At South Ferry, due to reduced demand, there will be no late boats on weekends until further notice, Chief Operations Officer Nicholas Morehead said Monday.
This means the last boat daily from Shelter Island will depart at 11:45PM; the last boat from North Haven will depart at 11:50PM.
Ferry crews, Morehead said, are seeing an impact from social distancing measures, including the state’s stay home order that went into effect Monday.
“It’s definitely reduced,” he said of overall demand for ferry service. “It’s a little quieter than it should be at the end of March.”
As an essential service, both the South Ferry and North Ferry are operating, but with modifications.
South Ferry, Morehead said, but will be running just two boats, “which constitutes a slightly reduced service mode.”
North Ferry
The first and last boats at North Ferry will continue as scheduled without modification, said Stella Lagudis, general manager of the Shelter Island Heights Property Owners Corporation, which owns the North Ferry.
The first North Ferry boat departs Shelter Island at 5AM; the last boat at 11:45PM. The last boat to Shelter Island from Greenport departs at midnight.
“What we have opted to do instead is to scale back a bit during the day (non-peak) so the boats will be available a little less frequently due to lower travel volume,” Lagudis said in an email Monday. “This is most important to assist with a reduction in contact between folks.”
Special COVID-19 Protocols
Both ferry companies instituted special COVID-19 protocols last week. You can read about them in this Gazette post.
But many residents have been asking about how to buy discount tickets now that the offices are closed. The companies, whose tickets are not interchangeable, are asking Shelter Islanders to mail in requests in order to reduce interaction with the public.
South Ferry
At South Ferry, 20 one-way trip passes for $65 are available by mail only. Send a check or credit card information with a self-addressed stamped envelope to: South Ferry, PO Box 2024, Shelter Island NY 11964. They’ll send your pass back by mail.
If you are buying with a credit card, include the cardholder’s name, card number, the expiration date, security code and zip code.
For updates, check southferry.com, or visit the company’s Facebook page.
North Ferry
At North Ferry, resident discount tickets are also available by mail. Please send a check with a self-addressed stamped envelope to: North Ferry, PO Box 589, Shelter Island Heights, NY 11965.
Options are $58 for a book of 10 round-trip tickets (must originate on Shelter Island) or $54 for a book of 10 one-way fares. You can order as many as four books per household per week.
For updates, check northferry.com.
