Southport-Fort Fisher Ferry Switches to Off-Season Schedule

Residents and off-season visitors of Pleasure Island should note that the Southport-Fort Fisher Ferry will be switching over to its fall and winter schedule on Saturday, October 1st.

The Southport-Fort Fisher ferry, the only ferry that services New Hanover County, will put the seasonal change into effect tomorrow morning, with the first departure leaving Southport at 5:30 am.

While the off-season schedule won't differ very much from the peak season schedule, the Southport-Fort Fisher ferry will not be offering 10 am and 12:15 pm ferries leaving Southport, and there will be no more 10:45 am and 1 pm ferries leaving Fort Fisher during the weekdays.

The Saturday and Sunday schedules will remain the same throughout the year.

To view the entire schedule for the Southport-Fort Fisher line, as well as schedules for other ferries in the state, click here.

Changes to Southport - Fort Fisher Ferry Schedule

If you are planning a trip to Pleasure Island or Southport, NC via the Southport - Fort Fisher Ferry take note of the new schedule, effective today, March 23, 2010.

The ferry will depart from Southport at:

5:30 am	1 pm
7 am	1:45 pm
7:45 am	2:30 pm
9 am	3:15 pm
10:15 am	4 pm
11:30 am	4:45 pm
12:15 pm	6:15 pm

The ferry will depart from Ft. Fisher at:

6:15 am	1:45 pm
7:45 am	2:30 pm
9 am	3:15 pm
10:15 am	4 pm
11:30 am	4:45 pm
12:15 pm	5:30 pm
1 pm	7 pm

When vacationing at Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, or Fort Fisher a wonderful addition to your visit is a trip across the water on the Fort Fisher Ferry to spend an afternoon in historic Southport. Grab a bike from Wheel Fun Rentals and lunch to go from Surf House Cafe, both in Carolina Beach, and head South! The one way fare for the ferry is just $2 for bicycle riders.

Fort Fisher Ferry Suspends Some Southport/Fort Fisher Runs

The NC Department of Transportation’s Ferry Division suspended half the runs at the Southport-Fort Fisher Ferry route for the next several weeks.

The Motor Vessel Southport will be brought to the N.C. State Shipyard for repairs. The Division is sending the Motor Vessel Hatteras to Southport and it will be at the Cape Fear River to assist operations. Once the back-up ferry arrives in Southport, the schedule will return to normal.

In the meantime, the schedule will be as follows:

Departure times From Southport are :

• 5:30 a.m., 7:00 a.m., 8:30 a.m., 10:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m.,
• 1:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4:00 p.m., 6:15 p.m.

Departure times From Fort Fisher are:

• 6:15 a.m., 7:45 a.m., 9:15 a.m., 10:45 a.m.,
• 12:15 p.m., 1:45 p.m., 3:15 p.m., 4:45 p.m., 7:00 p.m.

For up-to-date departure times, please call the following:

• Southport terminal at 1-910-457-6942 or,
• Fort Fisher terminal at 1-910-458-3329 or,
• 1-800-293-3779 (BY-FERRY).

Fort Fisher Ferry to Re-Open Today, February 2nd

Ramp renovations for the Southport - Fort Fisher Ferry terminals are now complete and the ferry is to resume its regular schedule today, Monday, February 2nd. The first ferry was scheduled to leave Southport at 5:30 a.m.

Anyone having a Commuter Pass that was valid during December or January can have their Pass expiration date extended for two months.

Please visit the Pleasure Island Chamber of Commerce website for the Fort Fisher Ferry Schedule.

You can also find the complete schedule on the NCDOT Ferry Schedule webpage.

Fort Fisher Ferry to undergo Repairs & Maintenance

As of December 1st, 2008, the Southport - Fort Fisher Ferry will suspend it services for approximately 2 months while T.A. Loving Co. contracting company rehabilitates ramps at both ends of the route.

This will no doubt be an inconvenience to the hundreds of regular commuters who use the ferry to travel between southern New Hanover County and Brunswick County. Pleasure Island residents will have to travel north over the Snow's Cut Bridge through New Hanover County and enter Brunswick County via the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge or the Isabel Holmes Bridge during the two months of work on the ferry.

Commuters who hold annual passes will have their passes extended two months after the work is completed.

The nature of the work is routine maintenance to avoid any problems down the road. The DOT chose December and January to do the work because those are traditionally the slowest months on the Fort Fisher ferry.

Will affect your commute? Please leave a comment to let us know how you plan to work around this transportation issue.

Source: Star-News: Ferries will suspend runs

More area resources: Fort Fisher, NC