Sometimes something as routine as a ferry ride can turn into something rare and miraculous. Zoë Hammond was born two years ago on October 22 aboard the MV Puyallup as it made its 5:20 a.m. run from Bainbridge Island to Seattle.
When Christopher, Christina and 3-year-old Ava Hammond boarded the boat the morning of October 22, 2014, Christina was in labor.
"When they drove on the boat, I was informed that they were in labor and contractions were getting closer, so I pulled out a medical kit, because we're trained for this kind of thing," said 2nd Mate Scott Schrader.
Crew member George Conomos checked in with them on the car deck.
"Her husband was pretty cool and calm about everything. I looked over at her, she was doing the 'heeee heeee hooo haaahs' said Conomos.
"They went up to get breakfast. I said, 'Sure, go ahead, I'm OK' and then it started moving and they were upstairs and I thought 'Oh no, I'm not OK,'" said Christina Hammond.
"And so all of a sudden George (Conomos) calls on the radio: 'We're coming upstairs.' And I'm like, 'Oh no, this is actually happening,' " said Schrader.
For Captain Russell Fee, that's the moment the early morning commuter run to Seattle was no longer 'business as usual.'
"On the ferry we have four engines. Normally we only transit with two. So now, they're bringing her up to the first aid room, I call the engine room and say 'please give us all four engines,'" said Fee.
With the MV Puyallup speeding toward the Seattle dock as fast as possible, Captain Fee asked over the loudspeaker if there were doctors or nurses on board. So many volunteered, they had to turn some away.
"And then at one point they asked, the doctors or nurses asked if they could check to see how far along we were, and I said 'Sure let's see', and they said, 'We're having the baby on the ferry, we're having her now!' And then she was born," said Christina Hammond.
John Steinberb, a deckhand on the Seattle side remember when the ferry docked.
"We came into Seattle. I let the paramedics on, paramedics came in, they were wheeling the mother and baby Zoë off, and they said, 'It's a girl!' and I said, 'Congratulations,'" he said.
Last year, Zoë Hammond -- the ferry baby -- celebrated her first birthday with the crew who helped with her on-time arrival.
During the celebration, complete with cake, presents, and ferry shaped cookies, Baby Zoë's extended family grew by a boatload as ferry passengers joined the crew for the celebration.
"There's something about Baby Zoë, there's something about the Hammond family, that we as a crew have come to embrace. We just enjoyed them and the whole experience. It just brought us all together," Capt. Fee said.
Christopher Hammond added that he and his family "formed some probably lifelong relationships."
"Everyone there was so gracious and supporting and we're very thankful for everyone and all they did," said Christina Hammond.
And even though it was Zoë's first birthday party, her guests got the biggest gift of all, according to 2nd Mate Schrader.
"It's an awesome feeling. Because, you know, you do what you can to help people out all the time, and then something like this, it just doesn't happen very often. It's a miracle on the water. It's pretty great," he said.
