USPS Publication Number 16300
T h is C om mu n i t y N ewsp a p er is a pu bl ica t ion of E sca m bia / S a n ta Rosa B a r Assoc ia t ion
Se r v i ng t he Fi r st Jud icial Ci rcu it
Section A, Page 1
Vol. 18, No. 19
Visit The Summation Weekly Online: www.summationweekly.com
May 16, 2018
1 Section, 8 Pages
One of the new catamaran ferries cruises past Fort Pickens. / National Park Service
by Will Isern The long-planned Pensacola Bay ferries will carry their first passengers from downtown Pensacola to Fort Pickens and Pensacola Beach this summer. The service had planned to start this month, but contract negotiations have pushed the start date to at least midJune. The $3.5 million project – a collaboration between the National Park Service, Escambia County and the City of Pensacola – has the potential to transform the local transportation landscape, linking by water the mainland to Escambia Island and offering thousands their first opportunity to experience the natural beauty of Pensacola’s waterways. The ferries, named Turtle Runner and Pelican Perch, have been under wraps in Pensacola for more than a year. The National Park Service had some difficulty finding a qualified company to operate the ferries, pushing back the target start date for more than a year. The Park Service is now working to finalize a contract with North Carolina-based Gulf Coast Maritime Services, Inc. to operate the ferries. The company already operates a similar ferry service at Cape Lookout National Seashore in North Carolina. The ferries will next been taken out of dry dock and undergo inspection and sea trials by the U.S. Coast Guard. There was some public pushback when the Gulf Islands National Seashore superintendent Dan Brown announced that ticket prices to ride the ferries could be as much as $20 per person. Many complained that such prices would be too expensive for families. Brown however said that the ferry operator will likely have discounts for groups, and may implement an annual pass system similar to that at Fort Pickens, where locals can pay just $40 a year for an annual pass, as opposed to the $20 daily entrance fee. “We fully expect that the greater percent of passengers are going to be those folks who are coming here on vacation, they’re staying in a hotel, they have a vacation budget and after they sunburn themselves on the beach, they’re looking for other things to do,” Brown said. “People who live
FERRIES to debut this summer here locally are going to see the packages and they’re not going to pay those daily prices. If you live locally and want to ride it regularly, you’re going to take advantage of one of the packages.” The ferries will run daily from midMay to mid-August and on weekends in the shoulder seasons. The ferries are dual-hulled catamarans, which Brown said provide a very stable and comfortable ride at roughly 12 knots. Each ferry is capable of carrying 150 passengers, and will operate in opposing directions. A ferry will stop at each of the three landings – Fort Pickens, Quietwater Beach, and Palafox Pier – roughly once an hour. Passengers will be free to hop on and hop off at any number of stops throughout the day that they have bought tickets. The Park Service will have rangers on board to educate riders about the habitat and wildlife found in the bay and on shore. Local leaders hope that the ferries can help alleviate some of the traffic congestion that has plagued Pensacola
Beach in recent summers.
“We want it to be successful,” Escambia County commissioner Grover Robinson said recently. “We want to do whatever we can to keep your car off the island. If we can find a way to move you from downtown to Pensacola Beach to Fort Pickens
without getting in your car, that saves us, that saves you – everybody’s happy.” For more information about the Gulf Islands National Seashore visit nps.gov/guis or Facebook.com/ GulfIslandsNPS.
Tentative Schedule Pensacola to Pensacola Beach
Pensacola Beach to Fort Pickens
Depart 9 a.m., arrive 9:40 a.m.
Depart 10 a.m., arrive 10:45 a.m.
Depart noon, arrive 12:40 p.m.
Depart 1 p.m., arrive 1:45 p.m.
Depart 3 p.m., arrive 3:40 p.m.
Depart 4 p.m., arrive 4:45 p.m.
Pensacola Beach to Pensacola
Pensacola to Fort Pickens
Depart 11 a.m., arrive 11:40 a.m.
Depart 9 a.m., arrive 9:35 a.m.
Depart 2 p.m., arrive 2:40 p.m.
Depart noon, arrive 12:35 p.m.
Depart 5 p.m., arrive 5:40 p.m.
Depart 3 p.m., arrive 3:35 p.m.
Fort Pickens to Pensacola Beach
Fort Pickens to Pensacola
Depart 10 a.m., arrive 10:45 a.m.
Depart 11 a.m., arrive 11:35 a.m.
Depart 1 p.m., arrive 1:45 p.m.
Depart 2 p.m., arrive 2:35 p.m.
Depart 4 p.m., arrive 4:45 p.m.
Depart 5 p.m., arrive 5:35 p.m.