Ferryboat Damage Worse Than Expected; New Resume Target Is Thursday

ST. CROIX — The QE IV ferryboat that recently started daily service between St. Croix and St. Thomas, did not get back on schedule today as previously targeted because the damage to the ferryboat was worse than expected, Warren Mosler, the boat’s owner said in a Facebook post just before 11:00 a.m. today.

“Damage worse than expected, additional parts will be shipped Monday, arrive Wednesday and installed Wednesday night. Targeting operations resuming Thursday,” reads the post.

The setback could not come at a worse time for the ferryboat operation or St. Croix residents who were hoping to travel between the islands on the ferry during the V.I. Carnival activities — one of the peaks of inter-island travel during the year — which comes to a close on April 29. If the ferry does come back online on Thursday, St. Croix residents would have already missed most of the Village activities and more than half all of J’ouvert Morning, which begins at 4:00 a.m. and ends between 10:00 a.m.  and 11:00 a.m. The ferryboat leaves the Gallows Bay dock at 7:00 a.m. and takes two hours to arrive in St. Thomas.

The QE IV was knocked off schedule on Wednesday after a drive unit hit a rock while departing the Green Cay marina on Croix on Wednesday, according to Mr. Mosler. At the time, the ferryboat was docked there awaiting parts, with Mr. Mosler stating that he had ordered the needed parts weeks in advance, but they hadn’t arrived as of Wednesday.

The ferryboat has received positive reviews, with passengers lauding the vessel’s ride. Residents, in turn, have responded by rewarding the ferryboat with their dollars; Mr. Mosler recently told this reporter that the QE IV was completely booked, which could be partly a result of the carnival season in St. Thomas, as St. Croix residents make their way to the territory’s capital for the festive events, and because of the ferry’s cheaper fare: $50 one-way.

After a successful man-overboard demonstration earlier this month, the QE IV made its maiden voyage from St. Croix to Thomas. “[It’s] absolutely wonderful. Couldn’t be happier for everybody that’s been involved with it for this amount of time and the patience of the V.I. community, and Mr. Molser and his crew have been outstanding,” said Jeffery Bisson, vice president of Gold Coast Yachts—builder of the ferryboat—in an interview with The Consortium on April 3.

Since then, the QE IV had been traveling back and forth between the islands, with residents territory-wide showing high interest in the ferryboat.