Passengers traveling aboard the ferry from Port Townsend to Whidbey Island got more of a ride than they bargained for when a big wave swept over the deck.

No one was injured in the incident, but several cars were damaged when they slammed into one another because of the wave.

The ferry Klickitat was between Port Townsend and Keystone when high winds and rough seas created the powerful surge.

One man who was in his van during the incident thought the ferry was going to sink.

“I was more scared than I have ever been before, and I served in the Marine Corps,” said Ralph Magdaleno of Port Orchard.

Magdaleno said he rides the Port Townsend ferry about once a week. No more.

“I will never get on that ferry again,” he said.

The crossing was rough on Tuesday, March 20, when a wave surged over the car deck from the stern.

“There were 40 knot winds during the noon crossing,” said Susan Huether Harris, spokeswoman for Washington State Ferries.

“The wave was estimated to be 6 to 10 feet high,” she said.

Magdaleno, who was siting in his Chrysler Voyager, said the water was up to his van’s side window.

“I suddenly felt a jolt and heard a big thump, and my van was moved two feet forward and into the truck in front of me,” he said.

“I started to panic because I thought that the ship was going down. A few seconds later the water started to recede,” he said.

Magdaleno said thankfully there are bars on the portholes because he was ready to abandon ship.

“I was ready to jump into the ocean,” he said.

Magdaleno said there was a second surge that soaked the inside of his van with a foot of water.

“Then I started to get out of my van and the tires on the loaded logging truck beside me started screeching, and the truck was leaning toward me. It looked like it was about to tip over and land on my van,” he said.

“I immediately jumped back into my van and started to freak out. I thought I was going to die in my van,” Magdaleno said. Then in an instant everything seemed to be OK.

His vehicle was the third car from the end of the vessel and he noticed right away it was a going to be a rough crossing.

“It started to get really windy and choppy out in the water, and I was really nervous about 15 minutes into the trip,” he said.

Magdaleno said his van was damaged when it was pushed into the car in front of him, and a car behind him was pushed under his bumper. Once ferry workers untangled the cars he was able to drive off the ferry.

A Langley woman was not so fortunate. Terri Ash was on the last leg of a 4,000-mile journey when the surge of water swept over the deck.

“I had just been down to my car to grab a warmer jacket so I could stand outside on the deck and watch the swells in the water. I just made it upstairs when the wave hit,” she said.

The power of the water pushed her Ford Focus partially under a loaded logging truck.

“My hood was dented and the protective coating that protects the catalytic converter was totally ripped off,” she said.

Magdaleno said he was amazed at the amount of damage.

“About six vehicles and the logging truck seemed to have damage to them,” he said.

Both Ash and Magdaleno were surprised at the lack of concern from the ferry staff.

“When we landed at Keystone, the ferry staff seemed anxious to get us off the ferry,” he said. “They handed us some claim forms and sent us on our way.”