Water taxi company wants to expand service to Daniel Island

If so, help may be on the way, thanks to a 49-passenger water taxi named "Ms. Evelyn."

Entrepreneurs Chip Deaton and Scott Connelly hope to establish commuter ferry service for Daniel Island residents. Their business, Charleston Water Taxi, was launched Dec. 26 and currently makes crossings between Mount Pleasant’s Charleston Harbor Marina and the downtown Charleston Maritime Center.

Deaton and Connelly plan to establish a stop at the Market Street pier in the near future. And, if there were sufficient interest from Daniel Island commuters, they would bring Ms. Evelyn here, too.

"We think that people from Daniel Island would love our service," said Deaton. "Imagine, you could bring your bike aboard, jump on it when you got downtown and pedal off to your job."

***image2***The operators estimate that the journey between Daniel Island and downtown would take about 20 minutes, thanks to Ms. Evelyn's two workhorse Yamaha 150 4-stroke engines. The catamaran, which was built in Tarpon Springs, Fla., offers a smooth, safe ride and can be fully enclosed in case of bad weather.

The Daniel Island Company COO Matt Sloan said he’d welcome a waterborne transportation alternative.

"It would be fantastic," Sloan said. "In addition to enhancing the quality of life for Island residents, the benefits of the Charleston area having regular ferry service as a transportation alternative would be very profound. Energy efficiencies, less congestion on the roads, increased pedestrian activities are just a few of the things that the region would experience."

Deaton, 36, and Connelly, 26, are confirmed "old salts." Both are Navy veterans who used to pilot a converted lobster boat as a ferry for the Hilton Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina near Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant.

They decided to start their own water taxi business after that service was discontinued. The new boat was christened "Ms. Evelyn" in honor of Deaton’s late grandmother, who was a big supporter of the Hilton’s former water taxi service.

***image3***"She used to show up at the dock with 10 or 15 tourists in tow," Deaton recalled. "She was our greatest promoter in those days."

The partners have distributed fliers about their ferry service at local hotels and promoted their business by ferrying people during last summer’s Ravenal Bridge dedication. Connelly and Deaton said they would love to establish links with city-owned buses in the future. There is a template for success in other U.S. port cities. Baltimore water taxis, for example, have transported more than 16 million passengers over 25 years.

"We’ve had good local support thus far and it’s encouraging," Connelly said. "People should know that bikes, dogs, pets – all are welcome on a first-come, first-served basis."

Ms. Evelyn's first run of the day currently leaves the Harbor Marina at Patriots Point at 9 a.m. and the last ride back to Mount Pleasant departs the Maritime Center at 6:30 p.m. Adult fares cost $5 for a one-way trip, $8 round trip and $12 all day. Children under 5 ride for free.

***image4***For more information, call (843) 330-CWTX(2989); fax:843-225-1517 or e-mail: info@charlestonwatertaxi.com or browse to www.charlestonwatertaxi.com.