A bigger boat isn’t quelling residents’ frustration over the new provider’s public ferry service between Hilton Head and Daufuskie Islands, and Beaufort County isn’t considering a different provider, according to spokesperson Hannah Nichols.
The new provider, Lowcountry Ferry, started using the Manatee II, an excursion vessel, instead of a catamaran on Dec. 31. Daufuskie Island residents say the boat change isn’t nearly enough to address their concerns over increased fees and longer travel times, a lack of heating, and little space for groceries and supplies they need to sustain life on the remote island.
For Daufuskie Island residents who don’t have access to a private boat or live outside Haig Point, the private community that held the old contract for seven years, the public ferry is the only way on and off the island.
Residents are lobbying for Beaufort County to terminate the contract, which it is able to do if Lowcountry Ferry isn’t meeting the scope of work. But the service met standards, even with the previously smaller boat, according to Interim County Administrator John Robinson in a January interview. The Beaufort County Council member who represents the island, Mark Lawson said “At this time, Lowcountry Ferry has our full support” in a Feb. 1 email to Daufuskie Island residents obtained by the Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette.