After years of sitting idle in the shipyard, the Rainforest Islander was put back in the water last Friday, March 27. Eric Yancey, of Breakaway Adventures, purchased the ship to launch a new business, Breakaway Ferry and Freight LLC. The ship was built back in the 1990s, Yancey said, and was used for a number of different jobs across Alaska through the years. A crack in its hull put the Islander in Wrangell's shipyard around 2015, he said, and due to the high cost of repairs it stayed there. Ownership of the Islander came to the community of Coffman Cove, Yancey said, which he purchased the ship from. Yancey said once he has fully completed repairing the ship, Coast Guard paperwork, and the current COVID-19 pandemic winds down, he will begin shipping passengers, freight, and assisting Wrangell's fuel barge on a regular basis. His runs will be between Coffman Cove, Wrangell, and south Mitkof Island.
"Shipping freight around, passengers around, fuel barge, Southeast Alaska is at my disposal," Yancey said with a laugh. "I'm going to make millions, or at least 10 bucks."
The Rainforest Islander is 75-feet long by 21-feet wide. The ship is capable of carrying 28 passengers and 2 crew, he said, and has a 45,000 lb. load limit.
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