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June 29, 2006
"In
every respect, hovercraft are superior to all other boating
technology." With these words, Kurt Peterson, CEO of the
Florida-based Atlas Hovercraft, attempted to convince the
Long Island Sound Ferry Coalition of the advantages of the
vessels he manufactures. During his presentation to the
Ferry Coalition at their meeting on June 13, Peterson
extolled the virtues of hovercraft and appeared to generate
some interest among Coalition members. At present, all Long
Island Sound ferry boats are conventional vessels.
According to Peterson, his presentation
was meant to raise awareness about the increasing use and
various applications of hovercraft, a mode of transportation
that was highly touted in the 1960s and 1970s but has lost
some of its allure since then. Peterson believes that
hovercraft are beginning to make a resurgence in commercial
and recreational boating. "It's the right time for this," he
said.
In the past, Peterson explained,
hovercraft use had been problematic because the vessels were
difficult to control and made a lot of noise. But recent
design changes introduced by Atlas, as well as the
integration of state-of-the-art components from technology
giants such as Siemens and Caterpillar, have made hovercraft
much quieter, more fuel-efficient and "super-maneuverable,"
he said.
"Hovercraft were originally made using
aircraft technology, which is why they were so noisy and
hard to maneuver," Peterson said. "We stripped away all of
the aircraft parts and built a new design from scratch."
Because they are supported by a cushion of air and float on
the water's surface, hovercraft are also more
environmentally friendly than conventional vessels. "There
is nothing underwater to hurt marine life and there is a
very low wake wash," Peterson asserted. "And because our
boats are made from a composite material, they won't rust or
corrode. We build them for longevity. When you start looking
at your longterm goals for your craft, we are a tremendous
value."
Peterson mentioned that hovercraft, in
particular those made by Atlas, are garnering interest
across the United States for their commercial,
pleasure-boating and military uses. Atlas is presently
partnering with Hovering Around Long Island, a water taxi
service based in East Islip. The approximately 35 people who gathered at
the Port Jefferson Village Hall for the meeting seemed
impressed with Peterson's presentation, peppering him with
questions about his company's manufacturing process.
Following Peterson at the podium were a
series of presenters from
New York
State transportation
bureaus. Philip Plotch of the Lower Manhattan Development
Corporation (LMDC) updated the audience about plans to
expand commuter services between Manhattan and the greater New York metropolitan area. Of particular
interest to the Coalition was his description of recently
opened ferry services from the boroughs of
New York to Yonkers in Westchester
County and Haverstraw in Rockland County. Gene Kosoy of the New York
State Department of Transportation expanded on the
development of ferry services in the
Hudson
Valley, with charts
pointing to a rising number of passengers. Both Plotch and
Kosoy said the new routes have not only carried commuters to New York but also helped energize the port
communities. "Ferry services are what attract people to
these communities as they develop," Kosoy said.
The forum differed from previous
meetings of the Ferry Coalition in that there was no
discussion of plans for a new cross-sound ferry route in
addition to the existing one from Port Jefferson to Bridgeport,
Connecticut. Talk of such a route
has ebbed in
North
Shore communities ever
since the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council
(NYMTC) released a study recommending against it last
November.
However, this does not mean that the
possibility of a new route is out of the question, said
Kevin Wolford, the NYMTC representative who managed the
study. On the
Connecticut
side of the Sound, "They're still very interested," Wolford
said. "The City of
New Haven
is interested. But on the Long Island
side, building a new ferry terminal would have more impact
on residential communities."
Another study has been commissioned to
look at ferry parking and landside access possibilities on
Long Island
and elsewhere, said Fatai Adekoya of NYMTC in the last
presentation of the meeting. Wolford hinted that this study,
set to begin in September, could illuminate potential ports
for routes from the North
Shore to
Connecticut
or to New York City.
John Murray, co-chair of the Ferry
Coalition, said he welcomed presentations from various ends
of the ferry and maritime business. The next meeting of the
Ferry Coalition will be held in Bridgeport on Tuesday, September 12 at 10:30
am.
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