June 25, 2007 — The beleaguered ferry route between Cruz Bay, St. John, and downtown Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas, should be back to its regular schedule Tuesday, according to Transportation Services Manager Kenrick Augustus.
"We're cleaning up and getting ready to go," he said late Monday. A Transportation Services boat was nearing the end of its U.S. Coast Guard Inspection and should be back in service Tuesday, Augustus said.
Transportation Services shares the downtown route with Varlack Ventures. Last week, Varlack Ventures announced it would begin running Monday, leaving Cruz Bay at times that differed from the usual schedule. The boat was scheduled to depart Cruz Bay for the Charlotte Amalie waterfront at 7:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., and the Charlotte Amalie waterfront at 9 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
Varlack Ventures Manager Delrise Varlack was off island and could not be reached for comment.
Once Transportation Services starts running regularly, the normal schedule will be in place, Augustus said. The boats will depart Cruz Bay at 7:15 a.m., 9:15 a.m. 11:15 a.m., 1:15 p.m., 2:15 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. They are scheduled to leave the Charlotte Amalie waterfront at 9 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m., 4 p.m. and 5:30 p.m.
Until he's sure the Cruz Bay-to-Charlotte Amalie routes are running at 100-percent reliability, Augustus said, anyone planning to take the ferry from Cruz Bay to Charlotte Amalie should arrive in time for the hourly Red Hook ferry to make sure they don't get stuck on the dock. He suggested that passengers ask the ticket seller if the downtown ferry is running.
The ferry service to downtown Charlotte Amalie has been erratic for several months as the ferry companies struggled with boat maintenance and other issues.
Back Talk Share your reaction to this news with other Source readers. Please include headline, your name and city and state/country or island where you reside.
