Captain says wind gust caused ferry accident

BREMERTON – The captain of the state ferry Yakima says he was trying to maneuver into the Bremerton dock when a gust of wind scraped the vessel along a concrete breakwater.

Ferry spokeswoman Marta Coursey said the scrape runs three-fourths the length of the hull, and there are three cracks.

The ferry system and Coast Guard are investigating the accident at 1:50 a.m. Friday that left only one boat in service on the Seattle-Bremerton route.

The Coast Guard said the ferry will need to be dry-docked for repairs and inspected by the Coast Guard before it returns to service.

While the 144-car Yakima is undergoing repairs, Coursey said, the ferry system is making some moves to maintain two-boat service this weekend between Bremerton and Seattle and looking at adding passenger-only service on Monday until another replacement can be brought in.