Jet Express (ferry line)

The Jet Express is a high-speed water-jet-powered ferry service departing from mainland ports in Port Clinton, Ohio and Sandusky, Ohio. It offers service between Port Clinton, Sandusky, Put-In-Bay, Kelleys Island, and Cedar Point. It is one of the fastest ferries in North America, and on Lake Erie, taking as little as 30 minutes to travel the 12.5 miles (20.1 km) between Port Clinton and Put-in-Bay.

Jet Express

MV Jet Express III docked at Put-in-Bay, Ohio.
Locale	Port Clinton, Ohio, Sandusky, Ohio
Waterway	Lake Erie, Sandusky Bay
Transit type	Ferry
Owner	Todd Blumensaadt
Operator	Put-in-Bay Boat Line Company
Began operation	1989
No. of lines	2
No. of vessels	4
No. of terminals	5
Website

History

Put-in-Bay Boat Line Company “The Jet Express”, was established in 1988 and began its first season of operation in June 1989. There were originally four partners (Duggan, McCann, Stoiber, and Booker). Today, the majority owner and president is Todd Blumensaadt.

The company began with a new $3.0 million water-jet-powered catamaran, MV Jet Express in 1989, and soon added the $3.2 million MV Jet Express II in 1992. A partnership with the Put-in-Bay Port Authority aided in the addition of the $2.0 million MV Jet Express III in 2002, and in 2009, a partnership with the Lorain Port Authority added the $1.9 million MV Jet Express IV to the fleet. All four Jet Express vessels were designed in Australia by Incat Designs, and built in the United States by the Gladding-Hearn Shipbuilding in Somerset, Massachusetts.^[1][2] Jet Express service expanded from the original Port Clinton to Put-in-Bay route to include the mainland port of Sandusky in 2005. The Sandusky route further expanded to include regular service to Kelleys Island, and Put-in-Bay starting in 2006. Service to Cedar Point started in 2016, with regular service to the islands in 2017. The Jet Express also offers excursions. These excursions are theme-based and visit a variety of U.S. and Canadian ports throughout Lake Erie and its tributaries.

MV Jet Express II during a training exercise with the US Coast Guard Station Marblehead

Jet Express Ferry Fleet

The Jet Express ferry fleet comprises four high-speed water-jet-powered catamaran vessels:

• MV Jet Express (1989) (Port Clinton route only)
• MV Jet Express II (1992) (Port Clinton route only)
• MVJet Express III (2002) (Sandusky-Inter-Island route only)
• MV Jet Express IV (1995) (Acquired in 2009, back up, and excursions)

References

1. "Gladding-Hearn Building Another High-Speed INCAT Ferry". magazines.marinelink.com. Retrieved 2017-08-11.
2. "Gladding-Hearn Delivers Fast Ferry for Lake Erie". MarineLink. 2002-10-22. Retrieved 2017-08-11.