A view of the pastureland along one edge of the Elizabeth Islands is not the typical ferry ride to Martha’s Vineyard, unless you are a passenger on the Ava Pearl Fast Ferry.
Starting at Quonset Point in New Kingstown, R.I., the ferry then cruises under the Newport Bridge and into open water. Buzzards Bay awaits and the Vineyard Sound, before docking in Oak Bluffs.
“It’s a little bit shorter to go through Quicks Hole,” said mate Tony Bessinger. “It gives us a little bit longer of protected water with the Sound. Plus the Elizabeth Islands are pretty.”
“One of them has cows,” said captain Jordan Ryan.
“They go in the water on hot days,” added Mr. Bessinger.
Last Saturday was not quite hot enough to see a cow swim. As the boat passed Nashawena Island, the cattle grazed on the beach with just their hooves in the water. They were enjoying a meal of seaweed.
When the ferry cruised around Cuttyhunk into the open ocean, a light south wind did not give the 106-foot boat much trouble.
“Ninety-nine per cent of the time, the ride is like this,” Mr. Ryan said. But, depending on wind direction, swell and other sea conditions, “it can be bumpy for a while.”
The catamaran has less of a drag than the conventional ferries boats and can cruise up to 40 miles per hour. On average, the trip from Oak Bluffs to Quonset takes a little more than an hour and a half.
That’s the same amount of time it takes just to drive from Rhode Island to Woods Hole (on a good day), said owner Charlie Donadio, which is the reason he began the fast ferry route 11 years ago.
“Time is money for tourists in the summer. You don’t want to spend half of the day traveling,” he said.
Michelle Seideman from Westport, Conn., agreed.
She and her family parked at Quonset Point to take the fast ferry to the Island for vacation.
“I don’t want to fight the Cape traffic,” Mrs. Seideman said. “And I’d rather be on a boat than in a car.”
And for Islanders heading to the mainland, Quonset point has shuttle service to the T.F. Green Airport in Providence, R.I., and the Amtrak train.
The new catamaran, built just last year, has a capacity of 240 seats. Mr. Donadio chooses to only sell 150 tickets for each trip, though, to leave plenty of leg room and space between passengers.
“It’s like a private jet verses a subway train that is packed with people,” Mr. Donadio said. “Customers realize they are going to spend a few extra dollars but they are paying to save time.”
Mr. Bessinger said he has worked on boats, from yachts to racing boats, for 35 years and this is his job of preference.
In the pilot’s house he happily talks maritime — about seasickness, riding to Bermuda in 54 hours, and how the Plum Island lighthouse survived a hurricane. At the same time, he keeps an eye on the electronic chart blotter and map that show a little red boat (the ferry) chugging along a thick red line (the course).
“We are going a mile every two minutes,” he said. “It would take a boat like the Steamship [SSA ferry] three times as long.”
Mr. Ryan said he used to drive large car ferries to Block Island, but said it’s a privilege to drive a boat this huge, this fast.
“And it’s kind of a big deal to have 150 people downstairs, sitting there eating and drinking, not worried about anything because they trust that we are going to get them where they need to go,” Mr. Bessinger said.
“Passengers that come out to the Vineyard, they are coming out for a vacation. They are happy. Especially the people coming from New York,” he joked. “They are really happy.”
Round trip tickets for the Ava Pearl high-speed ferry are $79 for adults and $56 for children age four and older. Tickets for children under age four are $22. For a complete schedule and tickets, visit vineyardfastferry.com.
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