PHOTOS: All aboard – Key West Express shows off their ‘Big Cat’ on sunset cruise

MARCO ISLAND — The Big Cat Express, the new Key West Express catamaran offering round trips to Key West, dwarfs every other vessel at Rose Marina. At 150 feet long, and able to accommodate 300 passengers, the space between the two hulls is tall enough to take your runabout right in between and underneath. You might not even have to lower the Bimini top.

So it’s odd, standing on the Big Cat Express’s bridge, to note what the ship – it really seems too big to be just a “boat” – doesn’t have. There’s no steering wheel.

On the high-tech Big Cat, it’s all “fly-by-wire,” said Capt. George Blanchard, commander of the vessel. The Big Cat is steered by a small joystick, just as if you were playing “Pong” in a video arcade.

The Big Cat and her capabilities were put on display Wednesday evening, when Key West Express, in cooperation with the Marco Island Area Chamber of Commerce, hosted an “open house, reception and sunset cruise,” to give local residents a closeup look. Normally, the vessel runs from Marco Island or other Southwest Florida ports to Key West, but for this less than “three hour tour,” the destination was the Gulf of Mexico and a good time.

With calm seas, balmy breezes, and enough clouds to make for an interesting sunset, conditions were perfect for an evening afloat, and the Chamber Ambassadors, Sail & Power Squadron members, and just curious folks explored the vessel, settled into their seats, and of course, hit the bar.

Hitting the bar in a nautical sense is highly unlikely for the Big Cat, with the professional crew monitoring an array of sophisticated navigational devices, and a vessel that draws only three feet.

“This is all state-of-the-art,” said Capt. Blanchard, gesturing at the banks of displays. “We have it all – radar, GPS, chart plotter, AIS.” That last, AIS, stands for automated information system, and includes a transponder similar to those used on commercial jets, which interfaces with other similarly equipped vessels and the Coast Guard, transmitting location, course and speed data, as well as identifying the craft.

Another piece of equipment, ride control or stabilizers, ensure a comfortable passage, although, even without them being deployed, the catamaran is inherently more stable than a monohull vessel, as waves act upon the two hulls at different times, preventing it from rolling.

The Big Cat cruises at 33 knots, or about 38 mph, making the Key West run in “three hours, dock to dock,” said Blanchard.

Until Feb. 13, the schedule from Marco Island to Key West has sailings every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. From Feb. 14 through Mar. 31, excursions are daily, weather permitting, reverting to three days a week for April. The vessel departs from Rose Marina on North Bald Eagle Drive at 8:30 a.m. Ticketing and boarding, though, begin at 7 a.m., and “last call” is set at 8 a.m.

So by noon, you can be in Key West, and have a full afternoon before boarding the return trip, with “last call” at 4:30 p.m. and a 5:00 departure. Officially, travel time is given as three and a half hours.

Round trip fare is $146, $136 for seniors (62-plus), and $81 for juniors up to 12. Children under 5 pay only “applicable fees and surcharges.” You can also save money with advance booking.

Of course, nothing says you have to return the same day. So if you’re ready to spend a little time on another tropical island, where the craziness is right out in the open, hop on the Key West Express.

For more information, call 239-394-9700, or go online to www.keywestexpress.us.