West Seattle, Washington
25 Thursday
(WSB photo, October 2011)
Good news for early-bird commuters – the King County Ferry District Board (aka King County Council) has approved a fall/winter schedule change. Here’s the official announcement:
When the water taxi begins its winter commute schedule for West Seattle on Monday, October 29, riders will be able to depart at 6:15 a.m. from Seacrest Park. This is thirty minutes earlier than the present 6:45 a.m. first departure, which does not accommodate commuters who need to arrive to work by 7:00 a.m.
The 6:15 a.m. run was the most popular of the added sailings last October during the Alaskan Way Viaduct closure week and was used by many new commuters working in health-care fields headed to First Hill and other riders looking to get an early start to their work day. This new departure will replace the current 9:15 a.m. departure from Seacrest dock. The last sailing of the morning from Seacrest Park will be at 8:45 a.m. The afternoon water taxi sailing schedule will remain the same.
Here’s the full fall/winter schedule. Wondering if the WSWT will keep the 6:15 am beyond winter? We asked spokesperson Rochelle Ogershok, who says that will be part of a “larger budget conversation” next year, and that its popularity will of course be watched.
P.S. This coming Monday – Labor Day – the West Seattle Water Taxi will be on a Sunday schedule, while the Vashon Water Taxi will not run.
Announced by the county this afternoon:
The King County Water Taxi’s West Seattle route will be running its extended sailing schedules for this Thursday’s Seahawks game on August 30 and for Saturday’s Huskies game on September 1. In addition to the final scheduled departure at downtown Seattle’s Pier 50 at 10:30 pm, we will run one additional departure from Pier 50 at 11:00 pm each night. The final two departures from Seacrest Park those nights will be at 10:45 pm and 11:10 pm.
11:54 AM: King County has been working to get approval for higher capacity on its two Water Taxi vessels (as first mentioned in January) – and County Councilmember Joe McDermott says that permission has just been received. The West Seattle boat, Rachel Marie, and Vashon boat, Melissa Ann, had been certified to carry up to 150 people each; now, each is certified for up to 172. Councilmember McDermott says the 5:30 pm sailing to Vashon last night was the first to utilize the new capacity, carrying 163 people; the island trips, he says, “regularly sell out.” During all of last year, 130 trips sailed at the 150-passenger capacity, between the two runs, and without the capacity increase, McDermott says, this year would have beaten that.
7:11 PM NOTE: The county sent a news release about this late today – see it here.
(Photo of Rachel Marie and firefighters during this morning’s smoke incident, by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
1:55 PM: This morning’s West Seattle Water Taxi trouble (WSB coverage here) led us to ask about the status of the new boats that have long been in the pipeline. West Seattle’s County Councilmember, and Ferry District Board chair, Joe McDermott replied that the money for replacement boats is in this year’s budget: “80 percent of the funds are federal grant monies, and the required 20 percent match is from ferry district funds. Total cost for two boats is estimated to be $10 million to $13 million.” He says the Marine Division of the county Transportation Department is “taking the lead,” with a project-management firm hired and a request for proposals/qualifications under development, to go public by early next year, with “the new boats in service probably 2014.”
3:41 PM: The county subsequently has sent a news release on the same topic – see it here.
4:06 PM: Rachel Marie, by the way, has just been cleared to return to service, says the county, and will be back on the West Seattle run as of the 4:15 pm departure from downtown. Councilmember McDermott says, ” Some excellent work all day by the Marine Division. My appreciation to them and all of our riders for their understanding and cooperation.”
(TOPLINE: Water Taxi evacuated 7:30 am after smoke led captain to return it to dock. Service resuming at 11:30 from Pier 50 with Melissa Ann)
(Added, photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB – firefighters on board Rachel Marie)
FIRST REPORT, 7:38 AM: Just got an alert that the West Seattle Water Taxi is having mechanical trouble and has returned to Seacrest. Jana, who was on the sailing, tweeted that a “strong smell (was) emanating from the engine room.”
Oooops.
#RachelMarie is returning to alki dock. Strong smell emanating from engine room.@westseattleblog— Jana Uyeda (@jana_obscura) August 10, 2012
And now the Fire Department is headed there as a fire response. More to come.
(Photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
7:45 AM UPDATE: About half the units have been canceled, as they have determined it’s not a major fire after all, but what’s there is still causing a traffic jam-up at Seacrest in addition to having interrupted Water Taxi service.
7:50 AM UPDATE: And yes, if you’ve heard a helicopter, it’s related – at least one media chopper was checking out the situation. Per scanner, we’re hearing that they have not found flames – just some “burned wires” so far. Updated a few minutes later – apparent “burned-out alternator.” A city fireboat is at Seacrest too – just added photo from WSB contributing photojournalist Christopher Boffoli.
8:05 AM UPDATE: Harbor Avenue remains blocked around Seacrest. Thanks to Toni for this overview:
No indication of injuries at this point. Update regarding service, from Christopher:
Rachel Marie captain Tara Rochester tells me that they had just departed Seacrest for downtown when the Rachel Marie started to fill with smoke. They returned to the dock. Everyone got off OK. One of the engines was on fire. Rochester says no replacement vessel available now but they’ll probably have something worked out for the afternoon.
8:20 AM UPDATE: April, who’s on board the 37 after having been evacuated from the Water Taxi when it returned, says she and others then had to wait to get through on Harbor. In comments, Paul says the road has just reopened, and WSB’s Patrick Sand at the scene has just confirmed that.
8:27 AM UPDATE: SFD spokesperson Kyle Moore has briefed the media at the scene. He says captain Rochester did all the right things in getting Rachel Marie back to the dock so everyone could get out safely. The fire was confined to the engine room. TRAFFIC UPDATE – Patrick reports that while traffic is being allowed to use Harbor going TOWARD the bridge, the westbound direction toward Seacrest is still blocked at Fairmount.
9:03 AM UPDATE: Harbor Avenue has reopened, according to police. Here’s our video of the briefing by SFD’s Moore:
Water Taxi management says via a text alert, “Plans for repairs and resuming service are under way.”
(Photo by Christopher Boffoli for WSB)
10:38 AM UPDATE: Forwarded by County Councilmember Joe McDermott, who chairs the board that oversees the King County Ferry District, including Water Taxi matters, an update from Paul Brodeur, county Marine Division director:
This morning’s incident on the RM was a failed alternation on the port generator.
This is a small (one gallon milk jug size) 12 volt electrical unit that charges the batteries which start the prime mover. Just to put it in perspective, your car has one of these alternators which also charges your cars battery. This failure caused smoke -NO FIRE – When the captain was notified of the smoke, she took appropriate action and the trained crew responded by securing fuel and air to the engineroom.She secured the vessel at the dock and the crew debarked the passengers with no injuries. The Us Coast Guard and the Seattle fire department responded and Seattle fire provided assistance.
The USCG is currently aboard and taking crew statements. We are awaiting their investigation and permission to move the vessel back to pier 50 at which time service can resume using the Melissa Ann.
11:14 AM UPDATE: The Rachel Marie has headed downtown (per MarineTraffic.com and a sighting from Sunny near the pier). We’ll update when we see/hear Melissa Ann taking its place. (A few minutes later) From Councilmember McDermott: “We are notifying passengers that we will resume West Seattle service with the 11:30 a.m. Pier 50 sailing. Our current plan is to repair the Rachel Marie this afternoon in time for the afternoon/evening sailings.”
4:10 PM UPDATE: Jeff Switzer with King County DOT confirms that Rachel Marie has been fixed and cleared to return to service, and should be leaving downtown around 4:15 pm.
Thanks to commenter “Admiral-California” for the reminder – the West Seattle Water Taxi schedule is extended for tonight’s Sounders game. It’s scheduled to leave Pier 50 downtown at 8:30, 9:30, and 10:30 pm. (Even if you’re not going to the game, boat rides are another good way to cool off, including Washington State Ferries from Fauntleroy.)
The King County Marine Division, parent agency to both the West Seattle and Vashon Water Taxis, has just announced a leadership change. Official county announcement ahead:Read More
ORIGINAL 8:50 AM REPORT: The West Seattle Water Taxi‘s 8:15 run was canceled because of mechanical trouble for Rachel Marie, and the boat usually on the Vashon run, Melissa Ann, is picking up with the run scheduled to leave right about now. More to come when we find out about plans for the rest of the day.
