Baby on Board: Woman gives birth on Washington State ferry

SAN JUAN COUNTY, Wash. — Passengers aboard a Washington State ferry were happy to hear their delays were warranted and perhaps even joyous after a baby was born on their ship Tuesday afternoon.

KIRO 7 spoke to passenger Tom Tripp, who was on the ferry for the excitement.

The boat, named Samish, was set for Anacortes when it was stopped leaving Lopez Island around 3:45 p.m. According to Tripp, the ferry came to an abrupt stop just off the Lopez pier. Tripp thought perhaps they were stopping at Lopez and giving way to another ferry.

After several minutes, an announcement over the PA system asked if anyone aboard had any medical training and was willing to help with an emergency.

“It’s that kind of announcement on a ship or a plane that you don’t want to hear,” said Tripp.

After asking again over the PA for any medics just a few minutes later, ferry crews then went silent for about 40 minutes.

Tripp says he later heard that inside the cabin, the crew had shut the internal doors, isolating the amidship section where they were treating the patient. The captain by then had slowly inched the ferry up to the dock, where EMTs were able to board.

After nearly an hour had passed, a crew member got on the PA and said something to the effect of “Well, we have an update for you, and (pause) it’s a baby boy!”

Tripp says that universal cheering and applause broke out across the ferry, and it seemed as though everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“Not only was it not bad news, but exceptionally good news. Grumbling about schedule disruptions and wrecked plans just sort of evaporated and shortly thereafter we got underway again and continued on to Anacortes, where the expectant couple had been heading,” said Tripp.

Tom Tripp and his partner Lisa were visiting the Seattle area from their home just outside of Portland, Maine. Coincidentally, they came out to Washington mainly to see their new granddaughter for the first time.

“New baby stuff everywhere I go now, I guess, " Tripp says.

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