Jet Express is a high-speed ferry service departing from mainland ports in Port Clinton and Sandusky, Ohio. It offers service between Port Clinton, Sandusky, Put-In-Bay, Kelleys Island, and Cedar Point. It is one of the fastest ferries on Lake Erie, taking as little as 30 minutes to travel the 12.5 miles (20.1 km) between Port Clinton and Put-in-Bay.
 Jet Express III at Put-in-Bay | |
| Locale | Port Clinton, Ohio, Sandusky, Ohio |
|---|---|
| Waterway | Lake Erie |
| Transit type | Ferry |
| Owner | Todd Blumensaadt, The McCann's |
| Operator | Put-in-Bay Boat Line Co. |
| Began operation | 1989 |
| No. of lines | 2 |
| No. of vessels | 4 |
| No. of terminals | 5 |
| Website | [1] |
History
editPut-in-Bay Boat Line Co. “The Jet Express,” was established in 1988 and began its first season of operating in the spring of 1989. There were originally four partners (Duggan, McCann, Stoiber, and Booker). Today, the majority owner and President is Todd Blumensaadt.
The company began with a new US$3 million water-jet powered catamaran, the Jet Express, and soon added the $3.2 million Jet Express II in 1992. A partnership with the Put-in-Bay Port Authority aided in the addition of the $2 million Jet Express III in 2002, and in 2009, a partnership with the Lorain Port Authority added the $1.9 million Jet Express IV to the fleet. All four Jet Express vessels were built by the Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding in Somerset, Massachusetts.[1][2] Jet Express service expanded from the original Port Clinton to Put-in-Bay route to include the mainland ports of Sandusky in 2005. The Sandusky route further expanded to include regular service to Kelleys Island starting in 2006, Put-in-Bay, and Cedar Point in 2016. Jet Express also offers excursion adventure cruises. These cruises are theme-based and visit a variety of U.S. and Canadian ports throughout Lake Erie and its tributaries.
Fleet
editThe Jet Express fleet comprises four catamaran vessels:
- Jet Express (1989) (Port Clinton route only)
- Jet Express II (1992) (Port Clinton route only)
- Jet Express III (2002) (Sandusky-Inter-Island route)
- Jet Express IV (2009) (Built in 1995) (Back up, excursion vessel)
References
edit- ^ "Gladding-Hearn Building Another High-Speed INCAT Ferry". magazines.marinelink.com. Retrieved 2017-08-11.
- ^ "Gladding-Hearn Delivers Fast Ferry for Lake Erie". MarineLink. 2002-10-22. Retrieved 2017-08-11.