The Day Room

T H E D A Y R O O M
~ July 2008 ~

S t e r n S h o t s

Postcard of the Month

The style of the clothes and the postcard itself reveal this shot of the Evergreen State passing Lopez to be from the late 1970's. While the styles may change, the scenery is timeless.

Lined up at the old Colman Dock L-R are the Iroquois, the Quinault and the Chippewa. Author's collection

Once upon a time there were a whole bunch of vessels in the Washington State Ferry fleet that did have actual sterns. In the era of today's double-ended fleet, there are no real differences between one end or the other on Washington State Ferries. End #1 pretty much looks like End #2. There are minor changes now, due largely to security upgrades, but basically one end looks like the other. (FYI the galley is always on End # 2 of Washington State Ferries, save for those that have no galley and I believe the Klickitat.)
     When there were sterns on WSF vessels, they tended to be very different from one another. Even the near sisters Enetai and Willapa had very decernable differences--the Willapa's deck above the stern windows was significantly more arched than that of the Enetai.
   More often than not, however, the boats were seldom photographed from the stern. Human nature has most photographers seek out the front of the boat as it is coming toward you.
     So, for the month of July, I've grabbed as many stern shots of vessels as I could. Perhaps it is appropriate to watch the vessels as they sail away, since so many of these boats are no longer with us.

Google Earth Place Of the Month: Glacier Peak
From Wikipedia:
Glacier Peak (known in the Sauk Indian dialect of Lushootseed as "Tda-ko-buh-ba" or "Takobia" ) is the most remote of the five major volcanoes in the Cascade Volcanic Arc in Washington. It is located in the Glacier Peak Wilderness. It is not prominently visible from any major population center, and so its attractions, as well as its hazards, tend to be overlooked. Yet since the end of the last ice age, Glacier Peak has produced some of the largest and most explosive eruptions in the state. During this time period, Glacier Peak has erupted multiple times during at least six separate episodes, most recently about 200-300 years ago.

Perhaps the most famous stern in the history of Washington State Ferries, it is easy to see why most photographs of the Kalakala were not taken from this angle, as it was certainly not the best for the ferry. It isn't too hard to figure out why one of her nicknames was "the laughing codfish." Top photo courtesy C. Novotny, bottom E. Taylor.

Ferry Photos for July

The Glacier Peak Wilderness area is one of the most beautiful areas of the state, and well with the visit. Photo courtesy of USGS.

And the Answer for June is...
the Queen of Victoria!

Perhaps one of the very best postcards ever taken of the Chippewa in the Black Ball era, this "Brady" postcard shos her just off the old Anacortes dock. The Chippewa was perhaps the most successful steamer-to-ferry conversion that PSN ever did (save for allowing the 9'6" auto deck clearance) and throughout the years she remained a very handsome vessel. Author's collection. Below, you'll never find a more beautiful sunset from a ferry than in the San Juans. Here the sun goes down over the Elwha. Courtesy Gordon Brewster.
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Have a photo you'd like to submit for the "Ferry of the Month?"
Email me your photos of ferryboats, past or present from Washington, Oregon, California, Alaska or British Columbia and I'll post it on the site!

Some "tough one." No one missed it...so...you asked for it!

Mystery Ferry for July!
I do apologize for the size of the scan. I couldn't get it any larger without distorting it completely.

Some clues:
At least one other ferry had this name.
She had a total of five names in her career.
She ended her days far from home waters.

Good luck! EMAIL

Fleet Updates

For those keeping up on the ferries missing from the WSF Fleet currently...(Be aware this is updated monthly and may not reflect the current state of affairs.)
Steel Electrics:
To be offered for sale June 2, 2008. All vessels at Eagle Harbor. No buyers to date. Next step will be to auction the vessels on EBay.
Rhododendron:
Point Defiance-Tahlequah.
Evergreen State Class:
E.G. State: Inter-island route, San Juan Islands. Tillikum and Klahowya are in service at Vashon.
Hiyu: Stand by.
Super Class:
Elwha & Hyak in service, San Juans, Kaleetan at Bremerton. Yakima at Todd Shipyard for hull repairs resulting from February accident. RTS for Yakima is tenatively ID'd for mid-late summer.
Jumbo Class:
Spokane and Walla Walla in service at Kingston.
Issaquah Class:
Issaquah at Vashon; Kitsap at Bremerton; Kittitas and Cathlamet at Mukilteo; Chelan in the San Juans/Sidney B.C.; Sealth in the San Juans.
Jumbo Mark II's
Tacoma and Puyallup at Seattle-Winslow; Wentachee out for ten-year overhaul/ painting.
Monohulls:
Skagit at Vashon. Kalama in backup.
POFF's
Chinook--for sale. Snohomish is held in reserve for emergency use. Offer has been give to WSF for both vessels; no sale announced as of 7/1/08.
Borrowed Boats:
Steilacoom II in service at Port Townsend-Keystone. Will be replaced by Christine Anderson this fall.

The Kahloke leaves Nanaimo on one of her first voyages. Author's collection.

The stern of the Rosario. A.Curtis photo, courtesy T. Sanislo collection.

Stern end of the Willapa in the 1940's. Author's collection.

The Day Room is brought to you by the Makers of Crab Juice!

The much flatter back end of the Enetai, about the same time. Author's collection.

Stern view of the last sailing of the Sechelt Queen. Courtesy of Frank Clapp/SSOA.

H O M E

The stern of the Chinook. The vessel pulling into the dock in the distance is the Kahloke. Author's collecion.

The stern of the Chippewa after her 1932 rebuilding. Courtesy of Geo. Bayless collection.

Rendering of the Island Home design modified for Washington State Ferries for use on the Port Townsend-Keystone run. Courtesy WSF.