Dear Washington State Ferries: Are You Going to Wipe Bainbridge Island’s Ass, Too?

All illustrations by Jessica Randklev.

No, WSF, that wasn’t a rhetorical question. I’m actually curious to know when you’re going to bend down, and pull off a square of that industrial pulp you pass off as TP and clean some Bainbridge ass.

Back in the day it was your run- of-the-mill, garden variety ass kissing. When Bremerton’s high-speed ferries were disturbing the shores of millionaire Islanders, Bremerton lost the boats. When a ferry on the Bainbridge run goes down, you take a boat from Bremerton and patch up the Bainbridge run, and let the Bremerton riders deal with the consequences.

When you buy a ticket at Seattle’s Coleman Dock you have a choice of going through turnstile A or turnstile B. Through turnstile A you have passengers headed for Bainbridge Island who have the ear and good graces of Washington State ferries, a 30-minute ride aboard the newest boats in the fleet, boats that have NEVER run between Seattle and Bremerton.

The customers who go through turnstile, B, to Bremerton live with the fact that if they want to leave Seattle after 10:30 p.m. they have to wait until almost 1 a.m., they’re used to finding alternate modes of transportation to get to work because one of their boats has gone down. And after a particularly nasty week, recently, at least one Bremerton commuter decided he’d throw in the towel, and would move back to Seattle.

So, I guess it is only natural that when you decided provide live music to one of your routes, you would pick the route with the ass you’re most accustomed to kissing. Live music on the Bainbridge run every Saturday through December? Are you serious?

Let me propose an alternative: Instead of throwing a bone to Nordstrom set catching a joy ride into the city on the weekend, why don’t you set up some live music for the men and women on the 5:30 p.m. boat back to Bremerton on a Friday. Bring a couple of guitars into the cafeteria and you’ll find an exhausted, forcefully patient group of individuals who deserve more than a thank you from the WSF brass for all the missed boats, hard landings, and erratic service you’ve dished out.

Instead, you’re doing more for … Bainbridge? Why?

— The Bremelogger

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Raise Your Hand If You’re Surprised That This Ferry Is Out Of Service

Via Washington State Ferries: “Seattle/Bremerton – Hyak Out of Service: The 9:00am departure from Bremerton is cancelled (sic) due to electrical problems on the Hyak. A one-boat schedule with the Kitsap is in effect until necessary repairs are completed. We apologize for the the inconvenience this may cause.“

Boy, I’m sure glad we don’t have those backup passenger-only ferries anymore. Our friends in San Francisco need them more than we do.

The one-boat schedule, via Kitsap Sun is:
Leave Bremerton: 10:15 a.m.; Leave Seattle: 11:25 a.m.; Leave Bremerton: 12:35 p.m.; Leave Seattle: 3 p.m.; Leave Bremerton: 4:15 p.m.; Leave Seattle: 5:30 p.m.; Leave Bremerton, 6:40 p.m.; Leave Seattle: 7:50 p.m.; Leave Bremerton: 9 p.m.; Leave Seattle: 10:30 p.m.

 

It’s Nice to Know That If There’s an Accident on the Ferry, Your Life Jacket Is Locked Up Safely

 

Mayoral Candidates Have Sharpened Their Positions On Passenger-Only Ferries. Sort Of.

Thinking about David Morse’s guest column today, here’s a look at what the mayoral candidates said regarding passenger-only ferry service at last week’s Chamber of Commerce forum (full report on K-Sun’s Bremerton Beat).

Will Maupin said passenger-only ferries should be part of a long-range state plan that current service should start conforming to now.

Patty Lent said passenger-only should be operated by the private sector.

What do y’all think? Does anyone think a Mayor Maupin could get the state back into the passenger-only business, or at least inside some kind of plan to make this happen? And is Patty Lent kicking passenger-only ferries to the curb by relegating them to the private sector?

We’ll address this issue and many more at Bremelog.com’s mayoral forum/debate/concert on October 14 at the Hi-Fidelity Lounge.

 

Guest Column: Why I’m Leaving Bremerton

By David Morse

You may see some very angry letters in the paper from fellow commuters.  Mine may be one of them.  When it all comes down to it, what we want and what would benefit the community is “regular and reliable” ferry service.  More frequent boats would be a huge plus ~ but we’ve dealt with that for the past 7 years.  I don’t see things getting better and it’s time to move on.

We’re angry.  We’ve invested lots of time, money and effort into trying to make Bremerton a better place.  We moved to a town which was pretty down-and-out.  Did many of us from Seattle move to the “nicer” but boring parts of Bremerton?  No.  We purchased in the older parts of West Bremerton, the areas with the more interesting houses and sketchy neighborhoods.  When we leave, our homes will become rentals and the downward cycle begins again…

 

I’m Not Going to Complain About These Passenger-Only Ferries. Well, Not Much.

