PORT TOWNSEND — High wind and rough seas swamped the Steilacoom II with up to two feet of water Tuesday morning, forcing the ferry’s captain to halt sea trials for nearly three hours, a Washington State Ferries spokeswoman said.
“By mid-morning, there were steady 45-knot winds (51.8 mph) and four-foot seas,” said Hadley Greene, state ferries communications manager, after a report from Steilacoom II Capt. Mark Haupt, formerly captain of the Steel Electric-class ferry, MV Klickitat.
The Klickitat — which was pulled from service Nov. 20 for safety reasons along with the other three Steel Electric vehicle ferries — was towed from Port Townsend on Sunday to a temporary berth at Kingston.
The Klickitat was moved to make room at the Port Townsend ferry terminal for the passenger-only ferry, the Snohomish, which is carrying passengers between Port Townsend and Keystone until the Steilacoom II car ferry, which the state ferries system leased from Pierce County for the route, finishes sea trials.
The sea trials are being watched carefully by all concerned to see if the 50-car ferry, which is smaller than the 64-car Steel Electrics, can handle the rough passage.
The Steilacoom II would serve as the model for three new car ferries proposed by Gov. Chris Gregoire, to be built over the next three years with a $100 million budget, to replace the Steel Electrics on the Port Townsend-Keystone route.
