Ferry woes

There have been several times this winter when mainland ferry service was limited due to issues with inspections and/or vessel maintenance. The latest impact is worse than usual, as there are now problems with two ferries at the same time. Here's the email I received today about the current situation.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DATE: Feb. 17, 2010
CONTACT: Lucy Wallace, (252) 473-3461

FERRY RUNS MAY BE LIMITED AT SEVERAL ROUTES THURSDAY
Ocracoke, Cedar Island and Swan Quarter routes affected

MANNS HARBOR — The North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Ferry
Division announces that runs at its Ocracoke-Cedar Island and
Ocracoke-Swan Quarter routes may be limited for several days.

The Motor Vessel Carteret must undergo a U.S. Coast Guard inspection
Thursday and will not be carrying passengers. The Motor Vessel Pamlico
is currently undergoing repairs to its engine and may not be available
to make runs. If both boats are out of operation, only one Sound Class
ferry, the MV Silver Lake, will be making runs between all three
ports.

If only one boat is operating, the following schedule will be in place:

Departing from Ocracoke at 7 a.m. to Swan Quarter;
Departing from Swan Quarter at 10 a.m. to Ocracoke;
Departing from Ocracoke at 2 p.m. to Cedar Island; and
Departing from Cedar Island at 5 p.m. to Ocracoke.


Once the MV Carteret passes its inspection and the MV Pamlico is
repaired, all routes will return to normal operating schedules.

For up-to-date information, call the reservations center or the ferry
terminal you wish to depart from. The telephone numbers are:

Reservations Center – 1-800-293-3779, Press 2
Ocracoke Operations – 1-252-928-5311
Cedar Island Operations – 1-252-225-7411
Swan Quarter Operations – 1-252-926-6401



***NCDOT***