Pasco port exec laughed when she boarded a ferry named Walla Walla. Then it ran aground

Mayra and Eduardo Reyna and their daughter, Danika, 16, spent a lovely day Saturday in Bremerton as guests of the Washington Youth Academy.

They’d been invited to family day by Danika’s best friend, who is a cadet at the quasi-military school.

When activities wrapped up, the Reynas departed for the Bremerton ferry dock for the return trip across Puget Sound. They planned to dine at the Crazy Crab Pot in Seattle, then drive to Bellevue, where they had a hotel reservation.

They’d drive home to the Tri-Cities on Sunday.

About 4 p.m., they boarded the Walla Walla, a 1973-built Washington state ferry.

They’d expected to take a later boat, but there was room on the Walla Walla, so they drove on. Mayra Reyna, director of real estate for the Port of Pasco, remembers noticing the name of the boat and laughing.

“We have to compete with Walla Walla for everything,” she said, referring to the Tri-Cities competition for business and jobs.

Half an hour later, the Reynas and nearly 600 other passengers found themselves adrift as the Walla Walla lost power near Bainbridge Island.

‘Brace for impact’

The hours-long misadventure began when the lights flickered twice. The captain announced there had been a problem but it was fixed. The lights returned and all seemed well.

The captain came on again. He informed passengers the aging ferry had lost propulsion and navigation. He ordered them to don life jackets and “brace for impact.”

Disbelief was the first reaction.

“Everybody thought he was joking because the power came back on,” she said.

He wasn’t. Passengers were directed to a staging area, but not told which end of the boat it was on. Half headed for the bow, half for the stern.

“You have 600 people running around like chickens,” she recalled.

Soon, everyone was wearing an orange vest and waiting for impact. At about 4:30, the ferry ran aground.

Bonfire on shoreline

The situation was confusing, but officers assured passengers there was no risk of sinking. Two tugs showed up. The Coast Guard. Helicopters were hovering. Police boats circled.

On the shore, homeowners “oozed” onto decks to watch the unfolding drama. Someone lit a bonfire.

On the boat, a therapy-dog-in-training made the rounds, comforting nervous passengers. A small group of nuns looped around the deck as well, greeting fellow passengers. One, new to Washington, told fellow passengers it was her first-ever ferry trip.

The passengers included a group of sailors, headed to a ball and dressed to the nines. The uniformed military members stepped up to aid the ferry crew.

For Mayra Reyna, the ordeal was marked by long waits and sometimes conflicting information. There were at least two medical emergencies.

A doctor on board aided the first patient. By the time a woman collapsed an hour later, medics had boarded and were able to help.

Anxious hours

Mayra Reyna said the mood was calm and even friendly at first. But around 8 p.m., the uncertainty turned to anxiety.

Ferry crew handed out food from the concession stand to mixed results. The Reynas saw passengers walk off with entire boxes of candy, unwilling to share.

“It was sad,” she said.

After five hours, the stranded passengers were transferred to Kitsap Transit ferries and returned to Bremerton. The Navy guys helped people across the gap between boats.

Mayra Reyna said her family was fortunate. She was able to book a hotel in Bremerton. Other passengers weren’t so lucky. People lined up at the desk behind her couldn’t get rooms and the clerk didn’t expect the influx.

They reached shore at 9:30 p.m., hungry and separated from their car and belongings. The ferry crew wouldn’t let passengers go to their cars unless they needed medication. Danika slipped past and retrieved a phone charger.

While Mayra checked into the hotel, Eduardo and Danika looked for a Subway or something to eat. A 7 Eleven was the only business open.

They bought premade sandwiches and the store’s last two toothbrushes.

The Walla Walla was freed around midnight and passengers were invited back at 9 a.m. Sunday to retrieve the 180 vehicles they’d left behind.

It was a chaotic scene, but Reynas eventually reclaimed their vehicle.

Nearby, another ferry was loading passengers and vehicles for a run to to Seattle. The Reynas looked at each other and said “no.”

They drove around via the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. After a stop at Cheesecake Factory, they booked it back to the Tri-Cities.

“We had no energy or will to do anything else. We just wanted to get home.”

The grounding of the Walla Walla is under investigation. Gov. Jay Inslee told the Seattle Times the state’s ferry fleet is aging and “desperately” needs new boats.

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