14 Replies to "FOLLOWUP: West Seattle Water Taxi crew honored for rescue off Seacrest"

• Karen August 23, 2021 (5:55 pm)

  👏👏

• John W August 23, 2021 (7:04 pm)

  1. Dow arranged this honor for “heroism” of the crew?  Yes the water taxi did  come to the rescue of a capsized sailboat’s two sailors, but that is a common expected practice on the water for all.  Good Samaritans are not always heroes.  Whether or not Dow is feeling the heat of the upcoming general election, this was an odd presser.
  2. I hope he does the same for the true heroes who recently attempted to rescue the person in distress off Alki.  All of those Good Samaritans put themselves at risk in heroic manner virtually plunging into the Sound.

  • WSB August 23, 2021 (10:34 pm)

    (a) “Heroes” is my word, not theirs, except for one quote in the WT blog post about this, in which a Metro exec describes the rescue as “heroic.”

    (b) This was not a “presser” in any way. There was no news conference, photo op, nor even a news release. I happened to see a tweet and pinged the WT PIO to ask for names of the people in the photo in the tweet so I could write something; he said they had just posted to the (infrequently updated) WT blog. (I in fact subsequently asked why there was NOT a media event; the reply was, “We were working with a tight window in scheduling the crew for the recognition. It was done between runs this morning.”)

    (c) As for the paddleboarder, no King County involvement there so that would more likely be something the city would do – maybe SFD. – TR

    • 22blades August 24, 2021 (1:46 am)

      Thank you for the report & nice catch for the story. It’s an incentive for all of to do the right thing (instead of just reaching for your cellphone to film).

  • Patricia August 23, 2021 (11:33 pm)

    I consider a lot of people hero’s. Firemen/women  police officers, the military. They are doing their jobs but it doesn’t make them any less a hero. I also consider everyday people hero’s for many reasons beside saving lives. 

    • JohnW August 24, 2021 (9:08 am)

      I should have stuck with, “a hero ain’t nothing but a sandwich.” With all of this “heroism ” slippage, do we need another word to describe brave selfless acts of compassion that put one at risk? 

  • Elton August 24, 2021 (9:14 am)

    “Yes the water taxi did  come to the rescue of a capsized sailboat’s two
    sailors, but that is a common expected practice on the water for all.
     Good Samaritans are not always heroes.  “If you can’t appreciate good people doing good things you clearly have a really sad world view and I feel sorry for you.

    • JohnW August 24, 2021 (11:54 am)

      I do appreciate this discussion of the word and concept of “heroism.”  Since I do appreciate the actions of Good Samaritans, some of these comments make no sense. I believe Good Samaritans are good people doing good things and they deserve recognition for such actions (as this crew did).That however, is separate from the devaluation of the word “hero”  and the object of my objection.  After declaring everyone a hero for doing good things, what word is used to describe truly heroic acts? —Amazing Heroism, Super Heroism, Mega Hero? As such, I return to the subject of the multiple good samaritans responding heroically  to a swimmer in distress off Alki.  They all did that at considerable risk and danger to themselves.  The danger and personal risk differentiates that Alki Beach rescue from the sailboat rescue which was carried out from the safety of a ship.I salute those unsung Heroes and those Good Samaritans, they each deserve our thanks.

  • Jay August 24, 2021 (10:15 am)

    The water taxi crew works for the county. This is basically a boss recognizing employees for great work. Don’t go negative here.

• Martin J Ogan August 23, 2021 (10:05 pm)

  Bravo Zulu.  

• Robin August 23, 2021 (10:14 pm)

  Hooray!  Thank you heros! 💕🙏

• 22blades August 24, 2021 (1:29 am)

  This crew did a fantastic job! Aiding a sailboat with a 104 foot long vessel not equipped for water rescue took some quick teamwork & careful maneuvering. The water temperature around here can be unforgiving. Without some care, this could have turned into a messy scene. Kudos to this crew & “hero’s” they are… ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

• sc August 24, 2021 (9:22 am)

  • “I think a hero is really any person intent on making this a better place for all people.”
  • – Maya Angelou.

• wildflower August 24, 2021 (11:45 am)

  Life saving measures taken wether on the job or by individuals is good to acknowledge although not done for acknowledgments sake. It comes from a primally good place, and is always a beautiful aspect of humanity to see.

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