I had the pleasure about 6 or 7 yrs ago to come to Nova Scotia via "The Cat" I came over from Portland ,Maine , It was just after the height of the highest security. The trip was wonderful and all personnel were very caring and very alert to what was going on,, I stayed in Yarmouth for a day then onto Halifax for 5 more days then back to Yarmouth for another day and met up with a Wonderful friend I had met on line and to this day we are still great friends and I love Nova Scotia. Then took the CAT back to Portland again. I hope that you will please bring back the-water way of transportation from the States .. Thank you

My husband, daughter and granddaughter had the privilege of taking the Cat from Yarmouth to Bar Harbour, the summer of 2010 - it was the best vacation seeing the east coast and spectacular ending to the trip to travel from Canada to the US. As I sit with my best friend, sharing the details - trying to find a ferry for them to do the same, we realized no longer. The ferry service needs to return - it was a great trip and one we had planned on doing again.

My wife and I met on the Scotia Prince from Portland to Yarmouth. It was a magical overnight cruise which turned into a wonderful 30 year marriage. We started our honeymoon on the same cruise as well as our 5th and 10th anniversaries. We were saddened to hear when the ferry stopped operating, and the past couple of times we have traveled to Nova Scotia or P.E.I. , we have ridden the Harley through New Brunswick, which is scenic, but nothing compared to looking out into the Bay of Fundy during the moonlit cruise. We really miss the ferry, Yarmouth and the beautiful drive up the coast to Halifax. Hopefully, service will resume soon.

Since the loss of the Yarmouth ferry, I have watched my hometown in Southwest Nova Scotia suffer innumerable losses. Each time I visit, it is to more shuttered businesses that used to thrive when the ferry was running. Inns, hotels, restaurants and gift shops were the first to feel the pinch but now, as more and more of these businesses close and fewer people can pay their debts or find steady work, we are seeing the suffering spread to many small, local businesses. Please help our beautiful villages in Southwest Nova Scotia by bringing back our beloved (and dearly missed) ferry.

My father was born in Sluice Point, Yarmouth County and I visited once as a child. I now go every summer to visit my cousins and do Acadian research. I used to fly to Portland, Me rent a car and take the ferry to Yarmouth. Now, I fly to Halifax and drive my rental car to my father's homeland. I have witnessed the town of Yarmouth, many of its charming shops and restraunts shuttered or struggling with the loss of the visitors, not to mention the loss of ferry service josbs, from the US and other parts of Canada even, who visited the town as they went on their way after landing from the ferry. Once reinstated, I will take the ferry and repeat my visits the way I used to.

My family has been visiting SW Nova Scotia for over 100 years. The irony is that Nova Scotia was easier to visit 100 years ago than it is now. While the rest of the world has become a "Global Village," the province has slipped back into the shadows, it's charm largely hidden from the outside world by its inaccessibility. The CAT got ahead of itself, delivering speed that exceeded the customer demand while failing to meet the needs of commercial shippers. We need to go back to a more traditional ferry, more economical, more practical, with a brand new business plan. We need the province to kick in while the route gets re-rstablished. And sooner rather than later.

I am from Austria and have buy a place for me and my family in yarmouth county. So my friend, my family and I spend our holidays in Yarmouth. If the ferry start this year we want to have 4 tickets in August to travel to Portland. It is also good for the business in Yarmouth County, because more people are visit this district. This is good for the canadian people in the future. More jobs. we love Canada and make advertising for Canada by our friends.

I am a small business owner in the South Shore of Nova Scotia. We are very much impacted by seasonal residents and tourists form both Canada and the US. I can't see any good reason not to have this ferry service which has such a positive effect on the lives of so many people. I am waiting with excitement to hear the outcome of the recent activity relating to a new boat and the re establishment of service from Yarmouth to Maine and back. I will make sure to book a passage as soon as the opportunity arises!

We have been spending part of the summer in the LaHave Islands for 25 years, and about 8 years ago bought a small house where we now spend two or three months a year. Staying that long makes it worth the long drive. But we have children who can only come for a week or so. Two of them have dogs, so flying is not an option. And 36 hours of driving takes too a large chunk out of a week's vacation. Having a ferry back would make all the difference to them and to other friends who would love to visit.

My family has summered on an island south of Shelburne since 1973. We missed the summer my father died; we have missed every summer since the ferry was discontinued. We didn't contribute enormously to the economy of Nova Scotia but groceries, hardware, tools, books, the laundromat, fruits and vegetables, gasoline, sometimes a car rental, repairs on the outboard motor, purchases at Frenchies, have added up over the years. We hope to see Nova Scotia and our friends again soon.

