The long-awaited return of St. Pete to Tampa ferry service across Tampa Bay hit a major milestone this week, as the first of its two ships arrived in Pinellas County. Bay Breeze, a 97-foot, 250-passenger catamaran, sailed into Tarpon Springs on Monday, where it will undergo refurbishment for its use as the Tampa Bay Ferry beginning at a yet-to-be-determined later this year.
The second vessel, Bay Clipper, is expected to arrive in Pinellas County in the coming weeks and will undergo refurbishment at the same facility. Bay Clipper is a 103-foot ship that carries around 150 passengers. Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA) announced in June that it had completed the purchase of the two vessels that will service St. Pete and Tampa as part of the upcoming year-round ferry service crossing the waters of Tampa Bay. The service will be operated by Hubbard’s Marina, and the launch date will be determined once both ships have been examined and begun preparations for passenger travel.
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Once launched, the new service has promised lower fares than the previous Cross-Bay Ferry, as well as daily transport and more frequent service thanks to the two-vessel approach. If you’ve taken the ferry across the Seven Seas Lagoon at Disney World and see its sister pass by halfway across the lake, you know the experience.
After being purchased in June, the two Pacific Northwest-based ships were loaded onto even larger ships to be transported to Florida, via the Panama Canal. After arriving in a Fort Lauderdale shipyard, they will go through refurbishment, painting, and other upgrades before sailing under their own power to Tampa Bay – a process Bay Breeze just completed.
The dock by the Tampa Convention Center will continue as the Tampa home for the ferry service, while officials are still finalizing where the St. Pete dock will be located. No launch date has yet been decided, with officials waiting to assess the boats upon their arrival in Florida.
A $4.8 million federal grant funded the “purchase and shipping of the vessels, the nationwide vessel search, mechanical inspections and sea trials, and the refurbishment needed to prepare the boats for passenger service.” Once operational, PSTA and Hubbard’s Marina will jointly oversee operations.
“This milestone reflects the Board’s commitment to expanding transportation choices throughout Tampa Bay,” said Tom Reid, Vice-Chairperson of the PSTA Board of Directors and Vice Mayor of South Pasadena. “By investing in a permanent, two-vessel fleet, we’re building a more reliable service that will better connect our communities for years to come. It’s rewarding to see this project moving from concept to reality.”
