The Cataño Ferry ( es, Lancha de Cataño) is a single route

ferry A ferry is a ship, watercraft or amphibious vehicle used to carry passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo, across a body of water. A passenger ferry with many stops, such as in Venice, Italy, is sometimes called a water bus or water ta ...

service between Cataño and

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John, may refer to: Places Argentina * San Juan Province, Argentina * San Juan, Argentina, the capital of that province * San Juan, Salta, a village in Iruya, Salta Province * San Juan (Buenos Aires Underground), ...

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and unincorporated ...

. Its route consists of Cataño ⇆

Old San Juan Old San Juan ( es, Viejo San Juan) is a historic district located at the "northwest triangle" of the islet of San Juan. Its area roughly correlates to the Ballajá, Catedral, Marina, Mercado, San Cristóbal, and San Francisco sub-barrios ( ...

docking at the AcuaExpreso Cataño Terminal in Cataño on the route's southwestern point and at the AcuaExpreso San Juan Terminal in Pier 2 of the San Juan Port in

on the route's northeastern point. The ferry crosses the

San Juan Bay San Juan Bay ( es, Bahía de San Juan) is the bay and main inlet adjacent to Old San Juan in northeastern Puerto Rico. It is about in length, the largest body of water in an estuary of about of channels, inlets and eight interconnected lagoons ...

with its services running from mornings to evenings seven days a week as the weather and maritime conditions permit. Although the service is heavily used by

tourists Tourism is travel for pleasure or business; also the theory and practice of touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining tourists, and the business of operating tours. The World Tourism Organization defines tourism mor ...

, its primary purpose is to serve as a

transportation hub A transport hub is a place where passengers and cargo are exchanged between vehicles and/or between transport modes. Public transport hubs include railway stations, rapid transit stations, bus stops, tram stops, airports and ferry slips. ...

for those who live nearby Cataño but work in San Juan in complementation with '' AcuaExpreso''. Despite what the service's name implies, the service has been provided by multiple

boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically found on inl ...

s, not just one ship. The ferry is an icon in

Puerto Rican culture The culture of Puerto Rico is the result of a number of international and indigenous influences, both past and present. Modern cultural manifestations showcase the island's rich history and help to create an identity which is uniquely Puerto Rica ...

History

The Cataño Ferry started operating in 1853, when the Cataño Steam Company used a small boat to transport cargo and passengers to

. During its history, the ferry was managed by Férrea del Oeste and Compañía Popular de Transporte. According to passengers, the old boat was "a wooden boat; they called it ''the turtle'' because it was a small boat". In 1960, the

Puerto Rico Ports Authority The Puerto Rico Ports Authority (PRPA) ( es, Autoridad de los Puertos; AP) is a government-owned corporation of Puerto Rico charged with developing, operating, and overseeing all seaports and airports in Puerto Rico. The Authority is ascribed t ...

acquired the franchise, building a new terminal and buying five new ships. The ferry covers only one route: from

's dock to Cataño's ferry terminal. Since most people who used the service initiated the trip in San Juan, it became known as "La Lancha de Cataño", because it is believed that people use the service mostly to travel from San Juan to Cataño. Despite notable decreases in its use, the service is widely known on the island, and popular with Puerto Ricans and tourists. Since the services are carried out from Old San Juan to Cataño and vice versa, its relative closeness to San Juan

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

s made the service approachable to tourists. It is also popular with Puerto Rican and American soldiers who are based at nearby Fort Buchanan. During the 1960
service on La lancha cost only five cents one way
The ticket prices began to rise; however, by the 1980s, it cost 25 cents, and it currently costs 50 cents (one way). Tickets are usually bought at the ferry terminals. Also, during the 1980s, a famous

salsa music Salsa music is a style of Latin American music. Because most of the basic musical components predate the labeling of salsa, there have been many controversies regarding its origin. Most songs considered as salsa are primarily based on son montun ...

singer filmed a well-known

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commercial for a beer company at one of the ferries comprising the "Lancha de Cataño" boat fleet. In 1988, the "Lancha de Cataño" service stopped being the only ship service that took people on San Juan-area trips only, when a small company introduced cruise services around Northern San Juan; these services typically lasted one hour and were carried on luxury ships, but their popularity eventually faded and the "Lancha de Cataño" regained its status as the only ship service taking place exclusively around the San Juan area. On January 1, 2000, the Puerto Rican Government passed ownership of all legal passenger ship services to the Puerto Rican Maritime Transport Authority. While this was made mostly to enhance service between Culebra,

Fajardo Fajardo (, ) is a town and municipality -Fajardo Combined Statistical Area. Fajardo is the hub of much of the recreational boating in Puerto Rico and a popular launching port to Culebra, Vieques, and the U.S. and British Virgin Islands. It is ...

and

Vieques Vieques (; ), officially Isla de Vieques, is an island and municipality of Puerto Rico, in the northeastern Caribbean, part of an island grouping sometimes known as the Spanish Virgin Islands. Vieques is part of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ...

, the deal also included the "Lancha de Cataño" service. In 2004, slightly more than 1,100,000 passengers were transported by the "Lancha de Cataño" service. It is estimated that the numbers of passengers transported by the service will remain around that area for the next few years.

Features

Ferries used by "La Lancha"s services are two story ships, which are painted in white, with a peach and orange drawing that resembles a wave to the front. Occasionally, and under rough water conditions, passengers on the lower decks might be sprayed with water for a few seconds. No major accidents or incidents have been reported, however. Passengers who choose to ride on the boats' upper decks may stand up and hang by a fence, to look over at some touristic attractions and at ships located at the San Juan port. Round-trip services leave both Catano and San Juan's terminals every fifteen (15) minutes, and, very often, passengers on one "Lancha de Cataño" ship find themselves waving at passengers on another "Lancha de Cataño". Sometimes, the "Lancha de Catano" may take passengers on a trip around the El Morro Castle before arriving at its actual destination. Current prices stand at:
Adults - $0.50
Kids (3-11) - $0.25
Elderly and the Disabled - $0.25

External links

Puerto Rican Government's page on Lancha de Cataño's economical impact, in Spanish

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Catano Ferry Puerto Rico Department of Transportation and Public Works Ferries of Puerto Rico

History

Features

See also

External links

References