45 millionth passenger rides Cape May-Lewes ferry

When Marcus and Jill Villecco bought tickets on a ferry departing for Lewes 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, they unknowingly set a milestone.

With their purchase, one of the Villeccos, of Jackson, New Jersey, became the 45 millionth passenger at the Cape May Ferry Terminal. Marcus and Jill rode the ferry with their sons, Boe and Vince, and were traveling to Delaware with three other families to go camping at Trap Pond State Park and then at Assateague Island, Maryland.

The Villeccos make the family vacation every year, taking the ferry across the bay. 

In honor of the occasion, DRBA Commissioner Shirley Wilson presented the Villecco family with a gift package of Cape May-Lewes Ferry memorabilia, free passage on the ferry Tuesday and a certificate valid for future ferry travel.

The Cape May-Lewes Ferry is owned and operated by the Delaware River and Bay Authority, a bi-state governmental agency created by compact in 1962.  The ferry is open year-round and has carried more than 45 million passengers since its inception on July 1, 1964. In 2015, the ferry service, which connects Victorian Cape May, New Jersey, and historic Lewes, Delaware, transported approximately 275,000 vehicles and nearly 1 million passengers.

For schedule, rates and other program information, please visit the ferry’s website at www.CMLF.com, or call toll-free, 800-643-3779.