The MV Kalakala

It was early morning, mid-August several years ago. The sun was shining, but the air was cool. Both Mike and I wore thick, cotton sweatshirts over our tank tops. We stopped for hot, black coffee to warm our bellies before launching our nine-foot, inflatable Sevylor boat onto Lake Union – at the edge of downtown Seattle. It was a sporty boat that we pitched onto the top of our truck, strapped down with bungee cords and put in water every chance we got.

Mike had installed a wooden motor mount and a little electric motor on that Sevylor and we cruised different lakes with two batteries sitting on the sturdy, wooden floor of the boat – yes, the sturdy, wooden floor – we had a hardwood floor in the nine-foot inflatable Sevylor. He also made a little “house” for the two batteries. We would hook up one battery and putt, putt, putt until the battery went dead. Then we would change to battery number two and turn the boat around because we knew we had one battery’s worth of power left to get us back to the launch.

We would also pack a lunch in a small cooler with cold drinks. Sometimes lemonade and sometimes beer. We set the cooler on top of the battery house to leave leg room for the both of us. I would bring the Sunday edition of the Seattle Times, sunglasses, and huggies to keep our drinks cold. It was perfect!

So on that early morning in mid-August several years ago we set out to investigate Lake Union. And our major objective was to see the Kalakala up close and personal. If you don’t know about her, the Kalakala is a retired Washington State ferry once known for her “unique streamlined superstructure, art deco styling and luxurious amenities.” We never saw her in her prime. We saw her in her retirement – years after her luxurious amenities had been put to bed. In fact, she didn’t look very good at all. But she had quite a history and Wiki provides a good recap.


The Kalakala featured in National Geographic Magazine, 1938.

I cannot explain the intense desire we had to putter around her for at least an hour, looking at the rust and corrosion, and wondering what she looked like “in her day.” I remember thinking she was reminiscent of an aged movie star who had seen better days, but still attracted devoted fans. When we had our fill of poking around and taking pictures of the ole gal, we tied up to the her and ate our lunch. Soon enough we pulled off our thick, cotton sweatshirts, stretched out, and took a nap.

When we awoke we said farewell to the Kalakala and went on our way…