By Micah True

A private ferry hit a reef near Eldred Rock Monday night.

The 64-foot Fjordland, owned by Alaska Fjord lines, struck a charted rock near the maritime landmark while returning to Haines from Juneau around 7:30 p.m. carrying about 45 passengers. There were no injuries, and the boat returned to Haines under its own power, despite a pair of five-inch long cracks in the hull.

Passenger Joy Walker, a tourist from Texas, said the boat had steered in close to Eldred Rock to give passengers a look at a pair of bald eagles. "(The captain) had just said something about there was a rock under the water and he was going to have to pull out. Just after he said that, we hit (the rock)."

Passengers experienced the collision in the form of a jolt and two noises, apparently the sound of two gashes being carved into the boat’s hull.

"There were two sounds, not very far apart, like boom…boom. Kind of like if you ran your car into a wall at (low speed)," said Doris Walker, Joy’s daughter.

The pair was sitting down when the boat hit the rock, but said the jolt wasn’t strong enough to knock anyone down. "I don’t think anyone who was standing up fell down," Joy Walker said.

Passengers stood and began moving around after the impact, Joy Walker said. "A lot of them looked a little panicky," she said.

But curiosity overcame fear when it became clear the boat was in no immediate danger of sinking, Doris Walker said. "After they sort of reassured us, we really didn’t think we were going to sink right then." Passengers took pictures and used video cameras to capture the rest of the voyage.

Fjordland crew members radioed the Coast Guard at 7:45, several minutes after the boat’s starboard side hit the rock, damaging its propeller, rudder, propeller shaft and propeller strut, owner Glen Jacobson said.

The Coast Guard radioed instructions to the Fjordland, Joy Walker said. "The Coast Guard told us to get out the life vests and put them on."

"That was scary," added Doris Walker.

The cracks in the hull let water into one of the boat’s five watertight compartments. Doris Walker said the boat’s captain, Gary Jacobson, told passengers the boat could stay afloat with three compartments flooded.

Crew from the Coast Guard buoy tender Maple arrived on scene with two pumps to help stabilize the boat, said Lt. Gary Koehler, who was in Haines Tuesday investigating the incident.

The company’s daily service to Juneau is suspended until repairs can be made, hopefully within two weeks, Glen Jacobson said.

The accident is under investigation by the Coast Guard. Investigators Tuesday inspected damage to the ship and interviewed crew members.

The boat was docked in Haines by 9 p.m., about an hour and a half after the collision.

The Alaska state ferry Malaspina, which also was in the area, stood by to offer assistance, along with the cruise ship Spirit of ’98.

The Fjordland’s passengers stayed on board throughout the ordeal, Koehler said. "They remained on board until it got to the dock." The boat returned to Haines using its port engine only.

Koehler said the crew of the Fjordland "handled things very competently." Aside from the captain, the only other crew member on board was deck hand Gale Murray. Gary Jacobson declined comment this week.

Doris Walker said she after the initial fright, she felt safe in the crew’s hands. "I think the crew was definitely trying to keep us informed. I guess we weren’t really in any immediate danger."

Glen Jacobson said he hopes to have the boat back in service within two weeks. He’ll drive it to Sitka to have repairs made.

Jacobson has been in the small ferry business 12 years. He was in Seattle when the accident happened. "First time I’ve ever left my business," he said.