The Sans Souci Ferry is a

cable ferry A cable ferry (including the terms chain ferry, swing ferry, floating bridge, or punt) is a ferry that is guided (and in many cases propelled) across a river or large body of water by cables connected to both shores. Early cable ferries often ...

that provides access across the

Cashie River This is a list of rivers in the U.S. state of North Carolina. By drainage basin This list is arranged by drainage basin, with respective tributaries alphabetically indented under each larger stream's name. Atlantic Ocean * North Landing Rive ...

Bertie County, North Carolina Bertie County ( , with both syllables stressed) is a county located in the northeast area of the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,934. Its county seat is Windsor. The county was created in 1722 as Berti ...

. Since the 1930s, the ferry has been operated by the

North Carolina Department of Transportation The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is responsible for building, repairing, and operating highways, bridges, and other modes of transportation, including ferries in the U.S. state of North Carolina. History The North Carolina ...

. The ferry is located on SR 1500 south of

Windsor, North Carolina Windsor is a town in Bertie County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 3,630 at the 2010 census, up from 2,283 in 2000. It is the county seat of Bertie County, which is also the homeland of the Southern Band Tuscarora Tribe that rem ...

. It is one of three cable ferries that are still operating in North Carolina. The others are the Parker's Ferry and

Elwell Ferry Elwell Ferry is an inland cable ferry which has operated since 1905 on Elwell Ferry Road between NC Highway 53 and NC Highway 87, crossing the Cape Fear River and connecting the communities of Carvers Creek and Kelly in Bladen County, North Carol ...

History

The Sans Souci Ferry has operated in some form or fashion since at least the 1800s. It was not until the 1930s that the state Department of Transportation took over operations of the ferry and has operated it ever since. The ferry is not considered part of the state ferry system, which operates larger ferries along the immediate NC coast. The NC cable ferries are considered inland ferries. They are operated by regional DOT divisional offices instead of the NC DOT Ferry Division.

Operations

The ferry is driven, or one could say guided, by a steel cable that stretches across the river. The cable is secured on each side of the river by steel posts. As the ferry crosses the river, the force of the boat, with the help of rollers on the side of the boat, pulls the normally submerged cable out of the water. The cable is permanently secured to the ferry and prevents the boat from straying off course in normal river currents. The ferry carries a maximum of two cars and does not operate in high water conditions or storms, as there is too much risk of the cable snapping in such treacherous conditions. Persons wanting to ride the ferry that happen to be on the opposite side of the river than the ferry must blow their vehicle horn to summon the ferry. The trip by ferry across the river takes roughly 5 minutes and saves a drive of about 20 miles. The ferry is free of charge. The ferry operates almost every day except for days of high water and bad weather.

Vessel

The ferry has a steel, barge-like platform that cars drive onto. The "engine room" is located on one side of the ferry. Here the operator sits and controls the boat's engine, which is located outside and beside the room. The ferry is powered by a

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diesel engine. The operator must know when to let off the throttle, since the ferry has no brakes or on-board steering device.

Replacement

Many have worried over the years that the ferry might be replaced by a bridge. NCDOT officials have said that the ferry will likely never be replaced with a bridge because of the high cost. The ferry serves a secondary road that carries mainly local traffic; the volume is not sufficient to justify construction costs of a bridge. {{coord, 35, 55, N, 76, 49, W, display=title Transportation in Bertie County, North Carolina Ferries of North Carolina Cable ferries in the United States