The Cape May–Lewes Ferry is a ferry system on the

East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the region encompassing the coast, coastline where the Eastern United States meets the Atlantic Ocean; it has always pla ...

that traverses a crossing of the

Delaware Bay Delaware Bay is the estuary outlet of the Delaware River on the northeast seaboard of the United States, lying between the states of Delaware and New Jersey. It is approximately in area, the bay's freshwater mixes for many miles with the saltw ...

connecting North Cape May, New Jersey with

Lewes, Delaware Lewes ( ) is an incorporated city on the Delaware Bay in eastern Sussex County, Delaware, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 3,303. Along with neighboring Rehoboth Beach, Lewes is one of the principal cities of Del ...

. The ferry constitutes a portion of U.S. Route 9 and is the final crossing of the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

-Delaware Bay waterway before it meets the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...

. It is one of only two year-round direct crossings between

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...

and

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, the other being the

Delaware Memorial Bridge The Delaware Memorial Bridge is a dual-span suspension bridge crossing the Delaware River. The toll bridges carry Interstate 295 and U.S. Route 40 and is also the link between Delaware and New Jersey. The bridge was designed by the firm o ...

System

The Cape May–Lewes Ferry, operated by the

Delaware River and Bay Authority The Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) is a bi-state government agency of the United States, U.S. states of Delaware and New Jersey established by an interstate compact in 1962. The authority operates the Delaware Memorial Bridge, Delaw ...

(DRBA), consists of three ferry vessels and two terminal facilities. Its operations are based at its Cape May terminal, which is actually located in North Cape May, on the north shore of the Cape May Canal. The three vessels in the fleet carry both vehicles (passenger cars, buses, RVs, tractor trailers, motorcycles, and bicycles) and foot passengers. Each has a capacity of 100 vehicles and 800 passengers, selling out in advance during the popular summer weekends (although passenger capacity usually does not). Advance reservations are accepted. The ferry trip takes approximately 85 minutes. The company's site says that the roundtrip is approximately three hours. The ferry provides a view of three lighthouses: the Cape May Light in New Jersey, and the Harbor of Refuge Light and Delaware Breakwater East End Light near Lewes. Lewes Ferry port

The ferry has two terminal facilities. Both host toll booths, vehicle staging areas, parking lots, and a terminal building with ticket counters for walk on passengers, restroooms and dining facilities. The Cape May Terminal also hosts the maintenance facility for the three vessels, along with lay berths. The terminals were substantially expanded during the mid 1980's with new terminal buildings built in Lewes in 1984 and Cape May in 1988 along with new toll booths and passenger loading buildings. The terminal building in Lewes was renovated and expanded in 1999 and a new Cape May terminal building replaced the existing structure, in 2001. Both terminals now feature unique, recognizable "towers," which contain elevators and staircases connecting the terminal buildings to glass-enclosed walkways. The walkways allow foot passengers to board the vessel directly on the second deck from the terminal building, avoiding vehicles driving onto the car deck below. As the ferry is a part of US 9, it is included as part of the U.S. Highway System. The only other U.S. Route to use a ferry is

U.S. Route 10 U.S. Route 10 or U.S. Highway 10 (US 10) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway located in the Midwest and Great Lakes regions of the U.S. Despite the "0" as the last digit in the number, US 10 is no longer a cross- ...

, which uses the across

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and depth () after Lake Superior and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the ...

. Routewise, taking the ferry avoids going around the Delaware Bay and avoids highways and bridges such as the

New Jersey Turnpike The New Jersey Turnpike (NJTP) is a system of controlled-access highway, controlled-access toll roads in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The turnpike is maintained by the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA).The Garden State Parkway, although ma ...

, US 13, and DE 1.

Fleet

Current fleet

The current vessels are part of the second generation Cape May Lewes Fleet, with the MV Delaware, and the MV New Jersey, replacing the original ferry fleet that was purchased from the Chesapeake Bay and was in operation for the ferry's first 10 years in the mid 1970's. The MV Cape Henlopen and MV Cape May supplemented the first three vessels during the 1980's. The MV Twin Capes was decommissioned in 2014 and the MV Cape May decommissioned in 2010 leaving the MV Delaware, MV New Jersey and MV Cape Henlopen in operation. Each vessel consists of an open car deck situated atop a hull that is low to the water. Because of the ships' shallow displacements, the ships appear almost

barge A barge is typically a flat-bottomed boat, flat-bottomed vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. Original use was on inland waterways, while modern use is on both inland and ocean, marine water environments. The firs ...

