Five Short Blasts

The 30-minute ferry run between Kingston and Edmonds is a great time to relax, people-watch (some walking laps around the deck during the whole trip), get in some reading and telephone calls, gaze out on the Sound, watch passing ships and pleasure boats, or just zone out. For working folk it's a great time of transition, much like it use to be walking down the dock to the Lady Mick at the end of the day, shedding cares with each step.

It can also be a bumpy ride, especially if the wind is really up. You can always check the wind speed by going to the Washington State Ferry's weather site.

Last month saw the height of the salmon run on the Sound, and hundreds of fisherfolk out in all sorts of boats, trolling across the waters, some even across the shipping lanes. That morning as our ferry approached the Edmonds dock our serenity was shattered by five short rapid blasts on the ferry's  whistle. Then another series of five blasts. That piqued everyone's curiosity as we took to the windows to see what was up. Soon we felt the ferry reduce speed. Now yet another five short rapid blasts as the ferry threw her engines into reverse.

Cutting across our bow, merrily trolling along and seemingly oblivious to the sounds, came a small outboard, not more than 150 yards directly in front of this 3,000+ tons of steel ferry.

Five short rapid blasts on the whistle or horn. That means "what in blazes are you doing?" In the language of the US Coast Guard's Navigation Rules it reads:

" . . . fails to understand the intentions or actions of the other, or is in doubt whether sufficient action is being taken . . . to avoid collision, the vessel in doubt shall immediately indicate such doubt by giving at least five short and rapid blasts on the whistle."

Five short rapid blasts - - a signal every boater should commit to memory. When I hear it I quickly look to see if I'm part of the situation, or not. I don't want a ferry "doubting" my intentions.

Five short rapid blast are also a signal used by the bridge tenders on the Ship Canal System to warn off vessels that have signaled for a bridge lift that the bridge is not going to open right then. Again, a warning, but obviously a less critical situation unless your reverse gear fails!

There are some more whistle signals you should commit to memory, but that's for another post later.