Lorain ferry may make stop at Cedar Point

Tuesday, 06 December 2005

By SUSANNE CERVENKA
susannecervenka@sanduskyregister.com

LORAIN - Cedar Point and the Lake Erie Islands could be the destinations of a proposed ferry service leaving from Lorain.

The Lorain Port Authority is looking to start a passenger ferry service to its shores, director Rick Novak said.

"We've been really pushing hard for it," he said.

The port authority received $600,000 in the latest federal transportation budget to purchase a vessel that would carry passengers from Lorain to Detroit.

The vessel would make stops in Sandusky and the islands. However, exact ports have not yet been determined, Novak said.

The port authority also has not determined what type of vessel it would purchase, Novak said.

However, he said it would likely be a high-speed vessel that would carry passengers going on excursion trips.

Depending on the speed of the ferry, the trip from Lorain to Sandusky would take about an hour or less with a "short jaunt" to the islands, then another hour to 1 1/2 hours to Detroit, Novak said.

The port authority is looking for alternative ways to fund the ferry service, Novak said. The vessel alone is estimated to cost about $4 million.

Officials are also still working out the total cost of the project, he said.

The long-term goal is to bring ferry service from Lorain to Canada, Novak said.

"The first goal is Cedar Point," he said.

FunCoast.com is your online guide to summer fun for Cedar Point, the LakeErie Islands and Sandusky area. Our site offers up-to-date information on area attractions, restaurants, hotels, gasoline prices, ferry schedules, swimming, birding and fishing, along with a complete listing of events happening in the Sandusky/Cedar Point area. To use our Webcam and zoom in on Cedar Point's rollercoasters, go to http://funcam.funcoast.com

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