All illustrations by Jessica Randklev.

Dear Old Man Winslow: I’m not going to get defensive on this one. Sure, you make a few valid points. I mean, it’s no secret that Washington State Ferries wishes Bremerton would just go away. Hell, I’m sure they’d tell you as much if you walked into their office (try the TP while you’re there, it’s such an upgrade from what they serve on their waters).

The irony here is that while your boat is in the shop, and our boat is filling gaps in the system to accommodate your brood, we’re actually experiencing a Bremerton run closer to what it actually should be: one auto ferry and several passenger-only ferries. Yes, these p-o boats are slow (it took me 50 minutes recently to get home recently) but, I’m the first to admit that Bremerton should cash in an auto ferry for three or four passenger-only boats that can make the trip in 30 minutes. If only that were an option.

Until that time, I’m not going to sweat it. And I’m going to count my blessings. Because if having a 30-minute commute means ending my day on Bainbridge, well, I’ll leave that hell for the folks who bought condos in Winslow in 2007.

Sincerely,
The Bremelogger

 

The “Bring EndFest Back to Bremerton in 2010” Campaign Begins Right Now

Sure, Kid Rock completely sucks. But we need him in Bremerton. Well, East Bremerton at least.

I saw three EndFests in Bremerton (’97, ’99, and 2000). Yes, Bremerton. Some people like to pretend the fairgrounds aren’t Bremerton. Well, if you’re coming from anywhere other than West Bremerton, those grounds are Bremerton. And on those Bremerton grounds I saw atrocious bands like Korn, Blink-182, Moby, Everlast, Kid Rock, and, yes, RADIOHEAD (that was in ’97, and they shared the afternoon bill with Matchbox 20, before they were Matchbox Twenty).

Those shows — particularly 1997, which I will forever remember as one of my favorite shows — were epic. They were sweaty. Sometimes violent. And we didn’t have to take a ferry to see them. Eveyrone else took the ferry. It was a holiday. And I want it back.

Sure, my tastes have evolved a bit — it seems like everyone else was weened on hot shit like David Bowie and The Smiths while I came of age on “Bawitdaba” — but we all need the rock. And we all want to take the ferry less and less. I’m getting old, and I’m sick of taking the 12:50 ferry. And I’m sick of the “Kingdome” parking lot (where I saw a recent EndFest with the “Smashing Pumpkins”). And I’m even more sick of Auburn’s White River Amphitheater.

Yes, I know Bremerton has its problems. But I don’t know sane individuals who would rather drive to White River than the fairgrounds.

Let’s start it right now: BRING ENDFEST 19 (in 2010) BACK TO BREMERTON!

P.S. EndFest 18, featuring Blink-182 and Weezer plays Auburn’s White River Amphitheater on Sept. 10.

 

A Brief Look at a Few Things Done and Said About Our Current Ferry Debacle

Via Seattle Times: WSF says, “Customers are very accustomed to major vessel issues, because we have no backup.”

Via Seattle Weekly: Rider says, “What the heck is the point of complaining? We HAVE complained, to no avail. Bremerton still gets the shaft and WSF turns a deaf ear. Now and for the last 25 years!!!!”

Via Kitsap Sun: Reader: “For the Record, I’m Complaining About Ferries”

CURRENT SCHEDULES:

 

Old Man Winslow: WSF Likes Bremerton About as Much as the Rest of Us

All illustrations by Jessica Randklev

Dear The Bremelogger: You take the ferry because there’s nothing for you in Bremerton. Not even the employees of the county’s largest employer — PSNS — will live there. So don’t come crying to me that someone less tubby than yourself out-hustled you to the hot seat out of nowheresville.

But let’s get right down to the point. The boat’s empty, at least by Island standards. It’s empty because there aren’t many of you mental enough to necessitate proper accommodations.

We have pseudo “assigned seating” on Bainbridge Ferries because there are precious few. You on the other hand can throw a rock between you and the closest person and miss. That’s not just because you and your city has no athletic achievement to speak of. It’s because everyone else has figured out that if you don’t get back on the boat, you don’t have to return to Bremerton.

BTW, I just want to point something out. Even when we lose a boat WSF directs people away from Bremerton: “Edmonds/Kingston is strongly encouraged as an alternate route” is on repeat over there. What they’re effectively saying is Bremerton is strongly discouraged. And with good reason.

Washington States Ferries wishes Bremerton didn’t exist. So do the rest of us.

Sincerely,
Old Man Winslow

 

Of Course: An Hour Later, Bainbridge Steals a Boat From Bremerton

OK, so it took an hour since we last checked for a gimp Bainbridge run to steal a boat from Bremerton. File this under SHOCKINGLY PREDICTABLE. Bremerton’s down to one boat for at least the rest of the day. Smart money says to check with WSF tomorrow before you get to the termingal in the morning and discover that your usual boat is servicing Bainbridge.