I took the bus to the ferry, hopped the ferry, got on another bus, and then another bus, and arrive at work quite late. It threw a wrench in many Islander commutes!
This afternoon, sitting at my desk I get another text message, "the Vashon route of the Water Taxi has been canceled tonight due to weather conditions." Thank God I am working late anyway!
It has been a rough fall for WT cancellations. The wind has been bad, the fog has been worse and in general I feel like I am telling my work too often that the boat was late or whatever...I hate that feeling.
This is the life of Island people. Flexibility around the water, reminders that nature is bigger than you are. It is annoying, no doubt, but I don't have ANY desire to end up in a life jacket floating around Puget Sound waiting for the Coast Guard to rescue me.
My only wish really, is that the Water Taxi would tell us something about how the decision is made. I found this information, the marine forecast, on the national weather service website: (http://forecast.weather.gov/shmrn.php?mz=pzz135&syn=pzz100)
PZZ135-040615- PUGET SOUND AND HOOD CANAL- 300 PM PST TUE DEC 3 2013 SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM PST THIS EVENING TONIGHT NE WIND 15 TO 25 KT EASING TO 5 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT SUBSIDING TO 2 FT OR LESS. WED NE WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. WED NIGHT NE WIND TO 10 KT BECOMING SE AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. THU SE WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. THU NIGHT SE WIND 10 TO 20 KT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. FRI NE WIND 15 TO 25 KT. WIND WAVES 2 TO 4 FT. FRI NIGHT NE WIND 10 TO 20 KT BECOMING N 10 TO 15 KT AFTER MIDNIGHT. WIND WAVES 1 TO 3 FT. SAT SE WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. SUN S WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. $$
My guess is that this forecast is what makes the decision for if the boat goes or not, with a little bit of hunting on wind conditions in the PNW I also found this
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| http://www.sailflow.com/en-us/Search/ViewResults.aspx#47.498,-122.559,10,1 |
Which makes me think it must be VERY windy on Alki Point in West Seattle.
So there it is. The reason the boat doesn't run...(or is it?)
