The planned route map for the Rainforest Islands Ferry line, a private ferry and shuttle service that will connect Petersburg, Wrangell and Prince of Wales Island starting June 14. The roundabout system will link up with other available networks, such as the AMHS, Inter-Island Ferry and upriver charters.
While the threat of service reductions looms over the Alaska Marine Highway System as the Legislature devises its budget, starting this summer travelers will at least have another option to hop between islands in the area. The North End Ferry Authority (NEFA) in Coffman Cove is starting up Rainforest Islands Ferry, a three-stop service between Wrangell, Petersburg and Prince of Wales Island.
Beginning June 14, the ferry's new public passenger-vehicle service will connect stops at Coffman Cove, Wrangell, and South Mitkof four days a week. From spring through autumn the service will run daily loops, stopping in four days a week.
A 65-foot landing craft purchased from a Haines lumber company is being repurposed down in La Conner, Wash., and when completed will be named Rainforest Islander. Completion has been set for May 29.
"They're on schedule," NEFA manager Kent Miller said. A delivery skipper has already been contracted to bring the craft back within ten days.
"We initially planned to convert a U.S. Gulf crew support vessel," Miller explained, capable of transporting 14 cars and 70 passengers. The vessel had been purchased in 2012 using funds from a $3 million Department of Agriculture loan. However, bids came in too high to make the financing work and the boat was resold.
He explained the newly completed Rainforest Islander will be a leaner vessel, capable of carrying 28 passengers, six cars and two motorcycles along with pallets and assorted totes. It will consist of a crew of two or three and will be more economical on fuel.
The ferry is planned to feature an observation deck, recliner lounge and coffee shop seating and will offer a food and beverage service.
Miller said tickets will range from $25 to $45-or $110 for round-trip-and $65 to $115 for vehicles. In addition to baggage service for passengers, the ferry will also transport parcels throughout its service area.
"It will give residents of Prince of Wales, Wrangell and Petersburg a chance to use local services directly connected between the three communities," said Miller.
Miller explained the ferry service will be facilitated by the recent completion and paving of highways connecting the ports of Coffman Cove and South Mitkof. The Rainforest Islands Ferry network will use launch points instead of ferry terminals, and new Ford Transit passenger wagons will drive local loops to convey people into or from town at the three locations.
The mini-coach service will connect with ferry arrivals and departures on both Prince of Wales Island and Mitkof Island, enabling highway transits by ferry passengers without vehicles, including passengers with carry-on kayaks and canoes.
After the summer season, winter service will be maintained three days a week, which he explained will help accommodate school groups and other out-of-season travelers.
"That's one element of the traffic," he said. "The other is traffic by the visitors. Especially appealing to visitors is the opportunity of loop trips."
Starting in Ketchikan in the south or from Juneau in the north, travelers through southern-Southeast can utilize a combination of Alaska Marine Highway System and Rainforest Island Ferry routes to visit the region's communities without retracing one's steps.
"What we hope to do is provide opportunities for people with kayaks and canoes to go to and from the waters where they want to paddle without taking their car," Miller explained.
Rainforest Islands Ferry will have its office in Coffman Cove set up by the end of next week, and Miller said it plans to begin an advertising campaign shortly.
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