12:56 PM UPDATE: The county just sent word that Rachel Marie is fixed and back in service on the West Seattle run.
Spring is finally here, so far as the West Seattle Water Taxi is concerned – its spring/summer schedule is now in effect. No more service gaps between morning and evening commute, no more Water Taxi-less weekends, while this schedule is in effect. See it here (and remember that the shuttle schedules are changing to match the boat schedules too). If the expanded Water Taxi brings you back on board for the first time, remember some things are different in the Seacrest area – Alki Crab and Fish moved out a month ago, and the suddenly complicated Marination situation is being worked out, but Alki Kayak Tours is open for the season, and brand-new Alki Juice and Java is open across the street. New for the Water Taxi itself – the county Ferry District has a new administrator, Christine Nelson.
The King County Ferry District – which oversees the West Seattle and Vashon Water Taxis – has a new boss. Christine Nelson is the new district administrator, as announced by County Councilmember Joe McDermott, the West Seattleite who chairs the Ferry District Board (an alter-ego of the council). Read on for the full details from his latest e-mail newsletter:Read More
(May 2011 photo, courtesy of Roger)
That was the scene near Seacrest last May when the West Seattle Water Taxi crew rescued a diver in distress (WSB coverage here). 
The whole crew was honored as heroes in a special ceremony weeks later (WSB coverage here), but in particular, Aaron Barnett was hailed for quick work in getting into the water to help the diver.
Today was Aaron’s last day with the Water Taxi service, we are told by two WSB’ers who ride the Water Taxi, including Paul Swortz – who took the recent photo of Aaron you see at right. Both Paul and another WSB’er, Tim, e-mailed to say that Aaron got a warm sendoff, including donuts and coffee this morning, special announcements this afternoon. We missed the chance to try to catch an interview with Aaron, but Tim says he’s going back to school. Good luck, Aaron!
A reminder for King County Water Taxi riders – tomorrow (March 1st), fares go up. The new ones are listed here. As also noted on that page, Vashon Water Taxi riders will be riding a different vessel starting tomorrow, for at least three weeks – the Victoria Clipper III. In case you’re wondering – the West Seattle Water Taxi’s 7-day-a-week spring/summer schedule starts April 9th, and is detailed here.
(Photo by Travis Tyler, t_ravtyler on Flickr, via the WSB Flickr group pool)
Two weeks ago, West Seattle’s County Councilmember Joe McDermott sounded the alarm about the state’s proposal for renovating the main ferry terminal downtown, Colman Dock, without a spot for passenger ferries, including the West Seattle and Vashon Water Taxis that now dock on its south side, at Pier 50.
Tonight there’s an update: Word from 34th District State House Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon is that the House has a “proviso” in its supplemental transportation budget – other news organizations had pointed out this was in the works – requiring WSDOT to continue to accommodate passenger-only ferries at its dock. That language is NOT in the State Senate’s budget, so, talks are under way between Senators, House members, and WSDOT to work something out before it all gets to the governor. Rep. Fitzgibbon says he worked on the “proviso” as a member of the House Transportation Committee. Fitzgibbon says it’s not just a matter of making sure the passenger ferries have someplace to dock – it’s a matter of making sure “that our state’s most important ferry terminal continues to connect with our passenger ferries and King County Metro buses.” Whatever winds up in the final plan, Colman Dock renovations are expected to start in about two years.
You have two more weeks to tell the state what you think about its future – as explained here.
Could the King County Water Taxi – for both West Seattle and Vashon – wind up with no place to land downtown? Right now it’s using a dock that the state originally built when it offered passenger-only service (including the Seattle-Vashon run that the county took over). But County Councilmember Joe McDermott says the downtown dock’s future may not include a replacement for Pier 50, and he says the time to speak out about that is now:
I started Valentine’s Day by showing some love for the Water Taxi! At 6:30 this morning I started meeting Passenger Only (PO) Ferries arriving in Downtown Seattle to pass out fliers encouraging people to offer comment on the Washington State Ferries plan to replace the aging Colman Dock. While the project is very much needed, the current plans for the project do not include passenger-only facilities.
