Dramatic video of sea water rushing onto the vehicle deck of a Washington state ferry shows how wild the waves were on the Strait of Juan de Fuca during Tuesday’s storm.
The ferry Issaquah was being moved by crews to Anacortes from Washington State Ferries’ Eagle Harbour maintenance facility to provide additional service for this weekend when waves crashed over its bow and flooded the vehicle deck.
The rush of seawater reached as high as trunk level on some of the vehicles, then swirled around the deck as the ferry swayed from side to side with the waves. At one point, the water flooded the entire deck and chairs floated in the water.
No passengers were on board — the vehicles on the vessel belonged to the crew.
The video was posted to Washington State Ferries’ social media accounts.
“Thanks to good seamanship on the part of captain and crew, damage was minimal,” the company said in a statement. “This has no effect on service.”
The Issaquah will replace Chelan ferry in the San Juan Islands by the weekend.
Tuesday’s wild weather came with wind and high-tide warnings for the south Island, with dramatic waves pounding Victoria’s shorelines for most of the day.
B.C. Ferries cancelled morning sailings from Swartz Bay and Duke Point, but resumed service just before noon.
Spokeswoman Deborah Marshall said B.C. Ferries works closely with Environment Canada on detailed wind and wave forecasting for all its routes year round. She said the crossing to Tsawwassen can be challenging for crew and uncomfortable for passengers when winds are high. It can also be risky docking on the mainland side due to the Tsawwassen terminal’s exposed location.
“Safety is always our priority,” said Marshall. “With forecasting, we know the wind speed and the direction, so can make the call [to cancel] before the passengers show up at the terminal.”
>>> To comment on this article, write a letter to the editor: [email protected]
