Tag Archives: Anacortes

A View of a Ferry You Don’t Normally Get

When I visit Anacortes, I almost always take a trip to the shipyard to see what sort of interesting things are up on the area near the road.  Normally it is tugs or support vessels, but a recent trip provided something a little different.  The Washington State Ferries vessel Chetzemoka was in for some work.  Seeing a vessel of this size up close and from below is rather cool.  The props had been removed and there were supports welded to the hull for the duration of the work.  It was a slightly gloomy day, but I had my phone, so I got some shots.  I wonder how long it will be before she is back in service.

Tanker Dwarfs the Ferry

The Guemes Island ferry was busy operating across the strait between the mainland and the island while I was there.  Just as it was readying to depart for another crossing, a tanker was making its way up the strait towards Anacortes.  I was wondering whether the ferry would make a quick dash across before it got there but they decided the discretion was better than valor and instead headed up the strait to turn and cross behind the tanker.

The closer that they got to the tanker, the more apparent the difference in scale between the two vessels became.  When you see large ships at a distance, it is easy to lose track of just how large they are.  Put something you can appreciate the scale of close to them, though, and you rapidly see that they are really big.  This isn’t even a big tanker by the scale of tankers.  The biggest vessels are truly enormous.  I remember as a kid that one of the largest tankers was berthed in Southampton for a few years when it wasn’t in demand.  That thing was massive!

Steam Cleaning a Hull

Whenever I go to Anacortes, I always swing by the shipyard to see what they are working on.  This was a quick visit but there was a large vessel up on the yard with a crew of people steam cleaning it.  I don’t know whether this was the precursor to some work or the end of some.  I did like the shaping of the screws on this vessel though.  They looked pretty sweet.

Guemes Ferry Needs Some Paint

During the pandemic, I got to take photos of a lot of ferries.  One of the ferries I checked out was the Guemes Island ferry in Anacortes.  After I had finished my visit up in Anacortes, I had my lunch with me and was looking for a spot to eat it.  I figured I would go to the parking lot by the ferry and see if it was in use.  It certainly was and seemed to be operating more regularly than I expected.  I did get a few photos and videos of it coming and going.  The ferry looked a little scruffier than I recall from previous visits.  I wonder whether it is due to be dry docked soon for a repaint!

Henry Island Transporting A Tanker

I have had some previous posts about San Juan Ferry and Barge as we saw a lot of them while vacationing in the San Juans.  On our trip to Friday Harbor while mum was visiting, I hadn’t figured on seeing them unless they were moored in the harbor.  However, as our ferry was getting ready to depart Anacortes, the Henry Island, one of their two boats, came towards us from the main harbor at Anacortes.

It passed behind us but I figured that we would catch it up as we headed to Friday Harbor and that proved to be the case.  It was transporting a tanker truck with a trailer so the deck of the boat was full.  As we chased it down, a couple of kayakers were coming the opposite direction.  I wonder which of our two vessels they were more interested in.

Cormorant Nest On The Dolphin

A recent post showed some of the closest shots I have yet got of cormorants.  What I didn’t originally realize when I was shooting them but which soon became apparent was that the structure was not just a place to hang out for them.  A pair of birds had built a nest within the metalwork.  At first, this was a little obscured from where I was and hard to see.  As the ferry moved out, though, I was able to get a good view of the nest.  The main area was shaded from the sun, understandably, but it was still possible to get some shots.

As Close As I Have Got To Cormorants

There are no prizes if you know that one of my favorite birds is the cormorant.  They are just so cool in my eyes.  I am constantly struggling to get good shots of them as they are pretty reticent about being close to humans.  Who would have thought any wildlife would view us suspiciously?  One place that they do like to hang out is the structure around ferry terminals.  They are isolated from the land so have a measure of protection.  They can also go straight in to the water whenever they need to fish.

I got the camera ready when we boarded the ferry in case they were close to where we were.  Sometimes the light angle is bad, sometimes they happen to be on another structure.  Fortunately, on this trip, I got lucky.  I was really close to them.  The light angles were not ideal but it was still pretty good compared to anything I have ever got before.  The sides of the ferry are open so there is the risk that you can spook them.  However, there is something about the boat that seems to be less concerned about your presence.  It is a bit like seeing deer when you are in a car and looking out of the window.

Anacortes Castle

Driving through the back roads in Anacortes, I came across Anacortes Castle.  I think it is actually just a house but it is certainly one that has been styled to look like a castle.  You probably couldn’t defend it from marauders very easily and the turret seemed to have a lot of open space inside but it is still an interesting looking building.  It sits on a normal residential street so is quite out of keeping with the rest of the houses.  Still, it is a talking point, I am sure!

Ferry Videos in Blustery Conditions

I have posted a couple of times with ferries at Guemes Island and Lummi Island.  While I mainly was shooting stills at these locations, I did get some video too.  When the boats are being tossed about, I figured that video was a better way of conveying what the conditions were like.  Below are a couple of videos I edited of the two ferries.

Railroad Swing Bridge Near Anacortes

I was driving over the bridge heading towards Anacortes when I glanced down towards the casino near the water.  I noticed a railroad swing bridge across the water which I hadn’t seen before.  Since I was on my own and with no set schedule, I figured I would drop in and take a look.  The railroad runs alongside the casino and crosses the river at an oblique angle.  Consistently, the open position for the bridge is not perpendicular to the track but lies inline with the river.

Everything about the track looked in excellent condition so I assume the bridge is regularly used.  I have seen plenty of trains on the track closer to Burlington but didn’t know they came this far.  It would be interesting to see the bridge in use some time.  It is a pretty long structure and the control house is on the opposite side of the river.  A bald eagle was sitting on that side making a lot of noise but too far away to justify a photograph.