  Ferry Is A Gigantic Jet-Ski  May 11, 2013 By Robert M. Ungerer
( , The Post-Journal  Last week, a bird-watching trip with two
friends, Fran and Ranjit, and 120 other birders started with a
35 mph boat trip from Port Clinton, Ohio, near Sandusky, across
Lake Erie to Point Pelee Provincal Park in Ontario, Canada.
Since my exposure to boating was limited to sailing the
discontinued sunfish and paddling a fiberglass canoe, the speed,
smooth ride and relative quiet motors were astonishing. When we
disembarked in Canada, I noticed for the first time our boat was
a catamaran design with double hulls. Later, I inquired about
specifications of this boat, one of four in the Jet-Express
fleet. The boat has a capacity or 250 people, weighs close to 60
tons and is powered by Caterpillar Diesel engines in each hull,
generating a total of 2,200 horsepower. Propulsion is provided
by two Rolls Royce FF 550 waterjets. The familiar jet ski seen
on local lakes is propelled by a waterjet. Therefore, the
commercial boat we trav