Jamestown-Scotland Ferry
18 | March 31, 2021
Hamming it up with Homegrown Hospitality
Ferry boosts area tourism By Nate Delesline III Staff Writer
The Jamestown-Scotland Ferry has linked Surry County and Jamestown for nearly a century. It’s become more than just a vital transportation link. The ferry is a destination itself. “We’re the No. 1 attraction for Surry on TripAdvisor,” said Capt. Wes Ripley, manager of the ferry system, which is operated by the Virginia Department of Transportation. If somebody comes to Jamestown and takes the ferry, “they’re getting the water view that John Smith got, basically, because so much of that has been protected.” Thanks to carefully managed, limited development, “you can kind of get a feel for what the guys in the 1600s saw when they came here,” Ripley said. In 2019, the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry carried more than 900,000 vehicles. VDOT doesn’t track individual passengers but at an estimated 2.5 passengers per car, that equals approximately 2.2 million passengers for 2019. The numbers declined somewhat in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Last year, the ferry carried 703,546 vehicles, equaling approximately 1.7 million passengers. Hampton Roads natives might take our waterfront views and access for granted. Visitors don’t. “Go and load up the car with your family. Relax. Smell the fresh air,” one person wrote on TripAdvisor. “Being a Californian that is not used to so many real bodies of water (other than the ocean) and just about anything free, this was a truly great service,” another person wrote. “Whether you’re a tourist or a local, this ferry just rocks!” On board, Capt. George Williamson might be at the controls, guiding the boat across
the James River. He’s worked on the ferry almost 25 years. If you need to get between Surry County and Jamestown or points adjacent, the ferry trip isn’t the fastest route, “but I’ve been told quite a bit it’s more relaxing to go this way,” said Williamson. His family has worked in the maritime industry for generations. Unlike his previous work as a tugboat captain, he’s not away from home overnight. “I’ve always been involved in boats. My grandfather was on tugboats, my dad was on tugboats, I was on tugboats. I had tugboated for 17 years and this came open.” Williamson and Ripley, who has been with the ferry system for 33 years, are among the approximately 100 full- and parttime employees who operate the ferry 24/7. The fleet is made up of four vessels and the trip typically takes 15 to 20 minutes. Summertime is the busiest season. If you’re coming aboard for fun rather than work, he recommends the months just outside the core summer season — May and October. The ferry is the only vehicle link on the river between the James River Bridge in Newport News and the Benjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge upriver near Hopewell. Ripley acknowledged that the ferry is part and parcel of the region’s unique character, which would be totally different if there were no vehicle link over the river — or if there was a bridge. Smaller cable and pole-guided ferries in the Northern Neck and near Charlottesville carry vehicles over the river but in terms of size and traffic, the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry stands alone. “We’re the last big ferry left,” Ripley said.
