ANNA MARIA – Making its maiden voyage for the Gulf Islands Ferry service on a cold and windy day, the Miss Anna Maria ferry boat docked at the Anna Maria City Pier at approximately 9:45 a.m. Sunday morning.
Carrying six passengers who traveled down the Manatee River from the Riverwalk Day Dock in downtown Bradenton, the Miss Anna Maria was the first Manatee County-funded Gulf Islands Ferry boat to arrive at the City Pier carrying paying passengers.
Phil Quesnel captained Miss Anna Maria, assisted by crew member Mike Pollard, and the wind and waves made docking a challenge. After three unsuccessful attempts to dock nose-first, Quesnel and Pollard decided to pull up to the pier with the port side of the boat parallel to the landing area at the T-end of the pier.
Eight-year-old Marlon Haoui was the first passenger off the ferry, accompanied by his parents, Bryan and Annslie Haoui, and their friend, Holly Mayotte.
When asked how it felt to be the first ferry passenger to set foot on the pier, Marlon said, “Good.”
When asked if it was cold on the river, he said, “Very.”
He was then asked what he planned to do in Anna Maria.
“We’re gonna go into the aquarium,” he said in reference to the Mote Marine Science Education & Outreach Center located on the City Pier.
“And then we’re going to get breakfast,” Annslie said.
“We figured this was historic, the first ferry ride from Bradenton to the Island, so let’s be the first ones to do it. We were looking forward to it,” Bryan said.
“We bought our tickets on Friday,” Annslie said, noting that she and Mayotte are teachers at the Team Success charter school.
“It was beautiful. We went right by our homes and up the river,” Mayotte said of their morning ride.
When asked about the boating conditions, Pollard said, “It was a little rougher than we would’ve thought. We’re getting 2-3-foot swells out there. Hopefully, as the day goes on, it’ll settle down.”
Pollard said the wind, waves and other conditions determine the best way to bring the boat in to dock.
“That dictates whether you come in nose-first, port side or starboard side. Right now, it’s better to come in on the port side,” he said.
Quesnel previously captained charter boats in the Long Island, New York area.
“We’ve done this a few times as practice, but today was probably the roughest day,” he said in regard to docking at the City Pier.
Five new passengers boarded Miss Anna Maria for the first return trip from the City Pier to downtown Bradenton. Visting from Colorado, Kristen Deevy and her friends, Sue and Bob, planned to eat brunch in downtown Bradenton and explore the downtown area on foot.
According to Bradenton Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Marketing Director Kolby Gayson, 12 passengers booked passage on the Downtown Duchess for the ferry service’s second Sunday morning voyage to the City Pier.
Weather permitting, Miss Anna Maria and her sister ship, Downtown Duchess, were to continue making hourly trips between downtown Bradenton and Anna Maria until 9 p.m. To establish consistency of service, the hourly ferry trips were to be made with or without passengers onboard.
The now-active Gulf Islands Ferry service will operate Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., weather permitting. The ferry service will also travel to the Bradenton Beach Pier once some needed docking modifications are completed there.
The round-trip fare for adults 18 and older is $10 and a one-way trip is $6. The round-trip fare for seniors, active military members and youths aged 4 to 18 is $6 and a one-way trip is $4. Children 3 and younger ride free. Tickets can be purchased in advance at www.gulfcoastwatertaxi.com.
