It was almost standing room only Tuesday morning as the Sicamous Ferry was anchors aweigh on an official tour of its daily run.
The ferry first set sail on July 2, with the bigger permanent boat currently being used hitting the water on July 24. Since then, the pilot project has been making waves among the community and visitors, generating a lot of positive feedback, with users already lining up for it at 9 a.m. Tuesday morning, Aug. 5, and a second group waiting when it returned to the boat launch.
“I think the ridership is almost double what we originally expected. It’s a convenient, safe and fun way to get over to the rail trail,” Sicamous Ferry Society director Ali Watson said.
She added the service is funded through sponsorship and donations, and is free to users with "just a smile" needed to board.
The ferry runs from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily, and cruises back and forth from the Martin Street boat launch to the rail trail and Beach Park as needed, with no set sailing schedule. Designated ferry phones are provided so users can text the captain from the Beach Park to be picked up, whereas across at the rail trail they can generally see people waiting.
It will run until mid-September this year, depending on the weather and usage, and start up again next spring. While the ferry was established to provide rail trail and beach access during construction of the Bruhn Bridge, the society would like to see the service continue even after its completion.
“It’s really going to depend on a bunch of factors – community engagement, community support, community funding... but so far, things are looking really, really great," Watson said. "We’ve surpassed all of our goals and dreams as far as what we expected to be able to offer this year. So we’re going into the next season with optimism.”
Fellow society director Richard Anderson agreed, adding if the support continues, so too will the service.
“It’s a pilot project, but if there’s support from the community, we’d love to keep it. We just wanted to see how this would work, and if it’s successful, we’ll hopefully keep doing it," he said. "It’s been surprising how positive the response has been. It's a shuttle, but it's not a bus... it's unique."
More information on the ferry and its rules and regulations can be found online at exploresicamous.ca/sicamous-ferry-society.
