Soon Maggie McDonogh’s ferry fleet will be crossing Racoon Strait powered by electricity, including some solar-generated.
She’s received a huge helping hand from state and federal funds to convert two of her ferries and to build a new EV ship to comply with the state’s goal of converting fleets of short-run ferries to electricity-powered vessels.
Without that help, McDonogh’s woman-led and family-run transit system would not have been able to afford to meet the state deadline, part of California’s ambitious initiative to go greener in the face of climate change.
That would have threatened the Tiburon-to-Angel Island service that the McDonoghs have run for 65 years.
The estimated cost – $24 million – is not a sum within reach for most short-distance operators.
An estimated 100,000 passengers a year rely on its ferries to get to and from the state park.
Now, the Tiburon-to-Angel Island ferry is part of a state pilot aimed at providing examples of successful compliance.
McDonogh adds that the conversion is also about doing the right thing to do to protect the environment for future generations.
The Angel Island-Tiburon Ferry will soon be the first zero-emission fleet in the state.
Conversion of the 400-passenger Angel Island Ferry from diesel power to being propelled by two electric motors is expected to be completed and Coast Guard certified by the end of 2025.
The ferry’s 104-passenger vessel, Bonita, will undergo a similar conversion, but earlier than the Angel Island.
In addition, the company will be adding a new vessel, a 100-passenger New Zealand-built EV catamaran, including solar power and two wing sails. The faster boat will be a plug-in hybrid, able to make diesel-free trips to Angel Island and back, but equipped with fuel-efficient power and design that can be used for longer excursions that Angel Island Ferry also offers.
The contract with the New Zealand-based shipbuilder was recently celebrated with a gathering at Pier 9 in San Francisco, where among the attendees were New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Rep. Jared Huffman.
The grant also includes expanding the Main Street dock and installing solar panels and charging equipment needed for the fleet.
McDonogh has called the conversion a “monumental endeavor,” but it is one that has won support from a network of sources, including state and federal agencies, support from Pacific Gas and Electric Co., San Rafael-based Green Yachts and the town of Tiburon, which applied for the state grant on behalf of McDonogh’s business that has set deep roots in town.
It is a public-private partnership fulfilling a commitment to create a model for change and to work together to advance the state’s green goals.
Visitors to the environs of Angel Island will soon be making zero-emission trips back and forth across Racoon Strait. They will be sailing on a pilot project demonstrating what can be accomplished when parties work together toward change.
