You trundle down Route 5 long enough in James County, VA, and you’ll hit the James River – a broad expanse of water where some of the very first colonists made their home in the once and future United States 400 years ago at the appropriately-named Jamestown nearby.
However, the highway doesn’t end here – it can’t, frankly, for it picks up on the other side of the river outside Surry, VA, about five miles downstream. To connect those two disparate highway halves is where the ferries come in – the only 24/7 ferry system operating in the Commonwealth of Virginia today.
I take my family on the Jamestown-Scotland ferry several times a year (so-called because the ferry departs from the Jamestown and Scotland Wharf pier on the Surry side of the river, hence the use of the name ‘Scotland’ in its title) but the four craft plying their trade down here aren’t built for joyrides. Operated by a staff of 90 from the Virginia Department of Transportation (which has run the ferry system since 1945), these low, flat, bulky water craft form a critical commuter and freight link over the James River, shuttling tractor-trailers, contractors, and everyday folks going from home to job and back again every day.
Four ferries navigate the 15-minute run over the James River: the Pocahontas, built in 1995, which carries 70 cars; the Surry, built in 1979, which carries 50 cars; the Williamsburg, built in 1983, which carries 50 cars; and the Virginia, built in 1936 and still running strong, handles just 28 cars.
While it’s surely a scenic trip – the seagulls effortlessly tracking the wakes of the big ships, as the river slowly undulates away from the bows – security is tight. In 2004, new, security measures went into effect, resulting in armed guards patrolling both docks, carefully screening cars and trucks to prevent dangerous substances and devices from boarding the ferry – all in accordance with the Maritime Transportation Security Act, These measures include checking picture IDs of the driver and passengers, plus comprehensive inspections of vehicles, including under the hood, trunk and undercarriage, along with cargo trailers.
Ah, but it’s done with professionalism and class, with the guards patiently explaining the procedures to those who ask, making sure delays are kept to a minimum. They wave at the kids and are very polite to one and all, staying civil and courteous in spite of the serious nature of their work.
Like big trucks, the ferries wade back and forth on their route, with the skilled helmsmen docking them so expertly that they bump the dock with barely a tremor or ripplein the water. The ramps raise up to link with the dock, and then we file off slowly, winding our ways – freight carriers and tourists alike – to our various destinations. Until another day and another trip across the river.
February 5th, 2008 @ 11:55 pm
I take the ferry twice a day and although the random tourist might enjoy the ferry as mentioned above, I have a slightly different view point. Whenever I am stopped by security, it always happens about three times in a row (ie going to work, returning home, and the next morning), then there is a 2-3 week period where I don’t get a second glance. When I am stopped, I have NEVER been asked for a photo ID, and have NEVER had under my hood checked. The undercarriage is checked, yet there is no “comprehensive inspection” of the vehicle or the trunk, unless “comprehensive inspections” means “quickly glancing in the car and briefly looking in the trunk.” Security only looks in the trunk, but doesn’t move anything around. I’ve tested this by having several boxes in the trunk with a blanket over them. Security never moves the blanket, or asks me to. They simply peak in the trunk and continue the walk around of the car. Instead of my empty boxes, who knows what items could be hiding under that blanket. In addition, for the most part the officers will wait for a car to drive to them before stopping to check it. With at least a 20 minute wait between the ferries, there is no reason why they can’t walk down the row instead of waiting til the load process to check cars, delaying the ferry. Note this happens mostly on the Williamsburg side, as the Surry side sometimes walks down the line of cars. In my opinion, the ferry security puts on a good show, but is actually more of a hinderance to the transportation grid than it is useful.