(WSB photo of Rachel Marie, from last month)>
7:53 PM: Just in from King County:
Over the weekend, the Water Taxi crew discovered a small crack in the hull plating of the Rachel Marie. The King County Marine Division has made arrangements to use another vessel, the Victoria Express, while the Rachel Marie is being repaired. The Victoria Express is a mono-hulled vessel of similar passenger capacity to the Rachel Marie and Melissa Ann, but it travels at slightly slower speeds and its length is better suited for the Vashon dock than the Seacrest dock in West Seattle. So beginning on Monday, June 6, the Victoria Express will be put into service on the Vashon Island/Downtown Seattle route, and the Melissa Ann will provide service on the West Seattle/Downtown Seattle route.
ADDED 8:09 PM: The issue of a backup vessel is one the county had been working on since other recent problems that pulled the Rachel Marie out of service, according to Michelle Allison from the office of King County Councilmember Joe McDermott (who is King County Ferry District board chair). We had also asked her recently about the status of the plan for the county eventually to have new boats built for the West Seattle and Vashon runs:
We recently wrapped up an expert review panel and expect the final report soon. This was an important step for us in discussing what elements our new boats should include – the number of passengers, technical specifications, etc. Once the Board receives the final report, they will spend some time reviewing and then they will develop the detailed procurement documents needed to secure a builder.
Background on the RM and its recent history of trouble, ahead:
The Rachel Marie and sister ship Melissa Ann are leased by the county but belong to Four Seasons Marine Services, as reported here when we took a closer look at the RM before it took over West Seattle-Downtown Seattle service.
They were built by Nichols Brothers shipyard on Whidbey Island in 1988 as foot ferries for a missile-tracking station in the Pacific, and the RM had also traveled routes in Honolulu and Juneau before coming here and starting King County service in April of last year.
Its trouble since then has included the September 2010 crash into the downtown seawall, which put it out of service for more than three months; a hull fracture discovered in March; repairs for a “defective weld” in April; and a mechanical problem last month.
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