This article is from page 11 of the 2013-08-27 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 11 JPG
THE organisers behind the Ballyvaughan Bay Hop are examining the possibility of adding a number of mid-day sailings to the trial service which gets underway next Monday, September 2.
The service was officially launched on the Ballyvaughan Pier on Sunday with a family fun day presided over by the Mayor of Clare, Cllr Joe Arkins (FG).
The launch also saw the first journey undertaken across Galway Bay by the fast ferry – with passengers making it to Galway City is 28 minutes before and returning to Ballyvaughan in just 25 minutes.
“It was a really great day. Most of the village was out at the pier for the opening ceremony and the entertainment and the atmosphere was really good,” said Gwen Ryan of the Ballyvaughan Bay Hop.
“We took a number of people out on the boat around the bay before we made the journey across to Galway. Professor Kevin Leyden of the the Whitaker Institute at NUI Galway and Carol Gleeson from the Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark travelled on the first crossing along with a number of local politicians.
“I think everyone was surprised at how quickly we made it across to Galway and back again. It shows that it really will be a big benefit for people commuting to and from work each day.
“We are now looking at the possibility of adding a few extra sailings for the trial – maybe during the afternoon. These sailings would be aimed at tourists but also at people who might look at using the service to commute to work but are not in a position to try out the service at other times.”
The trial is being supported by the Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark under the TransTourism Project. The trial will be used to measure the potential social, environmental and economic impacts a marine passenger service would have on Ballyvaughan and the Burren.
The aim of Ballyvaughan Bay Hop is to establish a rural commuter fast ferry service from North Clare to Galway. Commuting on the ferry twice a day would reduce the average travel time between Ballyvaughan and Galway by more than two hours.
For more information or to buy tickets call www.ballyvaughanbayhop.com or visit www.facebook. com/ballyvaughanbayhop.