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April 10th, 2001, 03:13 PM
<b><big><big>STUDENT VANDALS SMASH WINDOW OF NEW FERRY</big></big></b><font size="3"><br>
<small><i>by David W. McCracken</i></small>
<p> April 7, 2001 -- For the second day in a row,
at least one student from a nearby school threw a rock at the new inter-island
ferry Salacia on Friday, here for a monthlong trial. This one shattered a window
in the pilot house that will cost Boston Harbor Cruises $4,000 to replace once
it returns to the shipyard next month, according to BHC operations manager Kevin
Matthews.<br>
The incident occurred at about 3 p.m. as youths
were streaming along the Charlotte Amalie waterfront after being let out of
school. A witness on the scene who asked not to be named said the student who
vandalized the boat was wearing the uniform of Addelita Cancryn Junior High
School, pink shirt and dark pants.<br>
Matthews said it appeared to be the same student
who had thrown a rock at the $8 million high-speed ferry the previous day around
the same time. A call was put into police from the V.I. Port Authority on
Friday.<br>
Police spokeswoman Sgt. Annette Raimer said a
police report on the incident noted that minors had been seen running from the
area, but there had been no followup from the Juvenile division. She said the
press of vehicles along the waterfront area made it easier for the vandals to
slip away and suggested that BHC may want to set up parking arrangements for
passengers away from the waterfront.<br>
"It definitely is discouraging,"
Matthews said Saturday morning, "but at the same time we had a good day
yesterday," the first day of daily service in April between St. Thomas and
St. Croix. "We had good numbers onboard, and everybody was pleased and
impressed with the ride."<br>
The 150-foot vessel has a computerized
ride-control system that uses trim tabs on its catamaran hulls to automatically
adjust for pitch and yaw, smoothing out the seas.<br>
Matthews said he expected temporary repairs to be
made and new safety glass installed. But the original glass is custom-made and
contains an anti-fog heating element similar to that in some automobiles. He
said once the Salacia returns to the Boston-area shipyard in May, new glass will
be ordered and installed at a cost of $4,000.<br>
The vandalism will not affect the Salacia's
schedule in the V.I., he said. Matthews remained optimistic.<br>
"Obviously some adjustments will have to be
made, regarding security and even things like crowd control and parking. But I
haven't seen anything here that isn't just a matter of fine-tuning," he
said.</font>
<small><i>by David W. McCracken</i></small>
<p> April 7, 2001 -- For the second day in a row,
at least one student from a nearby school threw a rock at the new inter-island
ferry Salacia on Friday, here for a monthlong trial. This one shattered a window
in the pilot house that will cost Boston Harbor Cruises $4,000 to replace once
it returns to the shipyard next month, according to BHC operations manager Kevin
Matthews.<br>
The incident occurred at about 3 p.m. as youths
were streaming along the Charlotte Amalie waterfront after being let out of
school. A witness on the scene who asked not to be named said the student who
vandalized the boat was wearing the uniform of Addelita Cancryn Junior High
School, pink shirt and dark pants.<br>
Matthews said it appeared to be the same student
who had thrown a rock at the $8 million high-speed ferry the previous day around
the same time. A call was put into police from the V.I. Port Authority on
Friday.<br>
Police spokeswoman Sgt. Annette Raimer said a
police report on the incident noted that minors had been seen running from the
area, but there had been no followup from the Juvenile division. She said the
press of vehicles along the waterfront area made it easier for the vandals to
slip away and suggested that BHC may want to set up parking arrangements for
passengers away from the waterfront.<br>
"It definitely is discouraging,"
Matthews said Saturday morning, "but at the same time we had a good day
yesterday," the first day of daily service in April between St. Thomas and
St. Croix. "We had good numbers onboard, and everybody was pleased and
impressed with the ride."<br>
The 150-foot vessel has a computerized
ride-control system that uses trim tabs on its catamaran hulls to automatically
adjust for pitch and yaw, smoothing out the seas.<br>
Matthews said he expected temporary repairs to be
made and new safety glass installed. But the original glass is custom-made and
contains an anti-fog heating element similar to that in some automobiles. He
said once the Salacia returns to the Boston-area shipyard in May, new glass will
be ordered and installed at a cost of $4,000.<br>
The vandalism will not affect the Salacia's
schedule in the V.I., he said. Matthews remained optimistic.<br>
"Obviously some adjustments will have to be
made, regarding security and even things like crowd control and parking. But I
haven't seen anything here that isn't just a matter of fine-tuning," he
said.</font>