Sound Ferries Back on Schedule

The regular, published schedules are:

Cedar Island to Ocracoke: 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 6:30pm

Ocracoke to Cedar Island: 7:30am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 9pm

Swan Quarter to Ocracoke: 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4:30pm

Ocracoke to Swan Quarter: 7am, 9:30am, 12:45pm, 3:45pm

Original story from July 28th:

Some runs cancelled; here's the current schedule "until further notice."

Don't be as surprised as I was! I thought there was a 3:45pm boat to Swan Quarter. (The last tweet about that particular trip, dated July 22nd, said it was running.) 

I usually rely on the NCDOT Ferry Division's Twitter feed, but learn from my mistakes, and don't assume anything. Call ahead! For sound ferries: 252-928-1665; for Hatteras Inlet ferries: 252-986-2353. 

The M/V Cedar Island (one of the five sound class ferries) is "in the shipyard for repairs."

As of this afternoon, according to the ferry division's PIO Tim Hass, this is the schedule:

Cedar Island to Ocracoke: 7am, 10am, 4pm, and 6:30pm

Ocracoke to Cedar Island: 7:30am, 1pm, 4pm, and 9pm

Swan Quarter to Ocracoke: 10am, 1pm, 4:30pm

Ocracoke to Swan Quarter: 7am, 9:30am, and 12:45pm  

(The published 2016 schedule on the NCDOT's websitesays there is a 1pm boat from Cedar Island to Ocracoke, and a 10am boat from Ocracoke to Cedar Island. Also, there was a 7am boat from Swan Quarter to Ocracoke, and a 3:45pm boat from Ocracoke to Swan Quarter. Those have all been cancelled until further notice.)

It's good to note that the NC General Assembly recently passed a budget that includes $4 million per year to replace the old boats on the existing routes. But considering that Ferry Division Director Ed Goodwin told me that a new sound class ferry costs $18 million, we'd better hope they can get the Cedar Island up and running soon! 

The next public meeting with ferry division officials is August 8th at 1pm at the Ocracoke Community Center. See you there!