Kalakala Gunning For Coleman Dock

Yesterday's paper had a mention of Seattlest's favorite boat (see the dramatization to the right from Seattlest's early months in 2005). At least it was our favorite boat before we had to give it up to Tacomaist. The Kalakala made the paper yesterday after its owner sent some email to a number of preservation groups in Seattle outlining his plan to get the ferry back to Seattle within three years. His target slip? Coleman Dock. Aim high, Steve Rodrigues. The back-to-Seattle plan seems to indicate that all is not smooth sailing down south despite his application to Tacoma’s Landmarks Preservation Commission.

From the Tacoma News Tribune:

At an Oct. 12 meeting, Rodrigues told the commission he envisioned the Thea Foss Waterway as the Kalakala’s permanent home. In an interview after that meeting, he told The News Tribune he saw the ship being used as a floating museum, a venue for weddings and possibly a restaurant.

“There is synergy here,” he said at the time. “It is the right community. Tacoma has what Seattle does not.”

The commission went on to recommend the ferry be listed on the state register, and the Washington State Advisory Council on Historic Preservation voted in January to place it on its list of historic places. That move virtually guarantees the vessel’s acceptance on the national register.

What is it with the guys who end up in possession of the Kalakala that makes them so willing to piss off everyone that's helped them? You'd think that Rodrigues would show a little more gratitude to Tacoma and the Foss Waterway for putting up with his albatross (and it is looking uglier than ever, btw) The last thing they want to hear down there is that he's looking for a Seattle slip again, and Coleman Dock of all places sounds like a bit of a long shot. We'd make a joke about a more unlikely resting place for the Kalakala in Seattle, but we can't think of any.