SEATTLE — When a 300-foot loose barge began drifting toward Seattle's waterfront on Thursday afternoon, King County Metro Water Taxi Captain Dan Krehbiel came to the rescue.
He remembers alerting passengers about a slight delay because "we have to divert a barge from hitting the waterfront," he said. "And I believe from downstairs, I heard somebody say 'Cool.'"
High winds were pushing the barge along Elliot Bay without tug boats to guide it on Nov. 2.
It turned into an unforgettable day out on the water for Capt. Krehbiel, who has been with King County since 2009. He has more than 30 years of experience as a high-speed vessel captain.
"You can definitely see the David-and-Goliath aspect of it. A small aluminum passenger going up against a giant steel barge and all those containers," Krehbiel said. The barge was carrying six stories of empty containers, which loomed over the small water taxi.
Krehbiel was traveling to Pier 50 from West Seattle, a routine sail, when he noticed something was out of the ordinary.
"It was one of those, 'This isn't good' situations," Krehbiel said. "And we were the only ones around to help to try and make it better."
With a two-deckhand crew and passengers on board, he jumped into action to divert the barge away from the waterfront.
"I had access to the side of it, the flat side of the barge," he said. "I knew I could get up against it and start pushing on it, without any major damage to the boat or putting anybody at serious risk."
The water taxi eventually pushed the barge north toward Pier 66. Tug boats arrived, pinning the barge to the terminal until it could be retrieved.
The water taxi was not damaged, and service was only delayed by 15 minutes. According to the barge's owner, there were also no injuries and only minor damage to the barge.
"I'm glad that we were able to be there at the right time and the right place. If it had happened at any different time we either wouldn't have been there soon enough or we would've gone passed it before it came loose. And it would've been entirely different outcome," Krehbiel said.
Krehbiel said he is grateful for how the story ended. He returns to work on Sunday.
"Once that was over it was kind of, 'Well, I'm going to have to tell my wife about this and she's making a bigger deal about it than I am.'"