It’s official: Two large Holland America cruise ships will visit Port Angeles next month, docking at the Port of Port Angeles’ Terminal 1 North.
On Friday, May 9, at noon, the 950-foot-long ms Oosterdam will arrive dockside.
Then on Saturday, May 17, at 2 p.m., the 719-foot long ms Statendam will pull up alongside Terminal 1.
Both vessels will depart at 11 p.m. on the days of their arrival.
Russ Veenema, executive director of the Port Angeles Regional Chamber of Commerce, said a welcoming committee will hail the arrival of each ship.
He added that shuttles will be available to ferry the passengers to and from the downtown area.
Russ noted that the ships were selling tours to Olympic National Park, North Olympic Peninsula wineries and Lake Crescent.
The Oosterdam has a capacity of more than 1,800 passengers and a crew of more than 800.
Its sister ship, the smaller Statendam, carries 1,258 passengers and a crew of 557.
The visits augment the series of stops by the boutique cruise ship American Spirit.
The first of the 205-foot ship’s visits is Tuesday at Port Angeles City Pier and Thursday at Port Townsend.
The American Spirit, which can carry 98 passengers, is expected to come to Port Angeles and Port Townsend 10 times each this spring — from this week through the third week in June — and 10 times in the fall.
Visitor in red
A large red barge named Ocean Oregon lay off the Port of Port Angeles terminals Wednesday that was brought into the harbor by the tug Heidi Brusco.
I spoke with Joe Brumley, port captain for Brusco Tug and Barge in Longview, who said the tug and barge were en route to Cathlamet on the Washington side of the Columbia River when they came to Port Angeles to clear customs after making a delivery in British Columbia.
Corporate acquisition
Vigor Marine, which owns Washington Marine Repair, the Port Angeles topside repair company at the foot of Cedar Street, recently added to its family of companies by acquiring Straits Marine and Industrial.
Straits also is a topside repair company on the Port Angeles waterfront.
According to Brian Mannion, spokesman for Vigor Marine, both companies will continue to operate on the waterfront.
Out of the water
Platypus Marine, the full-service shipyard, yacht-repair facility and steel-boat manufacturer next door to Westport Shipyard on Marine Drive in Port Angeles, hauled out Afterglow, a 92-foot Ocean Alexander that hails from San Francisco.
She was on her way to Alaska for the season and came to Platypus for a “shave and a haircut” — meaning to clean and scrape the bottom and apply a fresh coat of bottom paint.
Platypus also hauled out Karen Jeanne, a 43-foot Little Hoquiam commercial fishing vessel that until recently has been working out of Bodega Bay, Calif.
Her current owner is converting her to a crabber.
Platypus is putting on a set of rolling chocks and modifying the fish holds. The company also will install new navigation equipment and electronics as well as new hatches.
Platypus also hauled out Confidence, a 50-foot Sunfjord commercial fishing vessel that hails from Sitka, Alaska, and whose owners live in Sisters, Ore.
According to Brad Hale, who works with Marty Marchant in Platypus’ marketing department, when Confidence goes back in the water Thursday, she will have been completely repainted.
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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 waterfronts.
Items and questions involving boating, port activities and the North Olympic Peninsula waterfronts are always welcome.
Email dgsellars@hotmail.com or phone him at 360-808-3202.
His column, On the Waterfront, appears every Sunday.
