On June 5, we will have a public meeting with Washington State Ferries in the Community Center at 6:30 p.m. Join the fun!

We need a ferry advisory committee member who’s a frequent rider. Contact Walt Elliott or Rebecca Pirtle the county’s volunteer coordinator.

A Night to RememberApril’s centennial of the Titanic’s sinking reminds us of the tragedy that there were only enough lifeboats for half of the passengers.  With radio communications and watertight compartments, it was believed that nearby ships would have plenty of time to give aid in an emergency. The lifeboats’ purpose was simply to ferry passengers from ship to ship. Titanic, however, sunk even before ships like the Californian, which was within visual range of the sinking, could respond.

Our Jumbo ferries also have watertight compartments and also carry life rafts for about half of their capacity. As with Titanic, the rationale is that in distress, another ferry boat is never far away to take the passengers.

While WSF has an excellent safety record, Tom Gowdy, a former WSF safety chief, commented to The Seattle Times in 1999, “Someday there will be an accident. And it will happen in a way they didn’’t expect.”

WSF’s eerie response: “When you take a look at the cost, it can’t be justified.”