Beating out nearly a hundred others making their pitch for federal transportation money to the office of U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, the port was notified last Thursday that the senator will recommend it receive a $1 million appropriation “for the acquisition of a vessel to establish high-speed passenger-only ferry service between Port Townsend and downtown Seattle.”

Congress and the President still have to approve it, reminded port Executive Director Larry Crockett this week, “so it’s hardly a done deal. But we’re hopeful.”

And what are the port’s odds of actually getting the money?

“Eighty percent,” said Jim Pivarnik, the port’s deputy director. “So there’s a 20 percent chance this could all blow up.”

Three other North Olympic Peninsula proposals also received preliminary nods from the senator: Jefferson Transit for vehicle replacement; Clallam Transit for maintenance facility improvement, and Elwha Valley for road improvements.

The Jefferson Transit is in line for $400,000. Again, though, said Pivarnik, actual awarding of the appropriation has yet to receive final approval.

Congressional and presidential decisions aren’t expected until mid-November, said Pivarnik. If they approve, there remains much to consider before a ferry purchase can be made, he said.

“We want one that is at least a 69-passenger boat,” said the deputy director. “We want one that is no bigger than 85 feet, because it won’t fit in this marina if it’s over 85 feet. And we want one that’s under 30 feet wide, because we have to be able to haul it out in our yard, and we can’t haul a boat wider than 30 feet.”

The port actually has had a boat in mind for some months: the used Chilkat Express out of Alaska. It appears to fit the bill in most every respect, too, including a price of around $700,000. But it may not be available anymore.

“Someone has put a down payment on it,” said Pivarnik. “I don’t know any of the details, but it’s very possible that boat is off the table.”

It’s probably just as well, said the deputy director, because this way the port can make sure it finds out what the community wants before committing to anything.

“A lot of people have said they don’t want a boat that will consume a lot of fuel,” said Pivarnik. “Well, OK; that’s fine – but there’s a cost to that in time. Is two hours to Seattle adequate, or do you really want to do it in an hour?

“The Chill Cat will do it in an hour, but the slower boats can do it in two hours. So that might be good and it might be bad.”

Recognizing the latter gets easier as speed increases, assured Pivarnik. “You’ve got to understand the passage between Seattle and Port Townsend can be brutal,” he said. “You come around Point No Point and you see five or six knots of chop. You can’t go fast in that.”

“It’ll just tear the boat apart,” said Crockett.

“So 20 knots is about all you’re going to do,” said Pivarnik. “So we need to have something that’s reliable.”

Another thing about the million-dollar appropriation, reminded Crockett, is that it’s for capital projects only and can’t be used for operational purposes. If the money comes it can be used only to purchase the ferry and pay for its initial servicing.

“So the boat will not be operated by the port,” said Pivarnik. “I can’t pay a captain. I can’t pay a crew.”

“We’ll go out and get bid proposals, just like we do for any other project,” said Crockett.

“And I’d like to do that sooner than later,” rejoined Pivarnik. “I think the next step for the port would be – and of course we’ve got to get commission approval to do this – would be to go out for a request proposal. Because I think it would be important for the operator that we choose to help us select the right boat. I don’t want to select a boat in a void and then have an operator say, ‘Well, that boat won’t work.’

The timetable, assuming the federal grant comes through? “If light speed happened and all the pieces fit into place,” said Pivarnik, “I can’t imagine us having the boat on the water and operating till next summer.”