One of our delights last summer was a cruise on Holland America's ms Westerdam from Seattle to Glacier Bay, Alaska, and return. The cruise not only quickly popped my earlier bias against having to cruise with "1,800 of my closest friends" (we seldom experienced anything like crowds during the whole eight days), but opened up an experience of, and an appreciation for, the great glaciers. It also carried with it the awsome realization that these mighty glaciers are now on a short track, and I wonder if our grandkids will ever see them.
We sailed from Pier 30, down off Harbor Island. south of the tall container cranes.
Now Smith Cove's Pier 90 and 91, on the north side of Elliott Bay are the new Port of Seattle terminals, in addition to the original Pier 66 off the Alaskan Way. The new terminal looks impressive, and should certainly add to Seattle's whole cruise ship industry. From all reports it is a great move.
But I wonder about the folk who keep their boats at the Elliott Bay Marina, just to the west of Piers 90 and 91.
You see, the east-most dock of the marina, M Dock (where some of Seattle's elite with their extra large sailing vessels and cruisers moor) is roughly 300 yards from Pier 91, and the east end of the marina jetty just 284 yards from the pier (if my chart and dividers are accurate). Now if you moor a vessel like the ms Amsterdam, or the ms Westerdam, each with a 105.8 foot beam, you've reduced the open water from the jetty to 248 yards and the distance between the cruise ship and M Dock to just a shade under 265 yards. And that's if you keeping the ships right up snug against the pier, which you cannot.
Forgetting the loss of city view from that end of the marina (hey, that happens all the time on land with new buildings popping up just in front of your new condo), you now have a serious Homeland Security Issue.
US Coast Guard regulations say that "No vessel or person is allowed within 100 yards of a large passenger vessel that is moored." But even more, the regulations require that you must first obtain permission from the ship's captain if you dare come within 500 yards of the passenger vessel. Now apply this to the east jetty and M Dock distances, both of which are well within the 500 yard zone.
Yep, let your cynical imagination cruise rampant. You can almost hear it now.
"Hello, captain the Westerdam. This is Happy Bayliner 32 requesting permission to enter your security zone in order to exit Elliott Bay Marina. Over". And, in a yet deeper voice, "Hello, captain the Amsterdam. This is the prestigious sailing vessel Over the Hill, moored on M Dock, requesting permission to launch my shore boat within your secure zone. Over".
Perhaps there is some answer to all this. It would be good to know if there is some common sense operative besides having to wait until non-cruise ship days to drop a dingy or putter out the east entrance.
And besides, now I have to look for another training area for new boaters. Argh!
1 comment:
Don't the security zones discriminate when the large vessel is underway, not moored?
I think the Pier 90-91 location for the Cruise Ship Terminal is great from the standpoint of navigation--and spectacular looking from both the land side and harbor side.
Unfortunately, SDOT, Sound Transit adn the Port dropped the ball on traffic planning. It will be way too busy in-and-around Elliott Bay Marina, Interbay, lower Queen Anne and Mercer with the addition of thousands of cruise passengers trying to get on-and-off those ships, to the airport, etc. That is going to be a painful adjustment.
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