NEAH BAY — The Kalakala could be towed out of Neah Bay by Saturday, with the U.S. Coast Guard expected to approve the historical ferry’s tow plan today, an officer said Tuesday.
Lt. Cmdr. Michael Dreier, Coast Guard chief of the operations readiness branch at the Seattle marine safety office, said the agency was reviewing Kalakala owner Steve Rodrigues’ tow plan.
“Right now we’ve got the tow plan, the ball is back in our court, and we are approving that,” Dreier said.
After approval, the only issue is that Rodrigues adhere to the plan when moving the vessel, Dreier said.
“If the tow plan’s approved, action can be expected immediately upon approval — you get your tugs up there,” he said.
The art deco-style Kalakala has been anchored in Neah Bay on state Department of Natural Resources tidelands and bedlands since early March after it was moved away from the Makah tribe’s pier when currents smashed it against the dock.
After the vessel caused an estimated $4,000 in damage to the pier, the tribe filed a lawsuit against Rodrigues, intended to evict him from its leasehold in Neah Bay.
The DNR later joined the lawsuit in Clallam County Superior Court because the vessel was found to be moored over that agency’s tidelands and bedlands.
Destination undisclosed
At his Kalakala museum-office Tuesday afternoon in downtown Port Angeles, Rodrigues said he would hold a news conference on Saturday at the ferry’s new port, which he declined to identify.
He acknowledged that he would tow the vessel out of Neah Bay by Saturday.
