April 13, 2007 – People expecting to take the ferry to or from Cruz Bay to downtown Charlotte Amalie were in for a surprise this week. Public Services Commission Director Keithley Joseph said that because Transportation Services' ferries were not working, the company did not make any of its runs.
"Someone missed their flight because of it," Joseph said Friday.
Transportation Services and Varlack Ventures alternate weeks on the downtown run. Delrise Varlack, manager at Varlack Ventures, said service on the downtown route stopped Sunday.
Ferries are still making the trip between Cruz Bay and Red Hook. This route is also shared by Transportation Services and Varlack Ventures.
Varlack said all three of Transportation Services' boats are down. She said Varlack Venture's three boats remain operational.
She said that Transportation Services had help initially from the British Virgin Islands ferry company, Native Son, but that company has boat problems of its own and can no longer help Transportation Services.
Varlack said Varlack Ventures can't manage both the Cruz Bay–Red Hook and the Cruz Bay–Charlotte Amalie runs alone because the boats must be periodically taken out of service for routine maintenance.
"Next week, my aim is to maintain the Cruz Bay to Red Hook run," she said.
This means that unless Transportation Services gets its boats running, travelers will have to make do with the Cruz Bay to Red Hook ferry.
Transportation Services Manager Kenrick Augustus did not return several phone calls requesting comment.
Joseph said he received no notice from the company that it had a problem. "I need it in writing," he said.
He said he learned about the problem Tuesday from a would-be passenger.
Transportation Services also didn't issue any news releases on the matter. Instead, passengers discovered that there was no downtown service from a sign posted at the ticket booth in Cruz Bay.
St. John Administrator Leona Smith said she just learned Friday afternoon that the downtown ferry was not running when she called to check on the schedule. She said she was planning to use the downtown boat for a trip to St. Thomas.
"They should at least do a press release. They've got to have more customer service," Smith said.
Varlack said taxi associations were notified of the problem so they would not drop off passengers at the waterfront for the downtown ferry.
St. Thomas resident Dr. Elizabeth Masiello said she was at the Cruz Bay ferry dock this week waiting for the boat to Red Hook when she encountered a group of tourists who planned to take the downtown boat.
She said that while they were able to get on the Red Hook boat, the fact that they'd have to take a taxi across St. Thomas to Cyril E. King Airport rather than a short hop from the Charlotte Amalie waterfront to the airport increased their cost.
Joseph said he understands from Augustus that the company is trying to line up another company to make its scheduled runs.
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