The list of those hoping to make some sort of comeback are the Kalakala, Olympic and Shasta...those too far gone would be the San Diego and San Mateo.
It would be nice if Seattle and the Puget Sound region was more interested in its maritime heritage, but it isn't. Only the boats that continue to make money like the Virigina V and the Skansonia have made it--and they were in good shape to start with. Once the elements take hold, it seems there's nothing left for these boats but a slow, steady decline into oblivion.
The only recourse is to try to preserve the memory of the boats that have long disappeared, which is what I've attempted to do with the website. I want to extent special thanks and gratitude to everyone who has emailed me photos for this site over the many years I've had the sit--current ferries and especially the retirees. We're keeping history alive, and I couldn't have done it without you!
Already renamed Fresno, she is still in WSF livery but with "Fresno" on her nameboards and hull. Unfortunately the ferry would spend the next forty years in steady decline before being scrapped in December 2009.
Early cards of her in the San Juans are not as common as the ones of her in Seattle. It seems thather first years in service she was photographed extensively and after she made the jump to the San Juans not nearly as much. Postcards are more common of her in the San Juans in the 70's and 80's, but from the late 50's and through the 60's, there aren't nearly as many out there.
I've never been sure why some ferries are favored over others. The Klahowya, for example, despite its fifty year career at Vashon Island has hardly any postcards taken of her. A full shot of either the Skansonia or Hiyu at Point Defiance is practically non-existant. I've seen exactly one postcard of each in all the years I've been collecting.
Keep a sharp eye out, collectors. The rare ones are out there!
After a second clue most people got it was the Malaspina or one of the near sisters, which was a good enough guess as the early boats were all so close in appearance.
For this month I chose a boat probably not remembered by many.
Good luck!
The house has starred in numerous films over the years, and usual is the focus of some sort of sinister activity.
In Phantasm the house was the funeral home at Morningside Cemetery, where the basement level included a gateway to another world where people were being sent to be used as slave labor. In So I Married an Axe Murderer it was the brooding mansion set among the mountains (which appeared courtesy of matte paintings.) In A View to a Kill it was the home of Tanya Roberts--in a rare non-threatening role.
Nowhere was it more nefarious than in the film Burnt Offerings.
Based of the book of the same name, the story is about a family renting a dilapidated mansion only to discover that the house renews itself by draining the life out of its renters and eventually killing them. The all star cast included Bette Davis, Karen Black, Oliver Reed, Burgess Merideth and Eileen Heckart--but the real star of the film is the house itself.
Not a tremendously scary film, it suffers from being over long and not particularly suspenseful. Bette Davis's sudden demise is never properly explained. Oliver Reed hams it up a bit, and by the end you are left hoping the kid (Lee Montgomery) will get knocked off so he'll shut up. (Or perhaps that was just me.)
One element of the story is truly disturbing--Reed's dreams/memories of his mother's funeral and the sinster-looking limo driver. Played with absolute sincere creepiness by actor Anthony James, the inappropriately grinning man with reflective sunglasses is an enduring image you'll not soon forget!
The ending of the movie is far more sastifactory than the book...which just sort of stops, and it's a solid B+ film. Watch it for the house and Bette Davis just being Bette Davis, and for the creepy chauffeur whose visage will stay with you long after the film ends.
All of the Issaquahs will reach 30 years of age in the coming years, and after some very...interesting early years of service, they have proven themselves to be the backbone of the fleet.
All have had interior upgrades--the Issaquah will be going in for a second make over this summer--and bear little resemblence to the K-Mart Special look and feel they had when first hitting the water.
Of the six, the Kittitas had the charmed life in the early part of her career, turning out to be the most stable and smooth running of the lot. While the Cathlamet and Issaquah were bashing docks on what seemed to be a regular basis, the Kittitas only had one minor incident (at least as far as I've been able to determine.)
She once wandered up to the San Juans in the summer, but for the past two decades she's been a "Mukilteo Boat."
*Had six different names in total.
*One of them was the "Golden Anchors" after she left service.
*Ended her days in unfortunate circumstances after a long retired career.
Good luck! EMAIL
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.)
EVERGREEN STATE CLASS:
Evergreen State: SJI interisland;
Klahowya: Vashon-Southworth-Fauntleroy
Tillikum: Annual Drydocking
Hiyu: Standby
SUPER CLASS
Hyak:nacortes-San Juan Islands
Yakima:Out for annual repairs. Back for summer schedule.
Kaleetan: Seattle-Bremerton
Elwha: Anacortes-San Juan Islands
JUMBO CLASS
Spokane: Kingston-Edmonds
Walla Walla: Seattle-Bremerton
ISSAQUAH CLASS
Issaquah: Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth
Kittitas: Clinton-Mukilteo
Kitsap: Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth
Cathlamet: Clinton-Mukilteo
Chelan: Anacortes-Sidney, San Juan Islands
Sealth: Point Defiance-Tahlequah
JUMBO MARK II CLASS
Tacoma: Seattle- WInslow
Wenatchee: Seattle-Winslow
Puyallup : Edmonds-Kingston
MONOHULLS
Skagit and Kalama: For Sale
ON LOAN
Steilacoom II-Port Towsend-Keystone.
UNDER CONSTRUCTION
Chetzemoka, second 64 Car Boat
August 2009
September 2009
October 2009
November 2009
December 2009
January 2010
February 2010
March 2010
HOME
Email me your ferryboat or scenic photos, past or present from Washington, Oregon,
California, Alaska or British Columbia and I'll post it on the site!
