Friends of Kalakala rally to its side

Just when it seems as though Seattle's famed "flying bird" ferry is about to be pushed out of its nest, people are answering its desperate "kalakala" for help.

This time, City Councilman Nick Licata has weighed in to help Seattle's Depression-era icon out of a bind after city building inspectors said it must find a new home.

The non-profit foundation overseeing restoration of the Kalakala -- Chinook jargon for "flying bird," replicating the sound of wild geese overhead -- was notified Sept. 20 that the vessel pokes 50 feet too far into Ship Canal navigation lanes. It faces $75-a-day fines if it isn't moved.

"I think the city would be remiss in its duties if we let the Kalakala slip away," Licata said, echoing the sentiments of hundreds of Kalakala volunteers, donors and other fans.

He called the old boat " a cultural treasure," and said the city should make it easier, not harder, for the Kalakala Foundation to restore it.

Licata said he hopes the parks department, which is overseeing a new maritime heritage museum and park at the south end of Lake Union, can find room there.

Allowing the Kalakala to remain where it is might involve altering municipal shoreline codes.

But that might be in vain if the boat still violates federal navigation laws. The vessel is in a zone where variances are not allowed, the Department of Construction and Land Use said.

When the Kalakala finally finds a home, the foundation might be able to apply for neighborhood matching grants through community councils; they can go as high as $100,000, Licata said.

Moving is a severe blow to the Kalakala Foundation, which is working hard to acquire donations to come up with $700,000 to get the boat into drydock for hull repairs.

The corroded 1935 vessel, once billed as the world's first streamlined ferry, attracted hundreds of volunteers, donors and admiring fans when it was rescued and towed 1,700 miles from a mudflat in Kodiak, Alaska, two years ago.

It evokes memories of the days before the Space Needle, when it, Mount Rainier and the Smith Tower were Seattle's most recognized symbols.

Kalakala volunteer George Bigley recently found a 1941 Saturday Evening Post touting the boat as "The biggest ferry story since Noah."

The boat plied the waters between Seattle and Bremerton, and from Port Angeles to Victoria, B.C., from 1935 to 1967. It had become a fish processing plant mired in the mud when Peter Bevis, a Fremont sculptor, saw it on a fishing trip and began rescue efforts in 1988.

Bevis, now president of the foundation, said he hopes one day to see the vessel restored and tied up as a floating museum or community center near the state ferry terminal.

Bevis said the foundation has fielded dozens of offers of advice -- and a few of financial help -- since the Post-Intelligencer reported the Kalakala's current woes on Saturday.

Some callers were miffed that a San Francisco group has talked about acquiring the Seattle boat for ferry museum there. Other suggestions included reflagging the vessel in Antigua as a way to skirt U.S. regulations, to towing it to Puget Sound Navy Shipyard in Bremerton where sailors could work on it as a hobby.