AT THE BEGINNING of the week Astoria Bay moored to the Port of Port Angeles’ Terminal 3 to take on a load of debarked logs for transport to China.
At 610 feet long she is the longest of the various cargo ships that come to Port Angeles for logs for the far east market.
When the vessel leaves port Tuesday it will be laden with about 8 million board feet of logs that were harvested from private lands in western Washington.
Thursday I went out to Lee Shore Boats’ facility west of Port Angeles and saw a newly completed 32-foot Bristol Bay aluminum boat that was designed by Dick Smith of the Anacortes-based Norcraft Marine & Design.
The vessel is powered by a Scania 13L 750-horsepower engine that is coupled to a Traktor JetTJG 11HT from NamJet. Onboard the vessel is a 7.5-ton refrigerated seawater system.
I watched as Associated Boat Transport of Marysville backed a lowboy hydraulic trailer underneath the vessel for transport to the Port Angeles Boat Yard to be launched.
The delicate operation took about an hour to get the behemoth out of the building where it was built. It cleared the upper limit of the door opening by mere inches.
Tourist shuttles
Driving by the Coho ferry terminal this week, I saw a large new bus and the Olympic Game Farm bus and my interest was piqued.
I spoke with Ryan Malane who handles the marketing responsibilities for the Coho Ferry and he said the company has decided to get into the bus business to provide an opportunity for tourists to visit the many attractions in this part of the world.
They also provide shuttle services to the cruise ship American Spirit that frequently docks at City Pier and disgorges its passengers.
Ryan said they now operate the Olympic Game Farm Bus and will soon be running daily guided round trip tours complete with a loaf of wheat bread for each guest to feed the animals.
Ryan added that they have acquired 13-, 28- and 30- passenger shuttle buses in addition to three 45-foot buses.
Mark your calendars for Saturday and Sunday, June 9-10, for the first Maritime Festival in Port Angeles, which will surely become an annual event.
Maritime Festival
For the last two years the Port and many of its stakeholders have participated in Waterfront Days. The Maritime Festival evolved from that as best I can tell.
Many of the participants are the same. However, there have been some added attractions to include the tall ships Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftan. Numerous sail and power boats will be open to the public courtesy of the Port Angeles Yacht Club.
Customs and Border Protection will have a boat that will be open to the public as will the Puget Sound Pilots.
Additionally, The Comanche, a 143-foot steel ocean-going rescue tug built by the U.S. Navy in 1944, will be open to the public. During the later stages of WWII Comanche served a vital role in the invasion of Okinawa, Japan, where it towed battle-damaged ships to safety.
The historic vessel is now a museum ship that is berthed in Tacoma.
Of course we can’t have a festival without music. I understand that a seven-member Navy Brass Band from Silverdale will provide the sounds.
I was told they play New Orleans style Jazz and modern tunes as well.
Platypus Marine, the full-service shipyard, yacht repair facility and steel-boat manufacturer on Marine Drive in Port Angeles hauled Afterglow out of the water for a day. A surveyor did a survey for insurance purposes. A quick out and back in.
Platypus hauled Marlins II out of the water earlier this week and did a bit of work on the prop and replaced the zincs.
Platypus has the 87-foot Coast Guard Cutter Sea Devil in the Commander building.
She will be there for the next couple of months as personnel inspect and clean her tanks and systems, and sandblast and repaint the vessel.
Wednesday, Tesoro Petroleum provided bunkers to Florida, a 600-foot petroleum products tanker.
Saturday, Tesoro refueled RS Aurora, an 899-foot crude oil tanker.
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David G. Sellars is a Port Angeles resident and former Navy boatswain’s mate who enjoys boats and strolling the area’s waterfronts and boat yards.
Items and questions involving boating, marina and industrial activities and the North Olympic Peninsula waterfronts are always welcome. News announcements about boating groups, including yacht clubs and squadrons, are welcome as well.
Email dgsellars@hotmail.com or phone him at 360-808-3202.