-like, sitting directly atop the water, from a distance. The ships were built with two decks atop the car deck with the second deck consisting of a gift shop, snack bar, and interior and exterior seating areas, and the third deck consisting of outdoor seating areas, an interior crew room. The pilot house is on the fourth deck. Subsequent renovations changed these plans on the vessels third decks with an exterior bar and an additional passenger lounge up forward on the MV Delaware. Each vessel can hold 100 cars and 800 passengers. All have a length of and a breadth of , a displacement of at least 2,100 tons, a maximum draft of , two diesel engines, and a top speed of (18 mph).

MV ''Delaware''

The MV ''Delaware'' was the first of the original three vessels of the new 1970s fleet. Christened in June 1974, she is the flagship of the fleet. The ''Delaware'' has undergone several renovations and refurbishments. The first in 1994 added an additional passenger lounge on the third deck which included a deli and an outdoor bar with refurbishments to her main passenger lounge on the second deck. New "shark fin" smokestacks were added in 1997 replacing her original stacks. A renovation in 2001 resulted in her second and third decks being extended forward and aft and the outdoor bar moved behind the stacks along with renovations to both interior spaces. A third renovation in 2013 reconfigured the interior space on the second deck.

MV ''New Jersey''

The MV ''New Jersey'' is the second of the original three vessels of the new 1970s fleet, christened in November 1974. An outdoor canopy was added to the third deck in 1996 and in 1999 she received upgraded finishes and seating to the interior passenger lounge. Her main passenger lounge was upgraded in 2013 with new carpeting and seating. In 2020–2021 the MV New Jersey received a $20 million dollar renovation, refurbishment and upgrade when her exterior was sandblasted down to bare metal, her passenger lounge was gutted and stripped down to the studs, her pilothouse stripped down, original stacks removed and her original powerplant was taken out. It was replaced with new propulsion systems, new stacks, new windows and doors to the passenger lounge, a new console in the pilot house and a fresh coat of paint giving the MV New Jersey many more years of reliable, safe, and comfortable service.

MV ''Cape Henlopen''

The MV ''Cape Henlopen'', the fourth vessel of the fleet built in 1981 was christened ''New Del'' in July 1981. The vessel was renamed ''Cape Henlopen'' in 1984. She received new outdoor seating and a canopy along with new indoor seating in 1998. A more recent refurbishment in 2012 resulted in new interior lighting, flooring, seating and climate control. The ferry plans to retire the MV ''Cape Henlopen'' by the year 2027.

Former fleet

The original fleet of four steamships and two diesel-powered ships was purchased in 1964 from the defunct Little Creek-Cape Charles Ferry in Virginia, replaced by the

Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel The Chesapeake Bay Bridge–Tunnel (CBBT, officially the Lucius J. Kellam Jr. Bridge–Tunnel) is a bridge–tunnel that crosses the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay between Delmarva and Hampton Roads in the U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. It ope ...

. Those ships were the SS ''Cape May'' (originally the SS ''Delmarva'' 1934), the SS ''Delaware'' (originally the SS Pocahontas 1941), the SS ''New Jersey'' (originally the SS ''Princess Anne'' 1936), the MV ''Cape Henlopen'' (originally named USS ''Buncombe County'' (LST-510) in 1944 and renamed the MV ''Virginia Beach'' in 1955) and later in 1964, the MV ''Atlantic'' (originally the MV ''Old Point Comfort'' converted from USS LST-970) (this vessel was sold at the end of 1966)."A Ferry Tale", by William J. Miller The four remaining ships were replaced beginning in 1974 with five new, diesel-powered vessels, of which two have themselves been retired.

