Vandemere Candidate for Unique ‘Passenger-Only’ Ferry to Ocracoke

Feasibility study highlights waterfront town as excellent departure point

By car or van, a trip from Raleigh to Ocracoke would require a commute time of 5.5 to 6.5 hours. As seen in Figure 1, motorists can head east through Manteo and then south to the Hatteras Ferry Terminal for the quickest commute time (an estimated 5 hours 37 minutes), assuming that they will be able to get on the first ferry boarding from Hatteras to Ocracoke.

For a similar commute time (5:38), a traveler can go east to Plymouth and then head south until boarding the Swan Quarter Ferry. A traveler can also head southeast through Morehead City and then board the Cedar Island Ferry (an estimated commute time of 6 hours and 14 minutes). With most workdays ending from 3-5pm on Friday, a commute time of 5-6 hours is often prohibitive for those desiring a weekend getaway to Ocracoke.

If a passenger-only ferry route were available in Vandemere,, as seen in Figure 2, a weekend getaway would become possible. It is anticipated that the trip to Ocracoke for these commuters could be reduced to 3.5 to 4.5 hours (2.5 hours by car, where it is securely parked in Vandemere; then just over one-hour to cross Pamlico Sound by passenger-only ferry).

Passenger Ferry Feasibility Study

 

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