On the last crossing of the season, Captains Scudder and Ed take passengers from Brattleboro and Montreal across the cut.

Both locals and visitors were thrilled to have the Bill and Carole Hauke Bike Ferry available every weekend between July 4th and Labor Day to shuttle them across the missing link in the Colchester/South Hero causeway. See our 2010 pictures!

Although ridership was below what was hoped for, almost 3,500 riders generously gave an average of more than $8. Contributing to the financial sustainability of the ferry are generous individual donors and business sponsors, including our 2010 Underwriting Sponsor: VBT Bicycling Vacations. Other sponsors include: Earl's Cyclery & Fitness, Switchback, Old Spokes Home, Twincraft Soap, Paw Print & Mail, Marble Island Marina, Specialized, Skirack, Saba Marine, Fox Marine, the City of Burlington, and of course, the ongoing support of Bill and Carole Hauke. The enthusiastic support and dedication of time by the 120 volunteers, (including 31 City Market member workers) was also critical as it has been since the first ferry across the Winooski River in 1999. This ferry, and the development of the entire Island Line trail, is truly a community effort!

Special recognition goes out to the owners and stewards of the causeway and its' approaches - the Town of Colchester, and the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife. Without their support, partnership, and on-going investment in the maintenance and improvement of this truly unique linear park, the Bike Ferry would not be possible. Their efforts ensure that the Island Line Trail is a safe and enjoyable experience for all local users, as well as for visitors from around the state and around the world! We would also like to recognize the Town of South Hero for their support over the years, most recently, for taking action to make South Street safer for cyclists by lowering speed limits, installing share-the-road signage, and increasing shoulder widths by narrowing vehicle lanes, a proven traffic-calming measure.

This was a transition year between the past – years of limited schedules demonstrating the feasibility of offering this unique service on a regular basis, and the future – a vision of dependable, daily service. Predictably, the prevailing southerly winds presented a challenge again this year, shutting down operations for three of the scheduled 22 days. Next year, we expect to launch a capital campaign to help fund improvements that will enable us to overcome the constant threat of closure by high wind and waves. Those improvements include floating breakwaters to allow us to operate safely in the frequent strong southerly winds; a larger, commercial-grade vessel; and a public fishing platform. We are very close to completing the process of securing all permits right-of-way agreements. This next stage in the Bike Ferry's development will finally establish the Island Line Trail as a dependable route across the lake, connecting the Islands, Colchester, and Burlington. Stay tuned.