Record South Whidbey
INSIDE
Saying goodbye to Lulu See...A10
SATURDAY, APRIL 25, 2015 | Vol. 91, No. 32 | WWW.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.COM | 75¢
Justin Burnett / The Record
Master boat builder Brad Rice secures the bow of the folding boat he made for Bob Kertell. He’s moving to Europe and needs a boat that would fit into a 20-foot container.
Frog Prince makes debut on Lone Lake Freeland boat builder wows crowd with folding 52-footer
By JUSTIN BURNETT South Whidbey Record A maritime marvel literally unfolded before a crowd at Lone Lake this week. Gathering at the public boat launch Wednesday afternoon, about 50 people watched as Freeland boatwright Brad Rice revealed his latest creation: a 52-foot power-
boat that folds up to fit into a 20-foot shipping container. Built to ply the canals of Europe, the one-of-kind but uncompleted vessel was successfully soft-launched into the lake and made several zooming passes before the group of obviously impressed onlookers. “It’s a great piece of work,” said Frank Simpson, shaking his head in wonder. “It’s got beautiful lines.”
“A classic case of thinking outside the box,” echoed Derek Pritchard, former commodore for the South Whidbey Yacht Club. Rice, the owner of The Boatwright located on East Saratoga Road, is a master boat builder who specializes in custom wooden vessels. The craft was built for Ballard resident Bob Kertell, who is moving to Amsterdam. Its size and shape was something of a necessity,
Speaking to a crowd of Whidbey Island dignitaries, Gov. Jay Inslee touted the benefits of his proposed $12.2 billion transportation package, including ferry funding aboard the Tokitae on Wednesday during a trip between Mukilteo and Clinton. Released in December, the governor’s transportation package proposes several construction projects across the state. Of great concern to some Whidbey Island representatives was the per-
sistent threat of losing a late-night sailing between Clinton and Mukilteo. Speaking to the governor on the 2:30 p.m. Tokitae sailing, Dave Hoogerwerf, a Clinton resident and member of the Clinton Ferry Advisory Committee, reminded the governor that when sailings are lost, people aren’t able to get to their jobs or get home. He cited one woman who didn’t open her front door until midnight after reaching the ferry line in Mukilteo around 7 p.m. when the SEE GOVERNOR, A20
SEE FROG PRINCE, A13
Oops, federal funding may not cover IT gazebo bills
Inslee floats transportation funding hopes on Tokitae By BEN WATANABE South Whidbey Record
both for functionality on a canal but also the trip there. “This is as about as much boat as you can get into a 20-foot shipping container,” said Kertell during Wednesday’s launch. The vessel folds into a unrecognizable white
By JESSIE STENSLAND South Whidbey Record Ben Watanabe / The Record
Gov. Jay Inslee answers questions posed by local television crews during a trip aboard the Tokitae on April 22. The visit was part of his push for a transportation package in the biennium budget.
For critics of Island Transit, two gazebos have become a symbol of a boondoggle. The two picturesque but seldom-used structures are reminders of the lavish SEE TRANSIT, A20