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Demerara/Vreed-en-Hoop boat service; bridging the gap between regions
The Demerara/Vreed-en-Hoop boat service has been lauded for not only cutting the travelling distance between Regions Three and Four, but also a thrilling experience for boat ride lovers.
Passengers boarding (left) and disembarking (right) these boats at the Georgetown stelling
There are 56 speedboats operating the service on both sides of the Demerara River at Georgetown and Vreed-en-Hoop, West Coast Demerara stellings.
The stellings are situated oblique to each other. The speed boat service is a lifeline especially when there are closures to the Demerara Harbour Bridge.
These speedboats operate from dawn till dusk (06:00hrs-20:00hrs) daily and transport hundreds of persons to and from these regions.
The boats operate on a turn system and are carefully watched by boat monitors, who ensure that all boat operators abide by safety rules.
A boat captain of five years said that all boats operate on Monday and Tuesday, except for when some are in dock.
Every boat operator is charged a landing fee of $1440 per day and would make about 10 trips a day. Boat operators working after 18:00hrs are required to pay an additional $500 daily landing fee.
Commuters are required to pay $100 to use the service.
The captain of Lady Omap said, “When all the boats are working you might make six to seven trips. When half of the boats are working you might get 10 trips. But this depends on how early you come out here.”
“One boat would rest on Tuesday and two on Thursday,” he related.
About 28 boats would work on Saturday and eight on Sundays.
“All like how Christmas falling on a Sunday. The eight boats will work,” the captain added.
He explained that boats are docked when they need to undergo repairs ordered by officials from the Maritime Department after inspection. He added that boats are sometimes docked for about two to three weeks a very costly exercise.
A docking fee of $5000 per day is charged for each boat.
When Kaieteur News visited yesterday, both stellings were busy as persons hurried to get to their destinations.
Persons including the elderly and children boarded and disembarked vessels at either stelling.
Some of these speedboat operators made the boat ride enjoyable by providing entertainment. Yesterday loud dancehall music was heard coming from one of the boats. And they also cater for rainy days; some of them come equipped with umbrellas and other rain gear.
All speedboats have a shed to protect passengers against the rain and blazing sun, along with tarpaulins at each side to prevent passengers from getting wet by the slapping waves.
Long ago, commuters were forced to cover with the tarpaulins when it rained. This resulted in some of them turning up drenched at work.
Most of these speedboats have the capacity (are licensed) to hold 35 persons-inclusive of a captain and bowman and three children.
It’s typically a 10-minute journey across the Demerara River.
The boat ride is usually smooth, but can get rough at times depending on the tide. However, boat captains give reassurance that the ride will be safe as they skillfully maneuver their boats to suit the condition of the water.
From observation, each captain and bowman ensures that all passengers are wearing life jackets and that boats are not overloaded.
“Wait, wait, you need to get a life jacket,” a bowman shouted when a woman entered his boat and sat down without taking a life jacket from a collection that was hanging from the roof of the boat.
The bowman immediately handed her a life jacket as the captain started the engine to sail over to Vreed-en-Hoop stelling.
“One more; Aha need one more; Ah need,” another bowman shouted as two women raced to get on his boat. He only allowed one of them entry, the other had to board another boat.
Speedboats would take about three minutes to load during peak hours and five minutes during off peak hours.
There is also a watchman service extended to boat operators at nights. It costs $900 from Monday to Saturday. The fee is usually more for Sunday and holidays. Most passengers who use the speedboat service daily have expressed satisfaction.
The next time you visit the stellings set sail on, ‘Ledgen Lic’, ‘American Boyz’, ‘Anjolie’, ‘Guardian Angel’, ‘Matrix’ and others; you will surely enjoy a roller-coaster ride.
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