Island weathers the ice age
Undeterred by ice, North Ferry boats managed Monday morning to pull into berths smoothly.
With temperatures Monday morning hovering in the low 20s and wind chills making it feel like 6 degrees below zero, ferries continue to ply the waters between the North and South forks, cutting through ice to reach their destinations.South Ferry waters were open this morning. But that wasn’t the case for North Ferry, where boats had to make their way through ice on the Shelter Island side.
But bad news could be on the horizon, according to South Ferry president and CEO Cliff Clark. His crew has already weathered a difficult time last week when one boat had to push another through the ice to get both back to the Shelter Island side.
Many may think last winter was the worst because of storm after storm, but temperatures were not as low for as long a period of time as they have been this year, Mr. Clark said, calling it the coldest winter he recalls in 25 years.
Both he and North Ferry General Manager Bridg Hunt praised their crews for the efforts they have been making to keep the boats clear of ice and snow and keep service running.
“We have a great team here and everybody’s rising to the challenge,” Mr. Hunt said.
Ice covering the harbor between Greenport and Shelter Island seems to grow daily as frigid temperatures persist.
During the major blizzard that began the streak of bad weather, Mr. Clark said Mike Mundy and Brendan Olinkiewicz began work at 6 p.m. that night and worked for 12 straight hours to clear the boats of snow and ensure they would be ready to run the following morning.
Both ferry services running through most of this February freeze have boats that can make it through the ice, Mr. Clark said.
Had it not been for the larger boats North Ferry had purchased, ferry service would have been stopped a lot this month, Mr. Hunt said.
The work may be more demanding during a month like this, but there’s no reward in terms of profits for the companies.
“The traffic is off,” Mr. Hunt said, explaining that fewer people are visiting the Island or leaving the Island in frigid cold weather.
What’s more, once potential visitors realize how cold it is, they not only cancel plans for a single weekend, but tend to stay away until temperatures warm and more businesses are open, Mr. Clark said.
What’s the hope for a turnaround ?
Fog. That’s what Mr. Clark said would melt the ice quickly.
“Pray for fog,” Mr. Clark said.