With 31,981 riders using the water taxi each month in 2011, the current PO dock at Colman Dock, not including the Port of Kingston service or the service Kitsap Transit is about to begin from Bremerton, a well-located and viable passenger only dock is essential to strong transit options. Express your opinion at a public meeting sponsored by Washington State Ferries:
Thursday, February 16, 2012
3:30 – 6:00 PM
Puget Sound Regional Council
Board Room
1011 Western Ave., Suite 500, SeattleIf people can’t attend the meeting on Thursday, they should provide their comment online at:
www.wsdot.wa.gov/projects/ferries/colmanmultimodalterminal
or via US Mail:
Washington State Ferries
Attn: Marsha Tolon, WSF Project Environmental Manager
2901 3rd Avenue, Suite 500
Seattle, WA 98121I thank everyone for sharing their love with the Water Taxi and taking the time to provide their comments to WSF! Happy Valentine’s Day!
Just announced by the King County Marine Division – after mechanical trouble cut short the Monday night service (as reported here) and canceled this morning’s runs entirely, the West Seattle Water Taxi is back in service for this afternoon/evening, starting with the 3:45 run from downtown.
6:10 PM: Multiple reports via Twitter and e-mail of engine trouble just as the 5:45 pm West Seattle Water Taxi run from downtown was arriving at Seacrest. Checking on its status.
(Photo by Bill Schrier – looking down toward engine room before docking at 6 pm)
6:25 PM UPDATE: It’s just been confirmed by King County, the West Seattle Water Taxi is canceled for the rest of the night. That means no 6:15 or 6:45 runs from downtown, no 6:30 or 7 pm runs from West Seattle. We’re expecting an update later on its status for tomorrow.
9:24 PM UPDATE: It’s also just been announced, the West Seattle Water Taxi will be canceled for Tuesday morning, too. Too soon to say what’ll happen Tuesday afternoon.
(WSB photo from Seacrest, October 2011)
The West Seattle Water Taxi is coming off a big year – ridership numbers published online show its usage up 40 percent last year, compared to 2009, and it wasn’t all the extra “Viadoom” ridership in October – the ridership in December was more than triple that of a year earlier. Some big things are ahead for the King County Ferry District, which manages the run – including new vessels and a new administrator. and, as we first reported last month, a fare increase this spring. Today, the county has just sent out a reminder about the increase:
King County Water Taxi fares will be going up on March 1. The adult and youth fare for one-way trips on the West Seattle and Vashon routes will increase by 50 cents. Passengers with reduced fare permits will pay an additional 25 cents per ride.
This is the first fare increase since the King County Ferry District began operating the Water Taxi service nearly three years ago.
“The additional revenue generated from this increase, along with growing ridership and our continuing efforts to contain costs, will be important factors in helping us sustain this service in the long-term,” King County Ferry District Chair Joe McDermott said.
Both the Vashon Island and West Seattle routes provide year-round, weekday commute service. During the peak season, April through October, service on the West Seattle route expands to seven days a week, including extended hours on weekends and selected nights.
The fare increase is expected to generate in excess of $150,000 annually. This revenue will help offset operating costs and contribute to the King County Water Taxi’s overall financial stability.
Over the past year, ridership has hit record highs. The Rachel Marie, operating between West Seattle and downtown, has seen a 40 percent jump in annual ridership when compared to 2010.The Melissa Ann operates at near capacity between Vashon and downtown Seattle.
As a result of passenger demand, work has begun with the U.S. Coast Guard to raise capacity on both vessels from 150 to 172 passengers by early summer.
Efforts are also underway to replace the District’s aging fleet of leased vessels and improve passenger staging areas.
The new boats will be funded mostly by federal grants, as we reported last month. Meantime, the county says it’s getting closer to hiring a district administrator.
(WSB photo from October 2010)
With rising West Seattle Water Taxi ridership – noted here a week ago – comes a rising demand for tickets, so the county is about to install a second ticket machine at Seacrest. It’ll be right next to the first one, according to this afternoon’s announcement, which mentions another change as of this Thursday:
On the same date, a new King County Ferry District fare policy will be implemented. Tickets sold through our TVMs will now show a sixty-day expiration date. Please be aware of this change, as the ticket will not be valid beyond the listed date.
(And remember that, as also reported here last week, fares will go up 50 cents next spring.) P.S. Holiday schedule note – no Water Taxi service next Monday.