MV ''Twin Capes''

The MV ''Twin Capes'' was one of the original three vessels of the 1970s fleet, christened in May 1975. She was extensively renovated in a $27 million project between 1994 and 1996 resulting in the original superstructure on and above the second deck removed, the second deck extended forward and aft, and a new superstructure with four new decks, multiple lounges, new pilot house and "shark fin" smokestacks added. The vessel was then marked as a miniature cruise ship, complete with two sets of elevators, a sweeping interior staircase, interior areas on four different decks, an enlarged retail shop, a food court with a brick pizza oven, four different bars, and a buffet restaurant in a two-deck-tall, glass-enclosed atrium. Although the restaurant was shut down in 2000 after U.S.

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a List of United States federal agencies, federal agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is respo ...

inspectors found numerous violations in the galleys of all five vessels, the ship remained an attraction. Her sister ship is the MV ''Delaware''. In July 2010, due to decreasing ridership, the DRBA announced that the vessel was for sale. The ''Twin Capes'' was taken out of service and retired in October 2013. On July 20, 2017, the ''Twin Capes'' was towed out of the Cape May Terminal to be stripped before a planned sinking as an

artificial reef An artificial reef (AR) is a human-created freshwater or marine benthic structure. Typically built in areas with a generally featureless bottom to promote Marine biology#Reefs, marine life, it may be intended to control #Erosion prevention, erosio ...

in 2018 in a project led by Captain Tim Mullane. The ''Twin Capes'' was

scuttled Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull, typically by its crew opening holes in its hull. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vesse ...

on June 15, 2018, in the

North Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

off Bethany Beach, Delaware, at to form part of the Del-Jersey-Land Inshore Artificial Reef.

MV ''Cape May''

The MV ''Cape May'', which was the newest vessel of the fleet christened in May 1985, was refurbished in 1998 in a $20 million project that retained the original superstructure and added deck extensions and a new fourth deck. The renovation added a fourth-deck buffet restaurant, bars, an enlarged gift shop, an elevator, and additional interior seating. In 2007, in order to help close an operating deficit, the DRBA removed the ''Cape May'' from service and announced that the vessel was up for sale. The vessel's added expense of operation and low use—it had made only fifteen crossings in 2007—were additional factors leading to its removal from service. The owners of Cross Sound Ferry in Connecticut had shown interest in purchasing the ferry. In 2013, the ''Cape May'' was sold to Northstar Marine Services for $750,000, to be converted to a support vessel for offshore

wind farm A wind farm, also called a wind park or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turbines covering an exten ...

History

In 1926, a ferry between Cape May and Lewes was planned. The idea was to use a World War I military ship to transport passengers and cars across the Delaware Bay. The project was abandoned after a few months. After several months of preparations, the Delaware River and Bay Authority conducted a trial run using the ferry Pocahantas borrowed from Virginia's Chesapeake Bay Ferry Commission on October 17, 1962. Service officially began on July 1, 1964, utilizing a fleet of five ships purchased from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. Those ships had previously provided service across the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

, connecting Cape Charles with

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach (colloquially VB) is the List of cities in Virginia, most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. The city is located on the Atlantic Ocean at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay in southeaster ...

, but the opening of the

in 1964 rendered that service obsolete. The first trip went from Cape May to Lewes. All of the steamers were replaced in the 1970s with the service's current fleet. When it began service, the Cape May–Lewes Ferry operated under a 24-hour schedule. That schedule was cut back in 1975 to 16 hours per day. Nolan C. Chandler, a former oiler for Virginia's Norfolk–Kiptopeke Ferry, was the first manager of the Cape May–Lewes Ferry. Chandler started on March 15, 1964. The Cape May–Lewes Ferry welcomed its first female permanent captain, Sharon Urban, in August 2020.

Tourism

The ferry was constructed with transportation as its primary use, providing a connection between the south

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore, commonly called the Shore by locals, is the coast, coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The term encompasses about of shore, oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Perth Amboy in the n ...

towns and the

Delaware Beaches The Delaware Beaches are located along the Atlantic Ocean in the eastern part of Sussex County, Delaware, which is in the southern part of the state. In addition to beaches along the ocean, the area offers many amenities, including restaurants ...

and

Ocean City, Maryland Ocean City, officially the Town of Ocean City, is an Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic resort city in Worcester County, Maryland, Worcester County, Maryland, along the East Coast of the United States. The population was 6,844 at the 2020 United States c ...

