Put-In-Bay shuttle boat heads to N.Y.

SANDUSKY -- A ferry boat from Lake Erie will spend the winter providing service in New York City.
The Island Rocket III, which is being leased to a New York ferry operator for the winter season, leaves this weekend for a week-long trek out the St. Lawrence Seaway around Nova Scotia to the Big Apple.
Island Express Boat Lines Ltd., which owns the boat, said the vessel will return next summer to its regular ferry service from Sandusky to Put-In-Bay and Kelleys Island.
"Since Sept. 11 there has been a dramatic increase in demand for ferry service in New York City," the company said in its announcement. The company is working with the largest private ferry operator in the country to provide daily commuter and other ferry services for New Yorkers.
The Island Rocket III, which is the newest vessel in the company's fleet, carries 149 passengers at up to 30 knots. It previously operated in Alaska before being acquired by the company in the spring of 2002.