EVER WONDER WHAT it would be like to turn a corner — and come face to face with your look-alike?
The Port Angeles-based MV Coho was leaving Victoria’s Inner Harbour last Sunday when that happened.
As she made her way out of the harbor, she happened upon a vessel of the Alaska Marine Highway System that no doubt had some passengers doing a double take.
The MV Taku, a near identical twin to the Coho and built in the same Seattle shipyard about three years apart, was conducting lifeboat drills east of Ogden Point at the exit from Victoria Harbour when the two vessels had their chance encounter.
The two ships maneuvered within a couple of hundred yards of each other, and the captains exchanged greetings in turn by blowing their ship’s whistle.
Ken Singhose, who has worked on the Coho since 1997 and is one of the cooks, said the crew knew the Taku was on her way to dry dock in Portland, Ore., but meeting up with her was just plain lucky.
He is certain that this is the only time the two sister ships have been in the same waters together, and he and the crew were thrilled to have the experience.
The Taku was constructed by Puget Sound Bridge & Dry Dock Co. of Seattle and put into service in 1963 transiting the Inside Passage from Prince Rupert, B.C., to Skagway, Alaska.
(The Taku’s sister ship, MV Malaspina, was launched the same year from Lockheed Shipbuilding Yards in Seattle.)
The 342-foot Coho, which celebrated her 50th anniversary last December, was well into her year-round ferry and freight services for then-Black Ball Transport Inc. when the 352-foot Taku was launched in 1963.
They have the same platform that the noted naval architect, Philip F. Spaulding, designed for the Coho.
Taku, which was renovated in 1981, is configured for the Alaska route and carries 69 vehicles and 450 passengers. She has nine four-berth and 35 two-berth cabins.
Passenger services include a cafeteria, gift shop, cocktail lounge, solarium and forward observation lounge.
More on her can be found on the Alaska Marine Highway System website at http://tinyurl.com/34p7hk5.
The Malaspina was lengthened in 1972 and is now 408 feet long, carries 500 passengers and has space for 88 vehicles. She has 53 four-berth and 30 two-berth cabins as well as a cafeteria, gift shop, cocktail lounge and a solarium.
When the British Columbia Ferry Authority decided in 1959 to build its first two new ships, Queen of Sidney and Queen of Tsawwassen, Spaulding’s plans for the Coho were modified to accommodate the Canadian dockside infrastructure.
Both vessels were built at Burrard Dry Dock in Vancouver and put into service in 1960.
Queen of Sidney was retired from the fleet in November 2000, and Queen of Tsawwassen was decommissioned on Sept. 28, 2008, and sold for use at a logging camp along the B.C. coast.
What a treat it must have been for those aboard the twins Coho and Taku to meet up for that history-making moment.
Pilot boat maintenance
The Port Angeles pilot boat, Puget Sound, was hauled out of the water and placed in Platypus Marine Inc.’s Commander Building last Monday.
Every six months, the orange and white pilot boats come out of the water for routine maintenance and inspections.
Additionally the bottoms are cleaned and painted, and areas not painted are polished.
The crew of each boat works alongside Platypus’ personnel, and the boats are typically out of the water for no more than a week.
Such was the case with the Puget Sound: Platypus put her back into the water Friday, and the pilot station was again at full strength.
More at Platypus
Platypus also hauled out Inner Passage, which is sitting on the hard in its yard at Cedar Street and Marine Drive in Port Angeles.
Capt. Charlie Crane, director of sales and marketing, said the trimaran, which hails from San Rafael, Calif., will have modifications made to the hull and rudder.
Capt. Charlie also said personnel will be installing solar panels, which will provide the electrical power for the 40-foot sailboat.
The boat was built in the early 1990s by Don Wilson in Crescent City, Calif.
Don now lives in Port Angeles and said Inner Passage was one of two boats of this design that he built. The other boat is in Mazatlan, Mexico, and is used for charters.
Don has built more boats than he can recall.
He built a 43-foot sailboat as well as a 34-footer that he trolled from Coos Bay, Ore., to San Francisco.
In about SSRq91, he bought a 53-foot fiberglass boat and went fishing commercially for crab, salmon and tuna.
In the mid SSRq90s, he was fishing in the Pacific about 80 miles west of Eureka, Calif., when his boat caught fire.
He jumped into his lifeboat and awaited rescue by the Coast Guard.
Don said when he wasn’t building boats, he was building houses so that he would have the money to “blow on boats.”
These days, Don has an 11-foot lake boat and sticks to the inland waterways.
“No more going out into the open ocean” he said.
Well, almost: Three years ago, when the round-trip jet ski race between Port Angeles and Victoria was held in conjunction with Strait Thunder, Don couldn’t resist the temptation.
He was one of 13 hearty souls who signed up to make the 41-mile journey.
Don said if you happen to have a picture of the group, he is easy to pick out — he’s the old guy.
Be prepared
Inclement weather will be the norm for the next six months or so, and the Coast Guard is urging all boaters to use extreme caution in hazardous weather.
“Safe boating includes taking care of your boat, even at the dock,” said Capt. Salvatore Palmeri, chief of incident management for the 13th Coast Guard District.
“Severe weather conditions can blow boats off their moorings and even sink them at the pier.”
Boaters and beachgoers should follow these guidelines to ensure their safety:
• Check local weather forecasts: Be aware that storms can come up quickly and without warning. Always check local conditions before heading out.
• Exercise extreme caution on the beach: Sudden, powerful waves can engulf the entire beach, knocking people down or throwing them violently against nearby rocks.
Once in the water, strong currents can pull people out to sea. Waves breaking on the beach can also toss driftwood or debris onto beachgoers.
Be aware of rising tides. High tides can trap people on rock formations and in coves. Always let someone know where you are going and walk with a companion.
• Cover and secure your boat: Heavy rains can flood boats and even sink them in some cases.
Protect your boat and be sure your vessel is adequately covered when it is moored to prevent flooding.
In for fueling
Tesoro Petroleum in Port Angeles on Tuesday refueled Kodiak, an 869-foot, double-hull tanker that arrived in Valdez, Alaska, on Saturday for another load of crude oil.
On Thursday, the pusher tug, Sound Reliance, and her accompanying tank barge, 550-2, anchored in the harbor for bunkers.
Then on Friday, Tesoro also refueled Sierra, an 831-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 waterfront.
Items involving boating, port activities and the North Olympic Peninsula waterfronts are always welcome.
E-mail dgsellars@hotmail.com or phone him at 360-417-3736.
His column, On the Waterfront, appears every Sunday.