Now, I'm finally breaking my silence on the Yarmouth ferry. So, here it goes, I'm open to seeing a ferry operate between Yarmouth and Portland, however, it should be the right fit and I'm questioning if the Nova Star is the right boat for the traffic as it stands now. Hopefully year 2 would be better than year one as a little over 59,000 passengers traveled on the Gulf of Maine last season. Maybe since a cruise ferry last sailed in 2004 and a high speed ferry in 2009 made the route lose a lot of passengers over the years it has been dormant. Still, I believe if the Nova Star would have work in the winter months it could be even more viable in future seasons (unless the provincial government finds another operator for 2016) and I'm sure that STM/Quest had tried their darndest to try to secure winter work but failed last year. There is no doubt the ship brings a lot of tourists from the United States to Nova Scotia, however, I feel that we shouldn't be the only ones putting money forward to keep the ferry operating and the state of Maine should help out as well. Hopefully, Nova Star Cruises will have a great season this year and has the passengers needed to keep going and improve. This being said however, I'm very supportive of the provincial government's decision that it might consider a new operator for 2016. It will be interesting to see what unfolds in the immediate future.
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