THINGS THAT MAKE ME MAD.

THINGS THAT MAKE ME MAD.

LET’S TALK ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE FERRIES, A PUBLIC SERVICE WHOSE ENTIRE BRAND PROMISE IS CROSSING WATER IN BAD WEATHER—AND YET SOMEHOW MANAGED TO GET ABSOLUTELY SIDELINED BY… FOG. FOG. NOT A STORM. NOT ROUGH WATER. NOT THE SEA RISING UP TO RECLAIM ITS ASSETS.

FOG.

THIS WEEK, A COUPLE OF FERRY TERMINALS JUST… QUIETLY CLOSED. KINGSTON/EDMUNDS. PT. TOWNSEND/COUPVILLE. SAILINGS CANCELED. PASSENGERS STRANDED. SCHEDULES ERASED LIKE THEY WERE OPTIONAL SUGGESTIONS. THE EXPLANATION? CAPTAINS DIDN’T FEEL COMFORTABLE RUNNING IN REDUCED VISIBILITY. LET ME CALL YOU A WAAMBULANCE, CAP. AND LOOK—LET ME ALIGN WITH SAFETY FOR A SECOND. SAFETY MATTERS. NO ONE WANTS UNSAFE OPERATIONS. BUT HERE’S THE THING: THIS IS WASHINGTON. FOG IS NOT A NOVELTY.

IF FOG SHUTS THE SYSTEM DOWN, THEN WHAT WE ACTUALLY HAVE IS A FAIR-WEATHER FERRY SERVICE.

THESE BOATS HAVE RADAR. THEY HAVE LOOKOUTS. THEY HAVE AIS.THEY HAVE GPS, ELECTRONIC CHARTS, PROCEDURES, CHECKLISTS, BACKUPS FOR THE BACKUPS. THEY RUN AT NIGHT. THEY RUN IN RAIN. THEY RUN IN WINTER DARKNESS AT FOUR IN THE MORNING.

BUT FOG ROLLS IN AND SUDDENLY THE WHOLE OPERATION HITS PAUSE?!

WHAT MAKES ME MAD ISN’T THE FOG.

IT’S IDIOTS. DECK OFFICERS WHO SHOULDN’T BE SPOOKED BY REDUCED VISIBILITY.

PEOPLE PLAN THEIR LIVES AROUND THESE BOATS. JOBS. MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS. SCHOOL PICKUPS. SUPPLY CHAINS. ENTIRE ISLANDS FUNCTION ON THE ASSUMPTION THAT THE FERRY SYSTEM IS MARITIME-GRADE RELIABLE.

AND WHEN THE ANNOUNCEMENT COMES, IT’S ALWAYS FRAMED LIKE AN ACT OF NATURE. AS IF FOG JUST APPEARED, UNANNOUNCED, WITH NO HISTORICAL PRECEDENT.

FERRY ALERT: SERVICE SUSPENDED. THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING.

UNDERSTANDING?!

BECAUSE IF FOG IS NOW A NO-GO CONDITION, WE SHOULD PROBABLY JUST PRINT THAT ON THE SCHEDULE. RIGHT UNDER THE DEPARTURE TIME. RIGHT NEXT TO THE FOOTNOTE THAT SAYS: “SUBJECT TO FEAR.”