How fast-acting water taxi captain saved the day after steering boat into runaway barge

SEATTLE — A runaway barge made headlines last week after windy weather sent it crashing into the Seattle waterfront. But things could have been much worse if it wasn’t for a fast-acting water taxi captain who helped slow down the barge.

Captain Dan Krehbiel spoke to KIRO 7 over the weekend, detailing how he jumped into action to steer his water taxi into the barge to slow it down.

“I knew I wasn’t going to stop it, but I knew we ought to try to divert the course of this thing and get it away from the downtown waterfront,” he recalled.

Although his small taxi was built for speed, its strength was put to the test as Krehbiel maneuvered it into the barge as it drifted toward the waterfront. This was all while he had 14 passengers on board.

When he announced that he would have to change course, the reactions were mainly enthusiastic.

“When we said that we were gonna try to divert this barge away from the waterfront, I think from downstairs I heard the word, ‘cool!’” he said.

On X, King County Metro praised Captain Krehbiel’s quick thinking.

“Capt. Dan has been with the Marine Division from the very start,” they said. “His skills and the skills of the Water Taxi crew are on display every day, and were definitely needed on that windy November day!”

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