My last post featured the M/V Tacoma, one of the largest ferries in the fleet operated by the Washington State Ferries (WSF), which also happens to be the state’s most popular tourist attraction. This post – rather than an image of a ferry – instead highlights a shot taken from a ferry.
When you combine the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest with iconic ferries crisscrossing the waters of Puget Sound, the photographic opportunities are boundless. That’s especially true when you have 10 routes servicing 20 different ports of call. The shortest trip is the Tahlequah-Port Defiance run, which takes passengers from the southern tip of Vashon Island to Point Defiance Park near Tacoma in just 15 minutes. The longest trip – and also the only international route – is the Anacortes-Sidney, B.C. run, which from April to December courses through the gorgeous San Juan Islands and deposits travelers on Vancouver Island just under three hours later.
WSF’s fleet definitely comes in all shapes and sizes. The minnow, if you will, is the Evergreen State class, which has a capacity of 87 vehicles and 1,061 passengers. The lone boat in this class is the M/V Tillicum, one of four ferries servicing the San Juan Islands. The great whale, on the other hand, is the Jumbo Mark II class, which has a capacity of 202 vehicles and 2,499 passengers. Collectively, the entire fleet now carries almost 25 million passengers each year. So how many of those passengers capture the scenery and views with a camera? I have no idea. But even if only, say, one of every four passengers has a smart phone, that would mean WSF riders take tens of millions of snapshots each year.
The featured image of Mt. Rainier was taken from one of the Jumbo Mark II ferries used on the popular Seattle-Bainbridge route, which alone accounts for almost 6.5 million passengers annually. Mt. Rainier is frequently obscured from view by clouds, so it’s a rare treat indeed when the 14,411-foot-tall peak is visible in all its glory.
We have a growing assortment of ferry images at our gallery on Bainbridge Island, including matted prints, metal prints, canvas prints, and fine art acrylic prints, so do please feel free to stop by the next time you’re in our neighborhood. If you arrive by ferry, perhaps Mt. Rainier will choose to grace you with an appearance! For gallery hours, please consult our Contact page.
Ciao for now,
Andrew (“Andy”) Bergh