Bigger boat won’t quell wave of concern from Daufuskie residents over Hilton Head ferry
A bigger boat isn’t quelling residents’ frustration over the new provider’s public ferry service between Hilton Head and Daufuskie Islands, and Beaufort County isn’t considering a different provider, according to spokesperson Hannah Nichols.
The new provider, Lowcountry Ferry, started using the Manatee II, an excursion vessel, instead of a catamaran on Dec. 31. Daufuskie Island residents say the boat change isn’t nearly enough to address their concerns over increased fees and longer travel times, a lack of heating, and little space for groceries and supplies they need to sustain life on the remote island.
For Daufuskie Island residents who don’t have access to a private boat or live outside Haig Point, the private community that held the old contract for seven years, the public ferry is the only way on and off the island.
Residents are lobbying for Beaufort County to terminate the contract, which it is able to do if Lowcountry Ferry isn’t meeting the scope of work. But the service met standards, even with the previously smaller boat, according to Interim County Administrator John Robinson in a January interview. The Beaufort County Council member who represents the island, Mark Lawson said “At this time, Lowcountry Ferry has our full support” in a Feb. 1 email to Daufuskie Island residents obtained by the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette.
Instead of terminating the contract, Nichols and Lawson said the county will work with Lowcountry Ferry to address resident concerns, but in the two weeks the ferry has been operating, residents said they don’t see much improvement.
Among the resident’s concerns is the impact on tourism. Store and restaurant owners, short term rental and tour companies worry that the extra time and cost it takes to get to Daufuskie under the new service will deter the island’s lifeblood: visitors and the tourism revenue they bring.
“It’s not just one of the economic drivers of the island, in fact virtually every business is directly impacted by vacationers and day tourists,” read a line from a letter penned to Beaufort County council from about 125 Daufuskie Island residents.
The letter is the latest effort in residents push for Beaufort County to terminate the contract with Lowcountry Ferry.
“Let us once again have a regular, reliable, and affordable ferry service,” the letter said.
