HYANNIS – Hy-Line Cruises is getting ready to introduce a new vessel to its high-speed ferry fleet.
The Grey Lady IV is currently at the Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding Facility in Somerset. The vessel will undergo sea trials this week and then will be delivered to Hy-Line in a couple weeks.
Hy-line staff will spend a short time with the ferry, getting acquainted with its operations, before it goes into service. The boat will run exclusively between Hyannis and Nantucket.
The ferry is replacing Hy-Line’s traditional slow ferry, Great Point, which carried up to 800 passengers.
“We have already moved to an all high-speed service model, so we still own the vessel, it’s for sale currently, but we no longer have it in service,” said Hy-Line Cruises Vice President Murray Scudder.
Hy-Line officials held a christening ceremony for the ferry on July 6.
The first Grey Lady ferry was built in 1995, the second was in 1997, and the third was in 2003.
Three of those are still in service by Hy-Line but the original Grey Lady is now operating in the Great Lakes.
The Grey Lady IV is a 46 meter, 493 passenger high-speed ferry that is equipped with five passenger restrooms, LCD TVs, three snack bars and increased passenger and luggage capacity.
Scudder said the decision to have an all high-speed ferry fleet was easy.
“There’s a lot of commuter travel back and forth to the islands, contractors, and time is of the essence for many of these travelers,” said Scudder. “It’s just the way of transportation and marine transportation, particularly for longer runs such as Hyannis to Nantucket, 20 plus miles.”
By JUSTIN SAUNDERS, CapeCod.com Newscenter
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