Motorists trying to get from Red Hook to St. John have had to wait as long as four hours this week because two car barges are out of service. One, the Roanoke, was shut down by Coast Guard inspectors after an unannounced safety inspection. The Roanoke is the barge from which a Mack truck fell into the water about a week ago, too.
Another barge, the Captain Vic, is undergoing routine maintenance, according to the Virgin Islands Daily News. Both must be inspected by the Coast Guard before they can resume operations.
That leaves just one barge, the new, big, Mr. B., in service. Joyce Hrebek, a St. Johnian, told the newspaper the long wait at Red Hook was tough. "It got nasty out there."