The Cape May-Lewes Ferry and Delaware River and Bay Authority have been conducting public information sessions regarding the future of the ferry fleet. They describe a plan of phasing in new hybrid ferries that will be powered by diesel fuel oil and electric batteries. Purportedly, this will lead to better fuel efficiency and some improvement in environmental impact.
Unfortunately, they report these new ferries will be smaller than the current ones, reducing capacity from 100 cars to 75 cars, and from 800 passengers to 400. That's a sharp reduction. The length of the ferry will obviously be smaller. They say a key reason for the planned boat shrinkage (besides fuel efficiency and environmental concerns) is the current ferry runs well below capacity in the winter months.
My concern is that shrinking the ferry boat size will lead to a much less comfortable ride on the days the winds are kicking up. While the ride on the current vessels is often wonderful, I know from experience as a not infrequent rider that on the windier days the experience in the center of the bay is almost unacceptably rocky and uncomfortable. I can recall a few times when sitting inside the main cabin that the boat would rock so sharply you would look out the window on one side and be looking seemingly straight down into the water and look out the window on the opposite side and be looking seemingly straight up in the air. And then it would reverse. I can only imagine what it will be like on the new, smaller vessels, especially in the winter months when the likelihood of a rougher ride seems greater.
We also repeatedly read that rougher weather conditions will continue to grow in the coming years as global warming impacts coastal areas. This doesn't sound like a future that will be friendly to smaller ferry boats. Seems to me we should be making them more robust.
I am also perplexed by their rationale that shrinking the boat size is needed because the ferries are not utilized so much in the off-season. By their own admission, they have stated that in 2023, following years of increasing ridership, the ferry is having the best year ever. That comes as no surprise since we can all see with our own eyes that the year-round and part-time population of southern Delaware has been exploding in recent years. I must believe that this has contributed at least in part to the reported increased ridership. So why smaller ferries? Seems to me we are moving in the opposite direction of what is prudent.
It would be wonderful if the Delaware River and Bay Authority would reevaluate its plan for smaller ferries to ensure in the coming decades that riders have a comfortable ride year-round.
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