By COLLEEN SMITH ARMSTRONG and CLAUDIA BRADLEY

Special to the Sounder

In the storms of Feb. 5, six cars were severely damaged by wind and waves on a Washington State Ferry.

The car of Lopez School’s academic advisor Jeanna Carter was totaled when high winds brought waves onto the car deck of the M/V Sealth on Tuesday, Feb. 5.

According to Susan Harris, Customer Information Manager for Washington State Ferries, the Sealth departed Anacortes for Lopez and Shaw at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 5. Captain Jack Santi, a 41-year veteran, noted Rosario Strait was rough, but not unusually so. The boat unloaded cars on Shaw, and then headed to Lopez, where it loaded cars bound for Anacortes. The captain ordered the crew to “short-load” the vehicles: cars were placed two car-lengths from the tagline, which is located several feet from the bow of the boat. 

Halfway across Rosario Strait, the boat hit rough weather, encountering swells eight to 10 feet with deep troughs. The captain dropped his speed and continued forward. While passing Strawberry Island, a swell crashed over the bow, damaging six vehicles. Carter’s vehicle, which was parked on one side of the centerline of the boat, had its windshield knocked out. Water rushed in and swept her son’s laptop and school books away. By chance, Carter and her son were both upstairs on the ferry. Other cars knocked into one another, but no one was injured as a result of the damage.

Once the Sealth arrived in Anacortes, Carter’s car was towed, and Washington State Ferries assisted drivers with accident reports. The noon and 1:40 p.m. sailings from Anacortes were cancelled.

“Captain Jack Santi is one of the most experienced captains in the fleet,” said Harris. “In an incident such as this, there is no one better to have had in the wheelhouse.”