
DATE: Tuesday, June 24, 1997                TAG: 9706250745

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E3   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY KRYS STEFANSKY, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   90 lines

THE ELIZABETH RIVER FERRY TRIP ABOARD PADDLEWHEELER TURNS OUT TO BE A BREEZE

A BOAT IS a fascinating thing. What makes it go? What makes it stop? How does it turn? Why does it float?

To answer all these pressing questions we took a ride, well, two rides. We drove to Waterside in Norfolk and headed for a short trip aboard the Elizabeth River Ferry.

We arrived at Waterside just in time to see the ferry headed toward Portsmouth. No matter, it would come back in just 30 minutes. In the meantime, we walked along the Waterside Marina and watched the Spirit of Norfolk back up from its berth and head out to sea. The cruise ship seemed to put on a show just for us, horn wailing, water squirting, flags flying.

``So,'' shouted our grinning 4-year-old, ``is that something or what?''

It was.

We leaned over the water to check out the barnacles on the pilings. We craned our necks to count the masts on the American Rover, a spit and polished tall ship with impressive rigging. We watched the tugboat Tidewater Star push three huge barges through the water as easily as bathtub toys. We discovered a water taxi, a delightful concept to us landlubbers.

In fact, we got so caught up in looking at all the leisure craft tied up along the wharf that we had to jog to keep from missing the ferry, now back on our side of the river.

The 65-foot-long Elizabeth River Ferry is a replica of a Mississippi-style paddlewheeler - quaint on the outside and in. We boarded right behind a woman who pushed her bicycle aboard. Inside, in the passenger area, we found real hot water radiators and wooden and iron benches.

We chose seats, looked around and spied a door. Curious, we headed back outside and discovered stairs to a canopy-roofed upper deck. There was no question that we'd sit up here at the back of the boat, the huge paddlewheel in plain view.

At precisely 11:45 a.m., and with a satisfyingly loud honk, we were under way.

The water churned through the paddlewheel, the breeze blew through our hair. We dangled our legs and chugged toward Portsmouth, enjoying a glorious view of the skylines of both cities. On the way we admired cranes, tugs, bridges and cars.

Five minutes later the wheel slowed and we tied up.

As we stepped off, we saw a billboard with a big map of Portsmouth's downtown. Many of its highlights are within easy walking distance of the ferry gangway: Historic Hill House, Olde Towne, the Lightship Museum, Naval Shipyard Museum, Children's Museum of Virginia, several art galleries, the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and Trinity Episcopal Church.

We headed for Portside and an alfresco lunch. The concessions in this collection of open-air kiosks run the gamut. We were able to satisfy every taste in our group, from grilled cheese to Chinese chicken and ice cream for dessert.

The Portsmouth Visitor Center is just a stone's throw from the ferry pier. Here we discovered clean restrooms. We also found our ferry captain, Ken Howerton, who was taking a break between trips.

The ferry, he told us, can carry 150 passengers. It can get busy on weekends, especially during waterfront festivals. On regular days, there's plenty of room for bikes and strollers. Pets on leashes are welcome.

A new dock is being readied, the captain told us. Very soon, passengers will debark at High Street in Portsmouth, two blocks from Portside.

Our trip back across the river was also fun. This time, we had the company of a dog, his owners, and several moms with kids in strollers and grandparents in tow. One mom and two preteen girls rode across from Norfolk, never got off and rode right back again. They had come just to enjoy the warm breeze, the smell of the river and the shoop, shoop, shoop of the paddlewheel. ILLUSTRATION: Photo

TING-LI WANG/The Virginian-Pilot

Colin Pasque, 3, plays with a toy gun while riding the Elizabeth

River Ferry with his mother, Tammy, and 8-month-old brother, Kurt.

Map

Graphic

IF YOU GO

What: Elizabeth River Ferry

Hours: On weekdays, the first ferry departs Norfolk's Waterside

at 7:15 a.m., the last one at 9:45 p.m. On Saturday, it runs 10:15

a.m. to 11:45 p.m. Sundays, 10:15 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. On the

Portsmouth side, the ferry starts running at 7 a.m. at Portside and

stops at 10 p.m. On Saturday it runs 10 a.m. until 12 a.m. On