I am currently a student who attends Saint Mary's University in Halifax NS. I live part time in Halifax and Part time in Portland ME. Without the ferry running my only options are to fly from Boston to Halifax or to drive. Given the extremely high costs of flying I am pushed into driving the ten hour road trip multiple times a year in almost ever weather condition, alone. Although it is cheaper than flying it still leaves me with an extremely large bill to get from one home to another. The discontinuation of the ferry costs me ridiculous amounts of time energy and money. I knows many other students just at Saint Mary's alone that are in the same situation and would fluently use the Yarmouth to Portland Cat if it where available. I would just like to speak on behalf of all us struggling students that the discontinuation of the Cat has not just affected tourism but also has extremely affected our lives.

Planning to visit my family in NS this summer and cheapest way for our family of seven was to fly from Dublin to Boston with the hope of taking the ferry out to NS. Gutted to hear the ferry no longer operates. This complicates our travel plans.

I spent several days in beautiful Nova Scotia with my parents, having taken the Scotia Prince over from Maine. This was in the late 1990s. It was a great taste of "cruising." I have an old friend who will be going to Maine later this year and will have time to travel a bit. My intention was to tell her about taking the ferry to Nova Scotia but I learned it no longer runs when I googled it. How sad! My parents were especially impressed with the clean, fresh air, the friendly people, and the beauty of the place. The ferry was a great way to travel. Too bad it's no longer in operation.

Taking the CAT from Bar Harbor or Portland was, in itself, a significant contributor to a great vacation in Nova Scotia. I first discovered it as part of a bicycle tour and returned several times, in large part because the ferry ride was so much fun. Prior to discovering the ferry, my family and I visited the other end of Nova Scotia by driving the thousand miles through Quebec and Moncton. The ferry made NS part of our summer options and we terribly regret its disappearance. We are in disbelief that the governments of Maine and Nova Scotia could sever this vital link.

1953, after Boston summer schools, we biked to waterfront, boarded overnight ship to Yarmouth, slept in warm steerage. Studies/careers prevented return until 1968. bought Shelburne Cty. waterfront land 1970, camped with 4 children. Son, built small boathouse/sleepingft, our Outward Bound. Loving neighbors helped with carpentry, moorings, giving us fresh pies, cream, even chowder. Consideration! Took Bluenose from Bar Harbor many years, later ferried from Portland, always with kids. No kid-years, a teacher, I read, wrote and published curriculum guides in quiet peace. Put property for sale, fall, 1911. Spring, husband died, but daughter drove me to "Our Village" for glorious September. later bringing me home. She fell in love with the place. No longer for sale, it goes to the next generation. Cost to me, round trip air tickets for my obliging daughter-driver. The US should help subsidize ferry's two-way tourism,

We greatly miss this service. I was in the middle of planning an annual multi-bike couples motorcycle ride, and had decided on Nova Scotia, when learning that service was terminated. Without ferry service timing has made vacationing in Nova Scotia an option no longer. I keep the plan filed away, hoping someone will come to their senses, and stop throwing this tourism money away. It is the low hanging fruit. What was once an oft visited long-weekend destination seems hardly accessible now. Don't make me say, "win-win". Damn,... You made me say it.

We have been seasonal residents of Nova Scotia since 2005 and have found it increasingly difficult to get to Nova Scotia from the US. A Portland-Yarmouth ferry would make a world of difference in our trip and the number of times that we could return to Nova Scotia. M & J Hodges, Port Royal, NS and Denton, MD

My wife and I, along with my family on occasions have been traveling to Nova Scotia via the ferry since the 70's. we tried planning a trip in 2011 to return and were heartbroken to find that we could not take a ferry out of Maine. Needless to say we ended up canceling the trip and going elsewhere. We miss the ambiance and views that we enjoyed in the past. We would definately return if they reinstated the Ferry line, especially the Cat out of Bar Harbor!

Over the years, I have used the cat three times to visit my relatives, and fish in Nova Scotia. The experience was awesome.The Ferry's staff were extremely cordial and the accommodations were great. The best part was the speed at which the cat traveled preventing the passenger from getting bored. Whales galore! Movies, Casino, Duty free gift shop and handy center boat Grille makes for a pleasant trip. I am so excited that this is being considered again. Keep up the good work! Best Regards, David M. LeBlanc

My wife and I wanted to have a place in Nova Scotia where we could meet interesting people from Canada and the USA. We were very disappointed when we learned that the Ferry connection with the USA had been discontinued. We hope that a new Ferry connection will be reestablished again.