CRUISING THE HARBOR

The Daniel Island Ferry has entered its third year of operation and business couldn’t be smoother on the water. The forecast hasn’t always called for fair weather, but now it appears the coast is clear. 

 

Co-owner Colby Hollifield, who grew the business with partners Scott Connelly and Chip Deaton from Charleston Water Taxi, has seen the good, bad and the ugly over the years. Growing the brand has been difficult at times and borderline treacherous.

 

DI Ferry launched its maiden voyage in March 2018 from its dock at River Landing Drive. But Hollifield and crew didn’t truly test the waters until September 2019, when they traveled down to Tampa, Florida, to retrieve their pride and joy – Indigo, a 50-foot vessel that holds 49 passengers and a crew of five.

 

A tempest named Hurricane Dorian was on the horizon which made for quite a hairy adventure hauling Indigo through the Okeechobee Waterway and back up the East Coast. Hollifield and crew were sleeping on the boat for the full duration, even while waves taller than the boat itself were crashing overhead. 

 

Not even a year later, in March 2020, a global health pandemic by the name of COVID-19 would suspend ferry operations for eight consecutive weeks. Since then, things have taken a turn for the better and Hollifield does not foresee halting services at all this coming offseason. 

 

Now, with the completion of the first phase of The Waterfront, business on the water is bustling nearly as much as it is onshore. With the recent addition of another public pier, a paddle board launch and dog ramp, an interactive fountain, wooden swings, a hammock garden, children’s play area, condominium and townhouse units, a restaurant and a café — the ferry is not only expanding its hours but its operation as well.

 

Hollifield called The Waterfront a “game changer.” But it’s not the only thing that’s changing. 

 

Currently, the ferry provides services Thursday, Friday, Saturday from 5:30-8:30 p.m. back and forth to Waterfront Park in downtown Charleston as well as an hour and a half sunset harbor cruise. This summer, that schedule will change to include Wednesday evenings and daytime both Saturday and Sunday.

 

As for the fees to ride the ferry, the prices have not changed. A round-trip fare is $20 for adults and $12 for kids, with the exception of children under 3 who are free of charge.

 

One of the main reasons for the ferry’s increase in demand sits on the water’s edge overlooking the Wando River and it’s called The Kingstide. The brand new two-story seafood restaurant that opened at the end of River Landing Drive in March has customers in transit from all directions.

 

LOCAL WATER TAXIS