M/V Chelan
Vessel Drawing: Issaquah 130 Class
Class: Issaquah 130 Class
Type: Auto/Passenger Ferry
Length: 328'
Engines: 2
Beam: 78' 8''
Horsepower: 5,000
Draft: 15' 6''
Speed in Knots: 16
Max Passengers: 1076 Propulsion: Diesel
Max Vehicles: 124
Max Commercial Vehicles: 30
Year Built/Re-built: 1981
Meaning of Chelan: From the Chelan language: Tsill-ane, meaning "deep water." The tribe lived along Lake Chelan, which is very deep. A city, county and river also bear the name.
So here we are queuing up and ready to load. The advantage in our Musemobile is being self contained with all facilities so being an hour early was easier for us than it was for the four people in the tiny white car.
I did get out to take some pictures like this cool tree.
I also got a picture of Tim the terror sniffing agent and Tony his handler. They were a really good pair and performing a job that made me feel very safe.
Well I did feel a little less safe when this tanker truck boarded next to me.
After parking 2.3 inches from the wall Sharyn and I got out to visit the passenger deck but first got this shot of the auto side of the ferry.
Oh! by the way I wasn't the only photographer on the ferry.
While outside I did get a shot of the bridge.
This was the outdoor seating and one of the crew safety boats. Notice the wire cage around the safety boat and stairs? That's all crew only access.
There was less austere seating inside.
Then I got into the cool ropes like this red one ...
... and this blue one both used for tying up when in port.
I also liked these rope nettings at the fore and aft of the ferry.
Our first stop was the town of Orcas and again I wasn't the only photographer aboard.
They had a crew of two welcoming in the Chelan and those disembarking. Like these bikers who were off for a long bike ride around the island
Faster than you can say antidisestablishmentarianism, we were off again...
...just as "The Stealth" was pulling into port
Meanwhile Sharyn was reading a novel she brought along. A little later she came to realize it wasn't a Dan Brown (The DaVinci Code) book but a Dale Brown book.
I felt a little less safe looking at the wall and seeing the picture of the "Rescue at Sea" poster on the wall or maybe it was a reassuring feeling to know they had 50 person rafts in case of emergency. and I then also knew why the safety boats were for crew only.
The next San Juan Island was Friday. It looked like a nice sea side village like many I saw in Maine when we lived on the east coast.
Then the people walked of followed by the cars and then ...
...the big trucks (a long row) showing me how supplies reach the islands.
The scenery was great despite not seeing any Orcas.
When we went back to the Musemobile the large vehicle side of the ferry was almost empty and we were first in line.
We finally arrived in Sidney and after the passengers disembarked we were the first vehicle off. We zipped through customs passport and all but were disappointed we didn't get a stamp in the passports. After a brief stop at the visitor's center for directions we headed to Victoria and the Fort Victoria RV Resort. It was a very nice day despite the overcast.
Scrabble Score - Scrabble Queen 331 ~ The Contender 313
Quote of the Day - "We already get more energy from Canada than from any other foreign country." ~ Paul Cellucci (born April 24, 1948) is an American politician and diplomat, former Governor of Massachusetts, and former Ambassador to Canada.
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