The logical thing is to make it a town ferry.”

Eric Leite, Prudence Island Ferry

PORTSMOUTH — When Prudence Island Ferry made its last runs to the island in September 2014 before a new company took over, Eric Leite likened it to a divorce after his 18 years as captain.

Less than three years later, however, Mr. Leite is courting passengers once again.

Mr. Leite, who had been with Bruce Medley’s company for 23 years at the time of A&R Marine Corp’s takeover, is floating the idea of running a second, competing ferry service. About a month ago he closed on one of the boats that previously made runs, the Mt. Mansfield, in a deal with Mr. Medley.

“It was more of a stock purchase. I own 51 percent,” said Mr. Leite, adding that Prudence Island Ferry’s dock at Homestead on Prudence — just south of A&R’s landing — is still available to him.

“Now that I have the boat and we still have the Homestead property, we’re trying to get the town to lease some land and run out of Portsmouth and compete with the service we have now,” he said.

His idea isn’t without precedent. Although Mr. Medley’s company had been the sole provider of ferry service to the island since the mid-1980s, Prudence has had competing boats in the past. However, the absence of another feasible landing spot off island means there’s room for only boat one currently. 

Mr. Leite wants to make a deal with the Town of Portsmouth to lease land it owns at Weaver Cove, on the west side, for a ferry landing. In August 2016, the Town Council voted to form a committee to explore the idea of building a new landing in Portsmouth after complaints from several ferry passengers about the parking situation in Bristol.

“The logical thing is to make it a town ferry,” said Mr. Leite, noting that it’s “kind of wacky” that the ferry serves primarily Portsmouth residents but runs out of Bristol. “It could be a Portsmouth ferry and I’ll cater to whatever they want to do. I can take everything over that they have. It would save a lot of money for the town.”

Council President Keith Hamilton acknowledged receiving some e-mails from Mr. Leite, but said nothing has been proposed formally.

“Competition’s always good, but as far as I know he hasn’t reached out to the town,” Mr. Hamilton said, noting that Mr. Leite would need to speak to the town administrator and town planner before the matter is brought to the Town Council for consideration.

The council president said using town property on the west side for a ferry landing “would be a long process … there are deed restrictions at Weaver Cove.” A town ferry may not make sense financially, said Mr. Hamilton, who also expressed skepticism regarding a second ferry service.

“Do I think there’s enough business for two ferries to compete? No. I don’t think there’s enough traffic,” Mr. Hamilton said, adding that in any event, Mr. Leite would need to get permission from the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) first.

‘Same price as before’

Mr. Leite, however, said there are good reasons why the town and ferry passengers should consider a second service. First off, he said he’d charge the same fares as before, which he said are considerably lower than those offered by A&R Marine.

“It’s $60 for a car roundtrip and we were charging $36, or something like that. It would be back to the old prices. We were charging $7 roundtrip for a person,” he said. The adult, one-way fare offered by A&R Marine — doing business as Prudence Bay Islands Transport — is $5.40 each way.

Mr. Leite also said the Mt. Mansfield is better equipped for heavier vehicles. “The boat that I have can cater to all the town’s trucks, the DPW stuff. A&R can’t really take the load that this boat can. I can take two cement trucks at the same time,” he said.

He’s also heard passengers complain of the amenities on A&R’s boat. 

“They bashed us and smeared us about bathrooms and heat. We talked about toilets for eight hours at the PUC meeting. Then they got their service and everyone’s sorry they did it. They’re late all the time and half the time (the bathrooms) don’t even work,” he said.

A&R responds

Stephen Antaya, president of A&R Marine Corp., denied there are any issues with the company’s boats.

“We got into this service with a commitment to all of the passengers and we make a real effort that we’re providing the best possible service, including restroom facilities,” he said.

The primary boat’s limited capacity is only temporary, he said, because of the sorry state of the Bristol dock. A&R is asking each town to contribute $75,000 toward the cost of the repairs, which Mr. Antaya said will allow for heavier loads on the ferry. (The Bristol Town Council will discuss the issue on Jan. 23. At its last meeting, the Portsmouth Town Council tabled action until its Jan. 25 meeting.)

“The ramp on the island can handle any highway load … and we’re working with the Town of Bristol to rebuild the dock in Bristol to have the same capacity as the dock on Prudence. There’s no issue with capacity with the boat or the ramp. And, if you talk to our passengers, our facilities are exemplary,” said Mr. Antaya.

As for Mr. Leite’s claim that he would offer cheaper fares, Mr. Antaya responded, “I can’t comment on that. He’s got his own cost structure and I’ve got mine.”

The idea of a competing ferry service is nothing new, Mr. Antaya said. 

“When we first got involved over two years ago, there was always the possibility that Mt. Mansfield would run out of Fall River. If he was successful in doing that, would it cut into our business? Yeah, it probably would,” Mr. Antaya said.

He added, however, that he wasn’t “too concerned” with any competition. 

“He’s been talking about that for over three years,” he said. “The ferry has been operated out of Bristol for over 100 years and we expect it to continue for another 100 years. And, we have an excellent relationship with both the Town of Portsmouth and the Town of Bristol.”

Moving forward

Mt. Mansfield is tied up on the Fall River waterfront, looking good and waiting for a plan, said Mr. Leite, adding he’s received “huge support” from islanders on the Prudence Island Ferry Facebook page, as well as in private e-mails. 

With the Town of Portsmouth’s support, he’d be ready to launch as early as this spring, he said. Without it, he’d have no choice but to sell the boat.

“It’s kind of a shame,” he said.