My son and his wife boarded a ferry in St. Thomas bound for St. John several years ago. The ferry left the dock and rammed a barge after traveling about 300 yards. This in the middle of the day with unlimited visibility. Could there have been some substance abuse involved? Could be.

Bob Brownie

: I have lost count of the number of ferry boats that have run
: aground here. Each one has something in common- hitting a
: well-known, well-marked reef. Once again we have the Royal Miss
: Belmar high aground on Steven's Cay with 98 passengers and 4
: crew aboard last night around 10 PM. Good grief. Now you see why
: I am so worried when I paddle. There is one and only one reason
: a ferry would hit Steven's Cay, and that is just not paying
: attention. Period.

: Last night was the final night of Carnival on St. John, and I'm
: sure the boat was making a special run to carry the extra guests
: to and from St. Thomas and St. John. It will be interesting to
: see the toxicology results. Usually the boat, which we call the
: "Vomit Comet" runs between St. Thomas and St. Croix,
: about 35 miles each way.

: Here's a pic of the Miss Belmar at dock just so you can see how big
: she is.

:
: http://virginislandsdailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1077648!/image/2021672611.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_490/2021672611.jpg

: Your only hope in a kayak would be that you went between the two
: hulls! By the way, I have always pondered the way this boat sits
: so low in the back. Perhaps they did an engine swap and didn't
: account for the added weight? It doesn't really look right,
: especially when the waterline is very visibly askew! It isn't
: foreshortening of the image from the camera. The boat sits
: extremely low in the back.

: Here is the story so far:

:
: http://www.virginislandsnewsonline.com/news/coast-guard-and-good-samaritan-crew-rescue-102-people-from-grounded-usvi-ferry