Cross Sound Ferry - Orient Point (NY) to New London (CT)

[@Geek_Chorus]

Wow, does this bring up memories. My parents divorced when I was 11, I stayed with dad on LI my sister went with my mother to RI. For years almost every Friday after school my dad would drive nearly 2 hrs to Orient Pt so I could catch the Ferry to New London where my mom would pick me up drive back to RI and then I'd take the ferry back to LI on Sunday night. It honestly got pretty grueling but looking back I appreciate their efforts so much more now. Before smartphones it was quite a nice bit of "reflecting time" for a kid. Those "times at sea" my walkman on, just staring out at the blackness, breathing in that crisp air, if I was REALLY lucky I'd get to travel on the bigger ferries that had snack bars (best "homemade" burgers ever!) one even had a tiny room with two Arcade games in it!! I really miss those trips now. Thanks for this!

[@TravelwithMark]

I'm glad I could generate some nice memories for you!

[@anthonyponzo7390]

Great Video! I was an OS on the Mary Ellen for 3 years.. those pins on the bow visor are actually there to support the weight of the visor when it is fully lifted. Basically, when you raise the visor, you fully raise it, put the pins in, and then lower the weight onto the pins. So in your video, when you see him take the pins out, what he actually did is raise the weight off the pins and then remove them.

[@TravelwithMark]

Thanks for the details!

[@jakefranklin89]

Very cool video, I did quite a bit of welding and fabrication on this ship and others at Thames Shipyard up the river. That’s where they go to be repaired during the winter after running all year.

[@TravelwithMark]

Thanks Jacob. I thought they ran all year round.

[@jakefranklin89]

@@TravelwithMark Haha, the ferry owners would love that. Unfortunately these vessels take a massive beating and are in a quite a state of disrepair when they come back to the yard. The sea spray/salt water alone can eat holes right through the ship’s railing, deck and other exposed components. The diesel engines powering the ships must often be torn down and rebuilt anew. Mussels and other marine life clinging to the hull beneath the waterline can clog up intake valves. Say a prayer for the poor souls who have to power wash all that junk off in the dry dock!

[@TravelwithMark]

@@jakefranklin89 I imagine they’d take quite a beating, but didn’t realize it’d be quite so bad. Do they run all year though? Even in today’s temperature?

[@jakefranklin89]

@@TravelwithMark I believe they run year-round, but they scale back operations significantly in the winter because the only people traveling to Block Island etc are people who live there-much less tourism. The other ships go to Thames for repairs.

[@stevecarroll6760]

Thanks for the video, trying to convince my kids that this is far better than driving through the city to get to Stony Brook. I want to show them that it’s steady as a rock.

[@TravelwithMark]

It’ll be fine. Big boat, pretty steady in all but the roughest seas

[@kingglobe515]

Nice video, very insightful. Thank for posting this. Just one note: he didn’t forget to pull out the lugs, he needs to tension the chains in order to loosen the lugs so that he can pull them out. He did it correctly :) thank you again for your video, you have portrayed the experience very nicely.

[@TravelwithMark]

Hi, thanks @King Globe. Yes, you’re correct, my bad. Someone else pointed that out to me as well. I feel wiser 😀

[@coburnbatman]

That used to be the old Grand Republic that used to sail from Port Jeff to Bridgeport...if anyone didn't know. God I miss that vessel. I was fortunate enough to be apart of both the P.T. Barnum and the new Grand Republic christening

[@TravelwithMark]

@CoburnBatman thanks for the info. I hope to do a video on that ferry shortly. Stay tuned!

[@sxymike12]

I just heard Port Jeff Ferry is going to be replacing the park City, I sure hope Cross Sound buys it. I rode one of the 2 into Port Jeff during a blizzard with my family and relatives during a blizzard and the boar was rocking so bad we couldnt stand up and things were flying across the room. I was afraid to ride the ferry after that one.

[@TravelwithMark]

Wow, sounds pretty scary. Not sure I'd enjoy that

[@oliverjohn5566]

Omg I love this video thank you so much for it!

[@TravelwithMark]

You're so welcome!

[@maryannehickey2741]

Nice choice of music

[@TravelwithMark]

Thankyou

[@MikeJr9284]

I remember my parents and I riding this ferry when I was 11.

[@TravelwithMark]

I don't think it's changed much Mike

[@eddiebatter]

I need to try the Cross Sound Ferry. I’ve only taken the Bridgeport Port Jefferson ferry to Long Island.

[@TravelwithMark]

I preferred the CSF, but it's a long way out there to Orient Point!

[@elmacron19]

How long does it take from point a to point b? Amazon video by the way.

[@TravelwithMark]

On the vehicle ferry it is about 1 hour and 20 minutes.

[@CYBERTUO]

Great video, but your choice of music could be better. I almost got a migraine listening to your music.

[@Bills_Bicycle_Rides]

He didnt forget the plugs, he took the weight off the plugs first so he could pull them out and lower the bow...

[@TravelwithMark]

Yes, as noted in the comments. Thanks for the info.

[@Bills_Bicycle_Rides]

@TravelwithMark common sense, man...

[@michaelkotula6727]

One star- Did not accurately portray how windy it is.

[@TravelwithMark]

Actually @Michael Kotula, it wasn’t windy that day at all. Quite chilly, but not windy at all. Check out the outside scenes on departure.

[@subhashgaikwad3942]

Grt