ANOTHER CRUISE SHIP is coming to Port Angeles, one of the most unusual live-aboards in the world.
The World is scheduled to tie-up to the Port of Port Angeles’ Terminal 1 pier on July 7 and be here for the day.
But unlike Holland America’s ms Statendam, which visited for the day and disembarked its passengers to take in Port Angeles and the North Olympic Peninsula last May 7, The World occupants will only see Port Angeles if they look out their windows.
She is a residential floating community with 165 residential units — 106 apartments, 19 studio apartments, and 40 studios — all owned by the ship’s residents.
Some of the owners live onboard full-time, while others visit their floating home periodically throughout the year as she chases the sunshine around the world.
At any given time, the ship carries between 100 and 300 residents and their guests.
The current ownership roster is 40 percent American, 40 percent European and the remaining 20 percent from the rest of the globe, and most owners have not yet reached retirement, according to the brokerage that handles sales aboard the ship.
The Bahamian-flagged World is 644 feet long with a beam of 98 feet. She’s 12 decks high and has a crew of 250.
The July 7 stopover will allow the ship to replenish her stores, and no passengers will disembark.
That’s not a surprise since she’s self-contained.
Some of the amenities include a small grocery store and delicatessen, a boutique, athletic facilities including a fully equipped gym, a full-sized tennis court and a casino.
There are also five restaurants onboard the ship for those who don’t care to cook for themselves in their floating home.
Anyone looking for a special cruise can book a stay on the vessel for a minimum of six nights with the maximum stay dictated only by the constraints of the pocketbook. Rates range from $1,300 to $4,750 per night.
If you’re interested in a full-time residence, the price range was $2.8 million to about $7 million when The World was launched in 2002.
More about The World — including pictures of interior condos — can be found at www.aboardtheworld.com.
All the answers
Washington state has created a terrific Web site for boaters that consolidates and simplifies access to a variety of information on boating services, rules and regulations, places to boat, fishing licenses and boating news.
The new site links to information offered by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife; Department of Natural Resources; Department of Licensing; Department of Community, Trade and Economic Development; and the state Parks and Recreation Commission, as well as federal government, nonprofit and private organizations.
The new portal, www.boat.wa.gov, makes it very convenient to obtain information on boating safety and education, weather and tides, fishing regulations and licensing requirements as well as moorage information for the Washington State Marine Parks.
‘Learn or Burn’
Sequim Bay Yacht Club on Thursday is sponsoring a demonstration on the proper use of fire extinguishers that is tailored for the boating community.
The event, dubbed “Learn or Burn,” is being presented by Lisen Âbury Fire Equipment Co. of Seattle.
Point and shoot may work well using a digital camera, but it may not be the most efficient use of a fire extinguisher. Participants are encouraged to bring a fire extinguisher to use in a mock blaze to learn the most effective methods of suppressing a fire.
Bob Stearns, safety officer for the Sequim Bay Yacht Club, said the Learn and Burn demonstration will be held at the south parking lot of John Wayne Marina. The general boating public is welcome to participate.
Bob said that Lisenbury will refill and recondition expended extinguishers — $22.20 for a two-pound extinguisher and $29.45 for a five-pound extinguisher.
Back in a splash
Platypus Marine on Thursday put Atlantis, a 58-foot Delta, back in the water on Thursday after a two week stay in the Commander Building on Marine Drive in Port Angeles.
Verne Braghettia and his crew in the fiberglass department installed a bulbous bow on the commercial fishing boat, and she was then given a new paint job.
She left here for Fisherman’s Terminal in Seattle to be loaded with equipment and supplies, then she will head for the waters off the Columbia River to fish for sardines.
Kingfish, a 102-foot Christensen, has been in the Boat Haven marina for the past couple of weeks.
According to Charlie Crane, director of sales and marketing for Platypus Marine, personnel removed the crane that hoists the tender on and off the boat deck and will rebuild it.
Technicians also aligned the engines and shafts and replaced a dripless shaft seal.
The owner and a boatload of guests left the harbor at week’s end to spend the weekend in Victoria.
Interesting note: The yacht’s previous owner was Ron Howard, the renowned Hollywood director.
Of course, many remember him as Ritchie Cunningham from the show “Happy Days.”
And those of us younger old-timers remember him from our childhood as Opie on “The Andy Griffith Show.”
Back to the waterfront: Platypus is also painting the hull and applying new bottom paint on a 20-foot Bayliner owned by Dick Hopkins of Port Angeles.
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David G. Sellars is a Port Angeles resident and former Navy boatswain’s mate who is now a real estate agent in Port Angeles and Sequim.
Items involving boating, port activities and the North Olympic Peninsula waterfronts are always welcome. E-mail dgsellars@hotmail.com or call him, 360-417-3736.
