From Spark Chronicles yesterday:
Ferries are one of the most efficient modes of transportation for transporting goods or people over short water distances. That doesn’t mean they’re protected from the elements. A video showing how seawater entered a ferry in Washington shocked social networks this week.
In this 1 minute and 14 second video, you can see how water filled part of the boat called the M/V Issaquah due to strong waves, an incident that occurred in northeastern Washington state.
The ferry was heading to Anacortes near the Strait of Juan de Fuca, according to Washington State Ferries, which clarified that there were no passengers on board, just crew and some vehicles.
In fact, it was an employee of the company who recorded and shared the video, in which you can see how the water begins to enter the ferry, surrounding the vehicle, while in the background you can see the waves rocking. Violent manner.
Washington State Ferries, the largest ferry system in the United States, serving eight states, was quick to make the matter public. He shared that although the captain predicted good weather for a smooth sailing, sea conditions were much rougher than expected after the crew left the Puget Sound shelter.
https://sparkchronicles.com/horrifying-video-shows-how-seawater-enters-washington-ferry/
Will the Glasgow Herald’s leading ferry correspondent cover this? Imagine his headline if this was the Largs to Millport vessel?
Sky News has the video at: https://news.sky.com/video/massive-waves-flood-washington-ferry-deck-during-storm-13046045
Is it OK to let the sea into you local ferry?
Here’s a CalMac ferry not flooding when sea conditions were much rougher than expected
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
Why no reference to the Herald of Free Enterprise tragedy which actually happened with large loss-if-life and blame attributed to TownsendThioresen management?
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And, a Tory cabinet minister actually made a ‘joke’ referencing the disaster.
Captains were under pressure from owners to get the ferries turned round as quickly as possible. So, whenever the last vehicle had boarded, instead of waiting until the bow doors were fully closed, captains immediately began moving away from the quay and turning the ferry around, while the doors were still in the process of closing. In this case, when the ferry left the relative calm of the harbour, the doors were not fully closed and seawater gushed in. This destabilised the ferry which then capsized.
In the case of the Ardrossan ferry in the video, the ferry doors were closed and no water was entering, so, as the captain turned the vessel in stormy sees to berth the boat, the stabilisers made the pitching and yawing manageable so that the ferry berthed and vehicles exited it. Because the vehicles were tethered to the deck, they remained in place and so there was not a catastrophic shifting of vehicles to one side, which would have caused a capsize.
Alasdair Macdonald
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Yes
Frankie Boyle editorial standards say ‘not too soon?’
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To be honest it’s more an indictment of media’s thirst for sensationalism…
It’s not near so bad as it appears despite the stormy weather, being an open vehicle deck above the waterline, waves coming over the bow soon drain back overboard.
Likewise the Ardrossan snippet where the ship is being hauled round hard to come into berth with it’s side to the waves and the wind, of course it’s going to lurch…. only toward the end you can see the stabilisers finally get a grip….
IIRC that snippet was aired by BBC Scotland when in “ferry fiasco” mode, hence the totally misleading title…
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She’s come through the gate at speed( quite narrow at Ardrossan) and used the momentum to turn on to the berth. A round of applause for whoever was on the sticks, probably the skipper. Sitting in your car watching that approach would tell you that you were in good hands, proper sailors as opposed to the absolute shite journalists we.have in Scotland.
Proud father of a sailorman.
Golfnut
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As a matter of interest.
HIS Argyle and HMS Westminster are being scrapped due to crew shortages. Argyle was due to rejoin the fleet late 23 after her refit which began in 22. The cost of the refit would have been eyewatering, but ferries!
HM S Albion and HM S Bulwark are being permanently laid up due to crew shortages, they haven’t got enough to keep even one at sea.
Kind of theme here, but ferries eh!
Golfnut
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I got on that Calmac ferry to Arran…..it was a “wee bit choppy” but half way across the waves always lessen and from there on in it was, believe it or not, quite a pleasant sailing, although my wife might disagree with that statement!!!
Might add all the kids on board, including my own, were having a great time!!!
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