over budget to build two Island Home-style ferries for the Port Townsend-Keystone route.

Todd proposed bid is $124,450,559 for two vessels and $65,487,328 for one, with Todd Chief Executive Officer Steve Welch explaining that the tight deadline and rising expense of materials drove the price up.

The state settled for one ferry to expedite construction.

The state originally budgeted $84.5 million for the two-ferry project, but this legislative session ended with money budgeted for two 64-car ferries earmarked for the Port Townsend-Keystone run.

Port Townsend will still get a second ferry and a third 64-car ferry is planned for use elsewhere in the system, state officials have said.

The Steilacoom II -- which Farrar said Nichols Brothers built, but not with Admiralty Inlet's harsh sea conditions in mind -- is known to be left at the dock by high winds and heavy seas across Admiralty Inlet. That ferry was built for the much calmer waters of Steilacoom and Anderson and Ketron islands in Pierce County.

________

Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com

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Ferries, Union Make Deal on 'Touring Watches' - KitsapSun

By Ed Friedrich
Friday, September 4, 2009

Washington State Ferries management and labor unions reached an agreement late Thursday that will allow less cumbersome schedules for deck crews while following the Coast Guard’s new safety rules.

Effective Sept. 30, the Coast Guard will prevent ferry deck crews from working more than 12 hours in a 24-hour period. That will put an end to touring watches, which allow deck hands to work two shifts of up to 16 total hours if they take at least a six-hour break in between — like eight hours on, eight off, eight on. Ferries that tie up at Friday Harbor are the only exceptions.

Touring watches enabled deck hands to work two shifts back-to-back and not have to travel home and back between each one. The Coast Guard feared that crews weren’t getting enough rest, but banning touring shifts could be even worse if they’re driving long distances.

The agreement was reached after a last-gasp marathon negotiating effort Thursday.

Thes agreement allows WSF to use 10-hour watches, add service to the Point Defiance-Tahlequah route and make more stops in the San Juan Islands.

“I want to thank our union partners for working so diligently with us to achieve this agreement,” said Washington State Ferries director David Moseley. “We are going to do everything we can to implement the improved crewing schedules at the beginning of the fall schedule (Sept. 27). Logistically that will be very difficult, but both WSF and the unions agreed that we are going to do everything in our joint powers to achieve that goal.”


Read more: http://www.kitsapsun.com/news/2009/sep/04/ferries-union-make-deal-on-touring-watches/#ixzz0QCrl3VVa

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