Thames River water taxi starts service Friday afternoon
New London — Water taxi service on the Thames River will start Friday afternoon after the operators received an inspection certificate from the Coast Guard.
Jacalyn Dietrich, co-owner of Thames River Water Taxi LLC, said Thursday that final adjustments were being made to the vessel that will be used for the service.
The service will start at 2 p.m. and continue to operate through the July 4th holiday.
Future service announcements on the water taxi can be found at www.trwtllc.com.
The service will ferry passengers between Fort Trumbull State Park and City Pier in New London and across the river to the dock near Fort Griswold State Park in Groton.
Passengers can board the ferry at any of the three locations on its route.
Dietrich said her company still is looking to hire crew to work the Friday-Saturday-Sunday schedule through this summer.
The service will operate from 10 a.m. to 8:40 p.m.
Rides will cost $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 4 to 12 and active military members with ID. Children under age 3 will ride for free.
All-day and season passes will be available.
The water taxi service is a key component in the creation of the Thames River Heritage Park, a collection of existing historic sites on both sides of the river.
Chris Cox, chairman of the park transition team, said he hopes to be on the inaugural ride of the water taxi, whenever that happens.
The start of the ferry service also will be announced on the park’s website, www.thamesriverheritagepark.org.
The original start date of service on June 10 had to be pushed back several weeks to complete work needed on the two surplus Navy vessels being used for the service, and to meet all Coast Guard testing and safety requirements.
Only one of the two vessels will be ready initially, Dietrich said, while repairs to the second boat continue.
Regardless of when the service begins, the group working to establish the park will host a launch ceremony for the taxi service at 3 p.m. Sunday at Fort Trumbull.
The event will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Admission is free.
The ceremony also will celebrate the opening of the park, the first heritage park in the state, according to a news release from the Board of Directors of the Thames River Heritage Park Foundation.
The park will connect, via the river, Fort Trumbull and Fort Griswold and smaller museums, including the Custom House Maritime Museum, Shaw Mansion, Nathan Hale Schoolhouse, Avery-Copp House, Ebenezer Avery House and Hempsted Houses, among others.
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