Ferries Afloat in U.S., U.K.

Two ferries--one billed as the world’s biggest high-speed passenger ferry, the other as the fastest in the Western Hemisphere--are now plying the waters in the United Kingdom and the U.S.

In Britain, a football-field-sized catamaran propelled by jet engines is the newest way to travel between Holyhead, on Anglesey Island in Wales, and Dun Laoghaire, about eight miles south of central Dublin. The Stena HSS, owned by the Stena Line, can whisk up to 375 cars and 1,500 passengers the 55 miles in 99 minutes, half the time it takes conventional ferries. She cruises at 46 mph (40 knots).

She is more than 400 feet long and 130 feet wide. On-board passenger facilities include an entertainment complex, lounges (pictured above left), fast-food restaurants, shops and a computer and video lounge.

Stena says the catamaran is among the safest vessels afloat, despite her great speed and light aluminum hull. She has no bow doors and all vehicles on the car deck drive on and off through stern doors. The hulls are divided by bulkheads into 14 watertight compartments and the ship has been designed to stay afloat in the case of catastrophic damage below the water line.

One-way fare is $40. In the U.S., tickets can be purchased from BritRail at (800) 677-8585.

Meanwhile, in the Pacific Northwest, new gas turbine engines have been installed in another catamaran, allowing it to take nearly an hour off the trip between Seattle and Victoria, B.C. The Victoria Clipper IV (pictured above right) has a top speed of 53 mph (45 knots), making it the fastest passenger vessel in the Western Hemisphere, according to Clipper Navigation, a 10-year-old company providing year-round passenger-only service between Seattle and Victoria.

The 330-passenger, twin-hulled catamaran can now make the run in 1 3/4 hours. Adult (ages 12-64) one-way fares start at $59; round trip at $99 in the summer season, May 18-Sept. 15. Sailings range from one a day in the winter low season to five a day at the height of summer. Information and reservations: (206) 448-5000.