Over one hundred passengers embarked on the Argosy's 77-foot Champagne Lady at Fishermen's Terminal September 18th to toast the second annual Port 101's Ship Canal tour.

It was one of four Port 101 tours. The others include Terminal 91, Harbor Island, and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

While most guests arrived early, the sun showed up just in time for the two-hour afternoon cruise, which culminated with a buffet reception on the pier. Last year's tour was by bus. This time, many were well-dressed, and some commented positively that this tour felt more upscale.

Tour organizers included representatives from the Port of Seattle and Fishermen's Terminal, Ballard Oil, Foss Marine, Pacific Fishermen, Western Towboat, and Pacific Maritime Magazine. They passed around the microphone to entertain and inform guests with historic anecdotes, positive and negative aspects of life on the docks, ongoing political tussles with the city, and the profound financial impact Fishermen's Terminal and surrounding marine businesses offer.

They estimated 10,000 jobs relate either directly or indirectly to Seattle's maritime industry, and that a large amount of Seattle's tax base comes from Fishermen's Terminal trade.

Ballard resident and passenger, Michelle Rosenthal, said she sees the Ballard area growing so fast that it risks losing touch with the important contributions made by the port area. Rosenthal is an attorney, a Ballard Chamber of Commerce board member, and chairs the Ballard Seafood Fest.

"You see a lot of condos coming in and people don't know what's happening on the water, and they need to know," she said. "The Port 101 series is a wonderful way to learn about our maritime community and industrial sector."

Guest speaker Jim Peschel of Foss shared two messages with passengers, one of hope, the other of concern. He first mentioned a positive development, Foss's new hybrid towboats.

"They will be similar to the Toyota Prius, but are diesel and electric," he said. "When they move about the port, they'll use battery power. When they have to tow a heavy load, they'll use their diesel engine for more power. This will reduce emissions."

He said proudly that his company, like the color of his fleet, is green.

But Peschel said the future is not smooth sailing because his company, and others, are desperately looking for the next generation of tug captains and other mariners. He explained, "Ballard High School offers two years of maritime-related courses. Graduates can attend the Seattle Maritime Academy in Fremont or one of the others, get their Coast Guard License, and intern with Foss. It's hard to get young people interested in the maritime world. High school kids seem to have short attention spans, and don't want to live on a tug boat 24 hours a day for two weeks at a time."

Some passengers gasped when he noted that annual salaries start at $100,000. Because the shifts are two weeks on and two weeks off, "You only work 26 weeks a year," he said. He acknowledged that women are underrepresented in the field, "but once on board, there is no gender bias," he said. "We make accommodations for them. It's like a big campout, and everyone treats everyone equally."

Switching topics, Ballard Oil's Warren Aakervik gently grabbed the mike and asked wryly, "Wouldn't it be unique if people could afford to live and work in the same area? The land around the port is getting so valuable, and expensive condos are displacing worker housing. We need affordable work force housing if new housing is being built adjacent to industrial areas."

The tour lightened up when the Champagne Lady cruised by Pacific Fishermen. General manager, Doug Dixon, announced that two prominent ships were built in his yard, Jacques Cousteau's oceanographic research ship, Calypso, and John Wayne's 136-foot pleasure yacht, the Wild Goose. Both were minesweepers built in 1942, then converted. Originally, the Calypso served the British Royal Navy, while the Wild Goose served the Royal Canadian Navy.

Aakervik pointed out the infamous Helena Star, docked at the end of his pier, which he now owns. He said it once delivered marijuana from Canada. The drug dealers got caught, and the incident became one of America's largest drug busts. While the Helena Star is for sale, he assured passengers that the booty has all been removed.

Passenger Al Hughes said he has lived on his 39-foot sailboat with his wife at Shilshole Marina for 26 years.

"My wife and I built the boat ourselves," said Hughes, who is president of Shilshole's liveaboard association. "It was one of those backyard projects that actually made it into the water, and up to Alaska."

He makes his living repairing boats.

"There is lots of work in Shilshole alone," he said. He attended the tour "to find out what the port is up to. I always like to keep my finger on the pulse here," said the Massachusetts's-born mariner.

On the Champagne Lady, area historian Dale M. Pederson was just another passenger enjoying the tour. Ordinarily he runs the show on another tour boat, the historic steam ship, Virginia V, at the south end of Lake Union. Built in 1922, the 150-passenger vessel holds special events and gives tours.

"For years it picked up farmers at 7:30 a.m., shoelaced up Colvos passage, and delivered them to Pike Place Market to sell their goods," said Pederson the steamer's senior captain. "At 3 p.m. the ship took them back home."

Nick Corning said he was drawn to the tour because of childhood memories.

"I lived on the salt water side of the canal," said Corning, of the Corning Law Firm. "Before you could drive a car, you could ride a boat. My friends and I were water rats. We'd run off to boat and swim. My dad worked in the shipyards as a pipe fitter for Marco and Foss. My parents also operated a sports fishing bait house. We'd sit in our house by the locks and wait for pleasure craft to flood through, then try to attract them to buy our live, and frozen, herring."

Corning admires those who ply their trade around the harbor, and beyond.

"Whatever money fishermen make they earn," he said of the risky profession. "They depend on the weather, fisheries, and other unknown conditions. It's like farming. They can do everything right and still go broke."

Steve Shay may be contacted at steves@robinsonnews.com