News from Patrick Flynn

A newly-constituted Assembly Port committee held its first meeting on Tuesday, May 18.  Prior to that, there were three stories in the local paper discussing the subject:

• The first, which ran on May 10, provided an overview of last month’s work session.
• The second, which ran on May 18, focused on the growth of the “Port MacKenzie” shoal (not my description – that came from someone who knows Cook Inlet hydrology far better than me).
• The third, which also ran on May 18, describes the immediate problem faced by TOTE that attracted my attention back in April.

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On a quiet afternoon last month – I think it was a Sunday – I happened to take a look at Knik Arm and noticed one of Totem Ocean Trailer Express‘ steamships departing the Port of Anchorage more than a little bit early.  To explain a bit, two steamship companies (Horizon Lines and the aforementioned TOTE) have ships that sail from Tacoma to Anchorage, typically arriving early each Sunday & Tuesday morning.  Those vessels generally depart in the evening so it struck me as odd that TOTE’s ship had cast off shortly after noon, especially since the tide looked low enough that it seemed unlikely it could clear a mid-channel shoal.

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