What will it take to have a dependable ferry service?
The scheduling between St. Thomas and Tortola is unreliable and frustrating, and it totally lacks the coordination necessary to make scheduled flights leaving or arriving from St. Thomas.
Tourism is a mainstay for the Virgin Islands government and its people. Without it, the economy of this territory would suffer greatly. If the ferry connections continue to delay, frustrate and basically ignore the necessity of proper scheduling, tourists will go elsewhere. It is difficult enough to travel today. The added stress of reaching one’s destination and depending on a posted/printed ferry schedule, only to find out it has been cancelled, is unacceptable.
On Feb. 14, the scheduled 2:30 p.m. ferry from St. Thomas to West End was cancelled. Several travellers were once again left sitting in the terminal to be cattled over on a later ferry.
To say the situation on that vessel was dangerous is an understatement. The ferry was obviously over-boarded by passengers. Exit signs were blocked by luggage, and life preservers were missing under several seats. (An announcement indicating that life vests were under all seats was a false statement).
Do we need a Costa Concordia catastrophe to bring this matter to the attention of the VI government?
Airlines arriving in St. Thomas in the late afternoon, with passengers heading for Tortola, indeed mandate the need for a 6 p.m. ferry.
I urge the government, the BVI Tourist Board, anyone travelling on the ferries, and, most of all, the ferry owners to work towards correcting and establishing a safe and dependable ferry schedule.