Delayed by coronavirus concerns, the Ocracoke-Hatteras passenger ferry debuts Friday
The Ocracoke Express, the state-run passenger ferry between Hatteras and Ocracoke islands, will make its inaugural run for the summer season on Friday, in time for July Fourth weekend.
The N.C. Department of Transportation had decided in April not to operate the passenger-only ferry this summer because of concerns about the spread of the coronavirus. NCDOT officials reasoned that it would be difficult to contain a virus on a boat that can carry up to 149 vacationers.
But the General Assembly directed NCDOT to operate the ferry this summer anyway through not one but two bills approved late last month. The bills contained almost identical language providing $1.15 million for NCDOT to lease and operate the ferry through Labor Day.
Gov. Roy Cooper signed one of the bills, Senate Bill 750, into law on Tuesday.
Anticipating that move, NCDOT had arranged for the boat, the M/V Martha’s Vineyard Express, to begin making its way down from New Jersey where its owner, Seastreak Marine, is based. NCDOT rented the catamaran-style boat last summer and operated it as the Ocracoke Express, which carried more than 28,600 people in its inaugural season.
The ferry will have made its test runs and passed Coast Guard inspection in time for a morning trip from Hatteras to Ocracoke Village on Friday, said NCDOT spokesman Jamie Kritzer.
To allay concerns about coronavirus, the boat will be cleaned and disinfected between trips, and passengers will be strongly urged to wear masks and remain 6 feet away from people they aren’t traveling with. To make that easier, the ferry will carry no more than 96 passengers for the time being, Kritzer said.
“We will reassess that capacity in the coming weeks to see if we can adjust that,” he said. “But our priority is the safety of the passengers and crew.”
The Ocracoke Express makes three round-trips a day, leaving from the Hatteras ferry terminal at 9:30 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. and returning from the dock at Silver Lake in Ocracoke at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. The trip takes about 70 minutes one way.
A round-trip ticket is $10, with children 3 and under riding free. There’s a $2 round-trip fee per bicycle as well. Hyde County operates a free tram to shuttle visitors around Ocracoke Village, and private vendors offer golf carts and bicycles for rent.
The car ferry between Hatteras and Ocracoke is free and takes about 60 minutes. But during the busy summer months, drivers often have to wait two to three hours for a spot on a car ferry. For more information or to make a reservation on the Ocracoke Express, go to www.ncferry.org or call 1-800-BY-FERRY.
