Port Townsend fourth-grader picks name for new class of state ferries: Kwa-di Tabil, which means 'little boat' in the Quileute language

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A Port Townsend fourth-grader came up with the name selected Friday by the state to signify the new class of 64-car ferries now under construction.

The name is: Kwa-di Tabil, (pronounced kwah DEE tah-bale) which means "little boat" in the Quileute language.

Port Townsend fourth-grader Rose Dunlap came up with the name, and it was endorsed by the class, according to teacher Scott Lundh. The fourth-grade class of Jason Lynch submitted the name Klallam, noted Mark Decker, school principal.

The Blue Heron School class actually forwarded the name with a slightly different spelling. After discussions with the Olympic Peninsula's Quileute Tribe, WSF modified it to be Kwa-di Tabil, according to Marta Coursey, Washington State Ferries communication director.

Washington State Ferries conducted a contest to name the new vessel classification.  Fourth-grade students from Chimacum, Port Townsend and Whidbey Island, who are studying Washington state history, were invited to come up with one nomination per class. Guidelines for contest entries included that the name be unique to Washington state, representative of the local community, have symbolic maritime meaning and be reflective of nature, according to a WSF press release.

The winning entry was submitted by a fourth-grade class at Blue Heron Middle School in Port Townsend.

"It's exciting news for our state's ferry commuters to know that new boats are on the way, and it's wonderful that the new class will bear a name with such rich history and meaning here in the Northwest," Gov. Chris Gregoire said in a press release. "Congratulations to the students at Blue Heron Middle School for their great suggestion and my compliments to all the students who submitted a name."

A panel of five local and state officials selected the winner: Governor Gregoire's husband Mike Gregoire, WSDOT Chief of Staff Steve Reinmuth, Coupeville Mayor Nancy Conard, Port Townsend Mayor Michelle Sandoval and WSF Port Captain Bill Michael.

Governor Gregoire intends to visit Blue Heron school this spring to present a plaque commemorating the selection.

WSF's vessels are categorized into different classifications or vessel classes. For example, the three largest ferries (Puyallup, Tacoma and Wenatchee) compose the Jumbo Mark II Vessel Class. WSF is building three, and possibly a fourth, new 64-car, or Kwa-di Tabil Class ferries, which will be in service first on the Port Townsend/Keystone route.

The first of the Kwa-di Tabil Class ferries, the Chetzemoka, is scheduled to begin service on the Port Townsend/Keystone route in late summer 2010. The name Chetzemoka was sponsored by the Jefferson County Historical Society and endorsed by others.

WSF awarded a contract in October 2009 to build the second and third Kwa-dee Tabil Class ferries, which will begin service in 2011 and 2012. The state is still deciding how to select the name for each of these two boats.

Due to construction at Keystone on Whidbey Island, vehicles longer than 30 feet are restricted from travel on the Port Townsend-Keystone route until Tuesday, Jan. 19. These larger vehicles should instead use the Edmonds-Kingston route, according to Washington State Ferries.