New Dry Tortugas ferry is fast, green, comfortable

摘要

On a winter's day, the 70-mile crossing from Key West, Fla., to Dry Tortugas National Park - Sunshine State or not - can be a cool and rough one. The high-speed catamaran ferry Yankee Freedom Ⅲ is fast and, on a brisk day in January, fast was good. "With the ride control it's very comfortable for the passengers," said Capt. Rick Gauron. At a cruising speed of 28 knots, the new boat makes the crossing in two hours and 15 minutes. The 111.5-foot Yankee Freedom Ⅲ, owned by Yankee Fleet of Gloucester, Mass., was built to replace Yankee Freedom Ⅱ in order to meet updated National Park Service requirements. The new boat is on a 10-year contract as the official -and only - ferry on the Tortugas run. Both vessels were designed by the Australian firm Incat Crowther and built at Gladding-Hearn's Somerset, Mass., yard.