, on the

Delmarva Peninsula The Delmarva Peninsula, or simply Delmarva, is a peninsula on the East Coast of the United States, occupied by the majority of the state of Delaware and parts of the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Eastern Shore of Virginia. The peninsula is l ...

. Prior to its inception, travelers between these areas needed to drive across southern New Jersey to the

, and then down through Delaware on U.S. Route 13, or vice versa if they were coming from Delaware. The Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) later recognized the ferry's potential as a tourist attraction. While it continues to provide transportation between Delaware and New Jersey, the experience has also been optimized to draw in tourists. The ferry fleet was substantially overhauled during the 1990s, adding several amenities—including buffet restaurants, bars, and lounges—intended to promote the ride as a draw in itself. The DRBA operates a shuttle bus service on both sides of the bay in the summer months, giving foot passengers both a ride on the ferry and round-trip transportation from the terminals into Cape May and Lewes for one combined rate. In New Jersey, the shuttle connects the ferry to the Cape May Welcome Center in downtown

Cape May Cape May consists of a peninsula and barrier island system in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is roughly coterminous with Cape May County and runs southwards from the New Jersey mainland, separating Delaware Bay from the Atlantic Ocean. Th ...

. In Delaware, the shuttle operates from the ferry to the Tanger Outlets and a

park and ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, Rail transport, r ...

lot in Rehoboth Beach.

DART First State The Delaware Transit Corporation, operating as DART First State, is the only public transportation system that operates throughout the U.S. state of Delaware. DART First State provides local and inter-county bus service throughout the state and al ...

operates the Route 204 bus which connects the ferry terminal with downtown

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. The town is the administrative centre of the wider Lewes (district), district of the same name. It lies on the River Ouse, Sussex, River Ouse at the point where the river cuts through the Sou ...

and the Lewes Transit Center park and ride, where transfers can be made to DART First State's Beach Bus routes that serve the

and provide connections to Ocean City Transportation's Coastal Highway Beach Bus in

. The DRBA also operates a shuttle bus that links the ferry to the Cape May County Park & Zoo on select days from late June through August and to the Tree to Tree Aerial adventure park at the zoo from late May to late September. The Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts operates trolley tours of Cape May, the Cape May Lighthouse, and the

Emlen Physick Estate The Emlen Physick Estate is a Victorian house museum in Cape May, New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United S ...

from the ferry terminal from late June to the end of August. A private operator also runs a coach bus that connects the ferry in Cape May to the Resorts Casino Hotel in

Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...

; the package includes round-trip ferry service, round-trip coach service, and free play for slots. The DRBA has partnered with local merchants to give discounts to passengers, allowing passengers to purchase a round-trip ticket and not disembark midway. In addition to these promotions, the ferry also offers special holiday excursions, including the annual fireworks cruise on the

Fourth of July Independence Day, known colloquially as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States which commemorates the ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776, establishing th ...

. The cruise features entertainment on the car deck and a catered meal.

Incidents and accidents

On the evening of December 10, 2009, the ''New Jersey'' ran aground on a sandbar near the mouth of the Cape May Canal during an unusually low tide. The ferry was freed by a rising tide and did not suffer any structural damage. On March 30, 2019, after going from Cape May, New Jersey, the ferry lost power with 143 passengers on board. After two hours being stuck in the bay, the ferry was towed back to Cape May. On November 17, 2020, after leaving Cape May in high winds, the ''Cape Henlopen'' ran aground off the coast of Cape May, New Jersey. The passengers were not harmed and the vessel was towed back to Cape May shortly after.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cape May-Lewes Ferry Crossings of the Delaware River Delaware Bay Delaware River and Bay Authority facilities Ferries of Delaware Ferries of New Jersey Ferries of the United States Numbered Highway System Lewes, Delaware Transportation in Cape May County, New Jersey Transportation in Sussex County, Delaware U.S. Route 9