THE Passage East car ferry, a key link in developing the joint tourism potential of large coastal areas of Cos Wexford and Waterford, is to double its capacity in a few weeks' time as the high season opens.
The ferry company has acquired one of the bigger, faster vessels which operate the Tarbert Killimer crossing on the Shannon estuary. When it negotiates a 36 hour tow around the coast it will be renamed and enter service on the half mile route across the Suir estuary between Passage East in Co Waterford and Ballyhack, Co Wexford.
It will replace the Dunbrody, which has linked the two counties since 1982. The 60 foot Dunbrody was no sluggard, negotiating the channel in an average seven minutes, up to 160 times a day in peak season.
But its 148 foot replacement is twice as fast and can carry double the number of cars. It is hoped it will drastically cut the queues which have caused some problems at the morning and evening rush hour in high season.
One man who will miss the old ferry is Jim Roche, of Ballyhack, one of the two full time and two part time skippers who operate in shifts steering the vessel back and forth continuously, from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays in summer and for slightly shorter operating hours on Sundays and in winter.
Mr Roche had to become adept in operating the unusual propulsion system of the Dunbrody. Its two propellors are located near the middle of the vessel and can turn through 360 degrees, as well as rotating in the usual way. This made the vessel highly manoeuvrable but required skilled operation.
Mr Roche comes from a long line of Ballyhack ferrymen. His uncle, his grandfather, and his grandfather's brother all steered ferries across this channel.
The early ferry was simply a 12 foot timber boat, upgraded later to a 27 footer. "I often rowed across with my grandfather," says Mr Roche.
When the car ferry was introduced 15 years ago by a small local consortium, it opened new social and economic vistas for the people of south Co Wexford and east Waterford.
Mr Conor Gilligan, now operations manager of the ferry company, was himself skipper of the Dunbrody for 13 years. He recalls the huge interest the new drive on, drive off service generated on its first day. "It was mid-June and the weather was fantastic. There were queues stretching two miles on each side of the river."
In recent years the ferry has facilitated labour mobility, with workers from Co Wexford using it regularly to travel to jobs in Waterford city.
At weekends in summer, Co Wexford day trippers cross to explore the towns and villages of south Waterford, and Waterford families go the other way to seek out the quieter beaches of the Wexford coast.
The romantic aspect of even a short water crossing has always attracted tourists to follow their map references to ferries, and a network of bed and breakfast establishments and restaurants has developed on either side of the Passage East Ballyhack crossing.
The potential for further development of this kind is substantial, particularly on the Co Wexford side where the small, attractive villages and beach resorts remain largely undeveloped.
On the Co Waterford side, a dedicated development agency, Discover East Waterford, has produced a brochure and map to guide visitors to points of interest and scenic routes.
It also points to the general under development of the South East region's great resource, its major river networks.
In the Far East, such waterways are used as an extension of living and recreational space, invariably thronged with ferries, fishing boats, houseboats and small touring craft of all kinds to tempt visitors.
The future role of the Waterford Wexford ferry appears secure, as the recommended location for the second Suir bridge is upstream of the present Rice Bridge in Waterford city.
But there is considerable untapped potential for the two counties to jointly develop and market their tourism potential around their common asset, the majestic river Suir.