PORT ANGELES — Tuesday, personnel loaded two Seaspan barges at the Port of Port Angeles’ Terminal 3 with wood chips provided by Interfor.
The process began at 8 a.m. Tuesday morning and finished at about 4 a.m. Wednesday morning, at which time the barges were taken under tow to the Catalyst pulp and paper mill in Crofton, B.C.
Tuesday was a fairly nervous time in the waters near the Brownsville Marina between Keyport and Bainbridge Island.
It was there that a former military training mine was discovered floating in the water. Explosive disposal experts detonated the mine in the early evening.
It was later determined that the mine was a training device placed in the water in 2005 as part of a training exercise; apparently all of the training devices had not recovered.
Cable Innovator moored to the Port of Port Angeles’ Terminal 1 on Aug. 24; she will be here for about 30 days.
The vessel is typically moored in Victoria and has a contract with numerous fiber optic cable companies whose cables criss-cross the Pacific from the West Coast to Asia.
This ship maintains those fiber optic cables and the vessel and its crew must respond immediately to any repair need.
The vessel is flagged in the United Kingdom and as such must periodically leave Canadian waters to comply with that country’s immigration laws.
Additionally, the vessel competes for berthing space with the cruise ships and its crew had to move out and anchor off Ogden Point. However, they find Port Angeles far more suitable and comfortable for their needs.
The next couple of weeks on the North Olympic Peninsula will certainly have enough maritime activity to satisfy the sailor in all of us.
Next weekend is the annual Wood Boat Festival in Port Townsend. Over 300 boats will be on display on land and in the water, numerous maritime vendors will be exhibiting their products and there will be demonstrations and seminars galore from understanding the weather in the Pacific Northwest to the care and feeding of the magnetic compass.
Of course this is a kid-friendly event with more than a handful of opportunities for small ones to get involved in one way or another with some aspect of boating.
To volunteer, call 360-385-3628 x124 and speak with the volunteer coordinator.
On September 15, the Sequim Bay Yacht Club will sponsor the 26th Annual Reach and Row for Hospice Race.
The event, which raises funds for respite care for family members of Volunteer Hospice of Clallam County (VHOCC) patients, is held on Sequim Bay.
John Wayne Marina on Sequim Bay will be the perfect place to watch the friendly competition.
The rowing competition will start at 9 a.m. and wrap up by 11 a.m.
The sailboat races are scheduled to begin at noon and will conclude around 4 p.m.