Early April Fool's Joke Goes Horribly Wrong

As the sun broke over the Cascade Mountains on a frigid Monday morning, the crew of the 328-foot ferry Kitsap made good on a plan hatched at December's Crew Christmas Party to have a hearty laugh at the expense of long-time Cabin Steward Carla Pontiac, blasting a recording of the "abandon ship" alarm in the crew break-room while Pontiac enjoyed her morning snack during the 6:20 a.m. Bremerton-to-Seattle crossing.

"She was just sitting there like she always did, relaxing over a bag of  Funyuns and an Arizona Iced Tea," said Car Deck Supervisor Earl Beckman. "Me, Sue and Ricky recorded the klaxon siren last night and turned it on right behind her with my Sony," explained Beckman, barely containing his laughter amid fits of coughing. "Then ol' Carla jumped up like a jack-rabbit, put on the vest like we was trained to do and went head first into the wake behind the boat. Who knew? The look on her face as we motored away was priceless!"

Despite the 41-degree water, stunned passengers reported that Pontiac was visible for "a good 8 minutes" bobbing at the surface and, according to Beckman, posed for the photo below. Pontiac has not been located yet, but Beckman expressed confidence in his colleague's well-being.

"She's always been a resilient old horse," said Beckman. "We'll all have a good  laugh about this tomorrow."