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In 1927, the Key Transit Company in San Francisco builds the ferry Peralta, whose hull was later used to build the Kalakala. A unique feature of the ferry is built-in trimming tanks located at each end of the vessel. When passengers congregated on the bow during docking, the aft tanks could be filled with water, thereby keeping the vessel on an even keel. At her launch, the Peralta got stuck on the ways – the shipyard launching ramp. Many seafarers consider this a jinx.

Sources:

Mary S. Kline and G. A. Bayless, Ferryboats: A Legend on Puget Sound (Seattle: Bayless Books, 1983), 229-247.

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