MUKILTEO, Wash. — Ferry passengers celebrated after an unexpected delay was announced Tuesday. What started as a scary moment for a mom-to-be ended with an additional passenger on board a ferry bound for Anacortes.
In his 26 years working with Washington State Ferries, Captain Noah Landau says he can sense when something is not right.
“I could tell something was wrong and so we weren’t going to leave until we figured it out,” Landau said.
Tuesday, just as they were about to pull away from Lopez Island due to Anacortes, word spread that a woman on board was going into labor.
“In my experience, almost always people come forth, doctors, nurses, EMTs come forth,” Landau said.
“The crew, they just knew without being told to start moving cars around to make a space for the ambulance to back down,” he continued.
But before rescue crews arrived, the baby—this baby—had already been born. Arlo Trae Mack, seven pounds one ounce, was born onboard a Washington state ferry.
The welcome news was announced on the ship's PA system.
“She said, ‘a baby boy has just been born,’ and just a loud cheer went up,” Landau added.
Believe it or not, Capitan Landau says this is the second baby to be born on board a ship while he has been in command.