Couples panic, wedding plans sink due to flooded Seattle ferry venue
Sinking ferry disrupts Lake Union weddings
Dozens of summer weddings are in jeopardy after a 100-year-old ferry boat started taking on water. The owner suspects an electrical pump failure caused the historic Lake Union event space to sink early Monday morning.
SEATTLE - Some soon-to-be brides and grooms are in a panic as a popular venue that floats on Lake Union took on water on Monday, sinking some people’s wedding plans.
What we know:
On Monday, Seattle fire crews rushed to the scene to save the MV Skansonia, a nearly 100-year-old former ferry that started to take on water.
"It appears that there may have been an electrical failure to the pump system," said Ed Ehler one of the boat’s owners.
Ehler says it was a perfect combination of events that led to the flooding, and says they are still working to determine the exact cause.
Big picture view:
The sudden flooding left several couples scrambling for alternative options, including some with weddings scheduled for this week.
Matt Egan and Carson Drain tell FOX 13 Seattle they found out their wedding was in jeopardy as the news started to break.
"I see a little headline like, ‘Historic Washington wooden ferry boat sinking in Lake Union." "I’m like, ‘I’m getting married on a historic wooden ferry boat on Lake Union. I wonder if it’s the same one,’ and it was," said Egan.
What they're saying:
Landmark Event Co. organizes functions that take place on the Skansonia. Trevor Love, an event planner with the company, tells FOX 13 Seattle they had a gathering scheduled for the day the boat took on water.
"We’ve got eight other venues, which is very beneficial in a time like today," said Love. "Priority number one is just reaching out to everyone and saying, ‘Here is the situation, here is what we can do for you.’"
Ehler tells FOX 13 Seattle the immediate next steps involve completely pumping out the remaining water to fully assess the extent of the damage and making any needed repairs.
What's next:
It remains unclear exactly how long the historic ferry will remain out of commission, and operators cannot yet provide a definitive timeline for its reopening.
Organizers expressed optimism that the Skansonia will be back up and running sometime later this summer.
However, that is a big what-if for couples who invested a lot of money into a specific location and venue for their big day.
"As they have information, they tell us. But we're also panicking, we can't just bank on that. We have people coming, right? Like, everyone has flights booked, hotels booked. We can't get a maybe," said Drain.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle reporter AJ Janavel.