North American Windpower: Cape Wind, Hy-Line Cruises Announce Plans For Eco Tour, Visitor Center

Cape Wind, Hy-Line Cruises Announce Plans For Eco Tour, Visitor Center

by NAW Staff on Tuesday 22 March 2011

Hy-Line Cruises and Cape Wind have announced plans for a new Eco Tour and Visitor Center, which will allow residents and tourists to take a ferry out to Cape Wind's proposed 130-turbine wind farm in Massachusetts. Hy-Line has been operating its ferry service to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, Mass., for more than 50 years, and it will augment that service with guided tours of the Cape Wind project during construction and after completion.

Hy-Line had initially objected to the Cape Wind project, citing navigational and public-safety issues. However, concerns about these issues were resolved after Hy-Line was assured that navigational and public-safety concerns would be mitigated by Cape Wind and the U.S. Coast Guard.

About a year ago, the company engaged in discussions with Cape Wind about the potential of an eco tour industry at Cape Cod after monitoring the growth and potential of this sector in conjunction with offshore wind development in Europe.

"Hy-Line is confident that the Cape Wind Eco Tour and Visitor Center at Hy-Line Cruises will promote the continued growth of our company and stimulate economic development and job growth and creation in Hyannis, Cape Cod, the Islands and the Massachusetts tourist-based economy," says David Scuddder, vice president of operations at Hy-Line.

The visitor center will educate visitors about the history of the Cape Wind project and energy use on Cape Cod, the U.S. and around the world. Specific emphasis will be placed on the history of energy use at Cape Cod and the Islands, ranging from historic windmills to whale oil, to fossil fuels and the new transition to a clean energy economy.

Hy-Line Cruises is working with the Cape Cod Regional Transit Authority (CCRTA) and others to tie into the inter-modal transportation system to service its site by using green shuttle busses servicing off-site parking at the CCRTA.

Hy-Line Cruises and Cape Wind also plan to work with Cape Cod Community College to develop a curriculum of credit and non-credit courses that can be used to educate and train students and others in the community so they can attain jobs created both by the eco tour cruises and at the visitor center.

SOURCE: Cape Wind LLC

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