PORT HADLOCK — Distance is a matter of perception.
Port Townsend businessman Kevin Harris and Kenmore Air proved that to a handful of Port Townsend residents on Wednesday afternoon as a float plane took off from The Inn at Port Hadlock marina and landed in Lake Union near downtown Seattle.
The total flight time was just under 20 minutes.
“Transportation is the key,” Harris said. “If Port Townsend can be only 25 minutes from Seattle or 25 minutes from Victoria, then the people will come.
“I really believe that the seaplanes are a crucial part of getting people to and from Port Townsend.”
Bridge closure
The Wednesday flight was the culmination of Harris’ work to get an airline to fly into Jefferson County during the temporary Hood Canal Bridge closure set to begin on May 1.
When the bridge shuts down for six weeks during replacement of the eastern half in a $499.8 million project, the seaplanes will fly passengers between Lake Union and stops at the Inn at Port Hadlock and the Resort at Port Ludlow.
Other ways to get across the gap during the closure are a free state Department of Transportation passenger water shuttle combined with free bus service, Sunday-through-Thursday nightly car ferry service between Edmonds and Port Townsend, driving U.S. Highway 101 around the Hood Canal or taking the car ferry available now between Port Townsend to Keystone, then Clinton to Mukilteo.
Craig O’Neill, marketing director for Kenmore Air, said the company has been considering service into Jefferson County for a while but credited Harris as the catalyst.
Harris said he’s happy that the planes will be available during the bridge closure, but he doesn’t see this six-week period as the end of plane service.
“As wonderful as Port Hadlock is, it’s not the draw,” Harris said. “I’m still working to get a dock ready for float plane service in the future.
“It really would have been a better test if the planes would have come into Port Townsend.”
Shuttle service
Attempts to get the Quincy Street Dock prepared and permitted for seaplane docking fell short this winter, and Harris opted to work with the city of Port Townsend to get a shuttle service running between Port Hadlock and downtown Port Townsend.
Christina Pivarnik, the city’s marketing director, said she had secured a shuttle to run the route as of Monday.
Still, Harris sees the bigger picture.
“All I’m really trying to do is say, if you can land by seaplane in Port Hadlock, why not Port Townsend?” Harris said.
And while Harris, who used to operate a bus line from the North Olympic Peninsula to Seattle, claims he is done with the transportation business, he still wants to help facilitate the transport of visitors to Port Townsend.
“What good is it going to do me if the city is a ghost town?” Harris asked. “Again, transportation is the key.”
John Eissinger, a local real estate agent, said he recognized a strange thing after landing in Seattle on Wednesday morning.
“It took longer to get from my house to the Port Hadlock dock than it did to get from Port Hadlock to Seattle,” he said.
It was a unanimous opinion from travelers that the trip was quick and easy.
“I highly recommend the flight,” said Melissa Davis, general manager of Badd Habit in Port Townsend.
“It was perfect. It felt like it only took 15 minutes. This will be a very vital way to bring people to our community.”
John Pizzo, representing the Port Townsend Main Street Program, said he only had one complaint.
“The weather was mucky, so you couldn’t see everything out the window,” he said. “But the flight was perfect.”
Currently scheduled are three round-trip flights daily during the bridge closure, costing $79 for a one-way ticket and $158 for a round-trip.
Harris said he recognized the flights were not moderately priced, but added that the intent was to bring tourists with money to spend in the area.
“High-income visitors is what Port Townsend needs,” Harris said.
“The Seattle concierges say one of their favorite places to send people is to Port Townsend, and this keeps that traffic open.”
Harris arranged for a group of Seattle concierges to fly to Port Townsend and tour the city so that they could recommend the flight to visitors.
“The flip is for us to get to Seattle,” Harris said. “You can go to a show, stay in a great hotel and have a fantastic meal. It’s an easily accessible vacation.”
On the Seattle side, Harris has worked out a deal with the newly opened Hyatt at Olive 8 that permits Kenmore Air fliers to book a room for $199 a night and receive a $25 credit for one of the hotel’s amenities.
Harris said if the service does well without the Port Townsend stop, he imagines it would be possible to pitch a long-term service that includes a landing in Port Townsend down the road.
Flights may be booked online at www.kenmoreair.com or by phoning Kenmore Air reservations between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. at 866-435-9524 or 360-452-6371.
Information about the water shuttle and other ways of getting around during the bridge closure is available by phoning DOT at 877-595-4222 or checking the Web site, www.HoodCanalBridge.com.
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Reporter Erik Hidle can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at erik.hidle@peninsuladailynews.com.
