Welcome back Columbia

<< Back to archives | Friday, July 18, 2008

Tis Friday evening in Fairhaven and the Alaska Ferry Columbia is loading at the Cruise Terminal.  After an absense for repairs, we welcome back the Columbia, the queen of the Alaska Ferry fleet.  It is good to see her back on the route between Fairhaven and Skagway - with stops to other Alaska towns.

Passengers can walk on and roll out a sleeping bag in the solarium on the top deck, or they can walk on and enjoy a reserved room.  Of course many drive their vehicles on which range from cars to RVs to trucks hauling trailers. No one is allowed to stay in their vehicles on the trip. 

The longshore man releases the docking line to the stern as the passengers line the rails of the upper decks.  The Columbia is over 400 feet long, carries over 100 vehicles and over 900 passengers.  It is fun to watch it loading and leaving each Friday.  A bit of charming trivia; as soon as the hawsers are released and the ship is free of the dock, all the clocks in the ship switch to Alaska time which is one hour earlier.  Kind of neat - they are already in Alaska in their minds.