Fleet Captain's Report

Many of the club members now have an inside experience of the major doings in the engine rooms and bridges of our Washington State Ferries. On three occasions in March, groups of ten or more visited the Winslow Ferry Shipyard for a personally guided tour by the Port Engineer himself, Vern Day.

We were issued hard hats and had access to engine rooms, control rooms, electrical distribution compartments, repair areas, shaft alleys, and even the bridge on the new ferry Salish. Some of the technology is cutting edge and some of the machinery running the ferry Elwa came from a WWII Destroyer Escort installed when the ferry was first built.

The ferry that makes calls in Sidney BC is certified by the Coast Guard for ocean voyages as it technically passes out of the US on its short voyage to the Canadian waters off Vancouver Island.

All those attending these tours had a grand start with a lunch in our outstation prepared and organized by our fleet captain or his assistants. We look forward to other exciting events to tantalize our curiosities about our everyday lives.

Mike Cochran
Fleet Captain