Remember that sleek little ferry (pictured) that ran
from Bremerton to Seattle for “research” in the summer of
2012? Well, Kitsap Transit still possesses that
vessel, the Rich Passage 1. And it
wants you to help figure out what should be done with it.
Kitsap Transit is writing a business plan for passenger ferry
service and is seeking
opinions from area residents. The survey’s short and sweet.
Click
here to fill it out.
The
bottom line is that it’s going to cost money to run the
117-passenger vessel. But having that service would mean Seattle
would be reachable in 35 minutes, rather than the current hour
aboard the state ferry system.
Could the Olympics come to
Bremerton? Well, no. STEVE JOHNSON / KITSAP SUN
RENDERING
With the conclusion of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, I
am feeling energized. But I never imagined how jazzed I’d
get when Elliot Smith, a dear Twitter friend
from Bellingham, noted that
Pyeongchang — site of the 2018 Winter Olympics — has around
44,000 people in it.
That, he said, would be like Bremerton — population 39,000 —
hosting the Winter Olympics.
To which I replied: Why not Bremerton?
Like any sane person, I took the ball and ran with it. On
Twitter, at any rate. “Let’s go for it!” I wrote, using what will
become one of the great hashtags of our time:
#BremertonOlympics2022
I even asked Bremerton native Bree Schaaf, bobsledder who
competed in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, what she thought
of the idea.
“I like it!” Schaaf said to the idea on
Twitter. “Gonna take some serious bake sales and spaghetti feeds to
match Putin’s billiondy dollar games…” she added.
Former Kitsap Sun Sports Editor Chuck Stark has already begun
planning venues for the games. He suggested bobsled races down
Burwell Street, curling aboard the Bremerton-Seattle ferry route
and building an Olympic-sized hockey rink at the old East High
School site.
Others weren’t so supportive of the idea. Shaun Guerrero told me
via Twitter, “Bro just cause it’s legal doesn’t mean you should
start so early,” referring to my early morning tweet — and an
apparent drug problem he thinks I have. Rod, a.k.a. Torpedoman69,
tried to divert the Bremerton 2022 campaign to Seabeck.
“I think Seabeck would be great for the Olympics,” Rod said,
adding the Seabeck Conference Center would do well as the Olympic
village.
None were so hurtful, however, as Kitsap Sun Sports Writer
Annette Griffus, who tweeted simply: “No. Just no.”
When I responded to her that the Olympic fire had already been
lit, she even threatened to play saboteur.
“I can douse it,” she tweeted.
But many were supportive, and I’m thankful for that.
“Can’t be worse than Sochi right?” Cooper tweeted.
Truth be told, I know Bremerton hasn’t a snowball’s chance. But
just for fun, I asked Bremerton Mayor Patty Lent, at the conclusion
of a recent phone call, if the city could play host.
“I don’t think so,” she said.
But we discussed the very real possibility of Seattle hosting
big sporting events like the Olympics. Bremerton would benefit
economically, with its ferry link, she said. She also mentioned
that the town ballooned during the 1962 World’s Fair.
“We would be well positioned,” for such an event, she added.
Not gonna happen, I’m afraid.
STEVE JOHNSON / KITSAP SUN RENDERING
The Seahawks faithful bursted
Bremerton at the seams this morning. Fans scrambled for
parking, invaded local coffeehouses and formed the longest line for
the Bremerton ferry to Seattle that anyone can remember. Over on
the Seattle side, the Seahawks held their first Super Bowl
champions parade ever.
The Bremerton ferries carried 7,981
people through its first six sailings of the day, according to the
Washington State Ferries. Gotta be some kind of record. The
Kaleetan packed in 2,000 people at capacity while the Chelan could
only hold 1,076, as the two boats alternated the trek back and
forth to Seattle.
The ferry system actually held cars
back from the run to accommodate more walk-on passengers, my
colleague Ed Friedrich told me.
The economic impact on downtown was
palpable. For four hours, a line snaked through Fraiche Cup, the
nearby coffee shop, with $550 in sales in one hour alone (between
8-9 a.m.).
“We’ve at least tripled our business
for the day,” said Manager Amanda Boustead. “And the day’s not over
yet.”
The coffee house had almost 500
purchases between 5 a.m. and noon, and went through 36 gallons of
milk.
Here’s video of the Bremerton line. Were you there?
