Bald Head Island residents and commuters frustrated with proposed ferry schedule change

Village Council votes to intervene

BALD HEAD ISLAND, NC (WWAY) — Residents, employees, and vistors all use the Bald Head Island Ferry to get on and off the island.

Many people who commute to the island say a new proposed ferry schedule that will operate on a 45-minute interval, instead of 30-minute one, will force them to board the ferry an hour and a half earlier, or later than they already do.  

Bald Head Island Transportation, the private company behind the ferry service, said in their schedule change proposal that the 30-minute turn-around time is not enough time to run on schedule.

On Friday, Bald Head Island Village Council voted unanimously in favor of intervening in the docket approval process for the new schedule that was sent to the North Carolina Utilities Commission. 

Several residents and island employees spoke at the meeting, including Rob O’Connor, who felt that the issue is not turnaround time, but efficiency. 

“They’ve been able to do it for the past 20 years, and it’s worked; and it might be a little longer in the summer because there’s more people; but instead of changing the hours in inconveniencing everyone on the island, just go ahead and be more efficient,” O’Connor said. 

One organization on the island that will be directly affected is Bald Head Island Academy. The academy is the only school on the island, teaching grades K-8.   

The school’s piano and music teacher Niki Cutler says that she, as well as students who live off the island will be forced to arrive at school an hour early, or an hour late.  

“The level of excellence that Bald Head Island expects comes from their employees and if they’re impacted, it will impact everybody,” Cutler said. 

As Bald Head Island Academy Co-Founder Lou Vaickus said It could mean a loss of valuable volunteers.  

“We have a lifeline of volunteers, of donors that we heavily rely on and if the volunteers are going to be asked to do even more than we’re already doing, I’m afraid that pool might dry up,” Vaickus explained. 

 Similar sentiments were echoed by Cutler. 

“It really is the only way to get back and forth to Bald Head, and that was the reason I didn’t move here 20 years ago, because there was not a school, but now there is a school, so let’s not go backwards,” Cutler said. 

Bald Head Island Transportation did not respond to our request for comment as of Friday evening.