(WSB photo from October 24, taken at Seacrest Pier)
We were asked recently about West Seattle Water Taxi ridership since the week-plus Alaskan Way Viaduct closure. Found the answer hiding in plain sight on the Water Taxi website. Even after the late-October closure, ridership ran way above last year, according to this month-by-month chart, which reports 9,734 rides last month – close to quadruple the 2,578 rides in November of last year. According to both the King County Ferry District‘s online budget documents and discussions we’ve had with the staff of County Councilmember Joe McDermott (who chairs the Ferry District’s Board, another set of hats the council wears), the 2012 plan for the Water Taxi includes a 50-cent fare increase in the spring as well as ongoing planning for new vessels to take the place of the leased boats that have been in use on the WS and Vashon routes. (Most of the cost of those boats will be borne by grants from the federal government.) One more note: No Water Taxi service on the two upcoming “official holiday” Mondays, December 26 and January 2.
King County Water Taxi management says the Rachel Marie is now fixed (after breaking down during the Friday pm commute) and back on the West Seattle run, which means the Melissa Ann is back on the Vashon run. (One more reminder – the West Seattle winter schedule, Monday-Friday only and commute hours only, is in effect now; see it here.)
(Thursday photo by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
It’s been beautiful every morning this week out at Seacrest Pier, with views like that one, for our crew tracking the West Seattle Water Taxi‘s usage as a commute alternative during this Alaskan Way Viaduct closure week. It’s had an extended schedule, with extra runs, each weekday during the closure. And ridership has been at least triple last month’s average, according to the county’s stats.
But just so it doesn’t catch you by surprise, whether you’re a Water Taxi veteran or new convert, we want to remind you that the winter schedule begins Monday. This is the second year the Water Taxi is running through the winter. The biggest change is again that it’s a Monday-Friday, commute-times-only schedule. See the winter schedule here. This schedule continues into March, and then it’s back to 7-day-a-week runs.
4 midday notes related to our current state of Viaductlessness:
(Demolition photo by Erick, from a nearby crane; click for larger image)
*First, the Royal Brougham ramp to northbound 99 is NOT open right now. Though WSDOT had planned to open it 5 am-7 pm all week long, the demolition work has turned out to be too close for comfort, as the Seattle Times (WSB partner) reports. Current estimate is that it’ll reopen at 2 pm. Travis Phelps from WSDOT tells WSB, “No chunks fell onto the ramp. But we did close it for safety reasons to complete work to demolish a large section of the viaduct at this location.” (1:26 pm update – WSDOT aiming for a 3:30 pm reopening)
*Second, for those who wondered why the West Seattle Water Taxi couldn’t shoehorn a few more people in, the Melissa Ann and Rachel Marie currently certified for 150 passengers maximum, though the office of County Councilmember Joe McDermott (Ferry District board chair) reminds us they’re hoping to get that raised to 172 early next year. Meantime, even if the Rachel Marie wasn’t out for repairs (no estimated return time yet) today, they say, logistics of loading/unloading that many people make it impossible for more-frequent runs.
*(added 12:48 pm) Third – In our morning as-it-unfolded coverage, we mentioned the extra police patrols on the high bridge for bus-lane violators. SPD Blotter reports they issued 23 tickets between 6 and 8 am, all but one for the lane violation.
*(added 2:11 pm) Fourth – a link for your mobile phone to get the city’s new live video from the West Seattle Bridge – follow this link, click MENU, then click LIVE TRAFFIC VIDEO.
If there are any more traffic notes between now and about 4, we’ll add them to this story; that’s when we’ll start our comprehensive PM-commute coverage.
(Melissa Ann, photographed Friday by Donna Payne)
If you’re taking the West Seattle Water Taxi, you’ll be riding Melissa Ann on Monday morning instead of Rachel Marie. The regular WS boat has broken down, the county just announced – BUT they say there will be NO CHANGE in the special, increased schedule:
Mechanical problem to the Rachel Marie causes change in vessels for Monday morning sailings-
A mechanical problem to the Rachel Marie will keep her out of service this Monday, October 24. The Victoria Clipper III will service the Vashon Island Route. The Melissa Ann will be servicing the West Seattle Route. Both routes will run their regularly scheduled sailings (including additional West Seattle service) and neither route’s capacity will be impacted.
The Melissa Ann and Rachel Marie are “twins.”
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