RIVIERA BEACH — The on-again, off-again maiden voyage of the Cloud X, a 123-foot high-speed ferry designed to take passengers from Palm Beach to the Bahamas, could be on again now that operators have completed lengthy modifications to make the vessel meet U.S. Homeland Security requirements.
The ferry was supposed to start up a year ago, providing 367 passengers headed to Grand Bahama Island an entertaining three-hour trip with food, drinks and touch-screen gambling.
But federal mandates have kept it from sailing, said Antoine Gurrey, general manager of Party Line Cruises, the Miami-based company that owns the ferry.
For the past eight months, workers have been installing equipment and making changes to accommodate the new security guidelines.
A black box, similar to those found on airplanes to record information, was added. Also installed were two satellite-communication systems to keep the ferry in touch with the shore base and an Automatic Identification System, a radar display that identifies ships in the area.
More recently, workers modified the ferry’s reservation process. Passenger lists must be sent to Washington, where they are scanned for local or international fugitives, Gurrey said.
After a monthlong stay in Jacksonville for repairs, the Cloud X returned to the port Tuesday.
“I think it will probably be up and running in 30 days,” said Jim Ward, chief warrant officer at the Marine Safety Detachment of the Coast Guard in West Palm Beach. “That’s just my opinion.”
Ward said the vessel is “99 percent” done.
Ferry operators are scheduled to meet with the Coast Guard next week and could receive a certificate of inspection, which could clear it for sailing, Ward said.
Even if the ferry trips get under way, port officials have been cautioned not to pin their hopes on the long-term success of the venture.
Scott Lagueux of Bermello, Ajamil & Partners Inc., an architecture and engineering firm working on the port’s master plan, suggested to port officials during a presentation last week that they focus their attention on acquiring tenants — not ferries.
Ferries, he said, operate on a “slim margin” and have “spotty track records.”
His proof: The Cat, a high-speed ferry that shut down after six months.
It started shuttling South Floridians to Grand Bahama Island from Port Everglades in November.
But it stopped in May when Bahamas Florida Express, the New England-based company that owns The Cat, sent the ferry north to travel the waters in Maine and Nova Scotia.
“From my perspective, it wasn’t their full-time job,” Lagueux said.
“They didn’t put their heart into it, and it sailed at 6 percent occupancy. There’s a lot of other examples of that over the last 10 to 15 years.
“These guys at the Cloud X… I hope they get their authorization, but they’re betting against the house. They have sort of an uphill opportunity that they need to try and capitalize on.”
By Tanya Wragg, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
