Ferry boat serves as iconic starting line for Ironman

SANDUSKY — In the lead-up to Sandusky's first Ironman event, there was an obvious question that needed to be answered: How would the race begin? During a meeting in 2021 with officials from the city and Ironman, an innovation approach was floated by a local businessman. "I said, 'What about a ferry boat?' They all looked at me like I was crazy," said James "Jimmer" Kennedy. "I said, 'Yeah, we used to jump off them all the time when we were young deckhands.' " The Ironman officials were a bit skeptical but intrigued. "We wanted to use the pier, but that dock is somewhat challenging due to the height," Ironman race director Casey Gilvin said. "We wanted it to be functional and also appealing." At a follow-up dinner meeting, Kennedy, owner of TowBoatUS, and Don Huntley, who has been a ferry captain for 30 years, broke off into a conversation. "(Huntley and Kennedy) were bantering back and forth, 'This will work, this will work.' That's how it started, and it's the focal point of the whole race," Gilvin said. Huntley was pleased when the ferry boat idea picked up momentum. "They hadn't come up with a good plan to launch everybody," Huntley recalled. "We went through several scenarios: launching in front of the Goodtime, off a barge at the foot of Columbus Avenue. We came up with the idea of a ferry boat and we started making phone calls." The Kelleys Island Ferry Boat Line, owned by the Palladino family, answered. "On behalf of Ironman, the city and us, we really thank Mr. (James) Palladino for giving us the opportunity to do this," Kennedy said. "He's still around and he's still the boss." Starting with the first Sandusky race in 2022, thousands of athletes have jumped off the M/V Carlee Emily to start their 70.3-mile journey with a swim in Sandusky Bay. "There's no other race in our portfolio that does anything like this. It's unique; it's one of a kind," Gilvin said. "When you're on that ferry boat race morning and we're five minutes from starting and you see all those people down that chute, you're like, 'wow, this is awesome.' " Huntley and Kennedy were (pretty) sure the idea would work. When representatives of Ironman visited Jackson Street Pier in February 2022, they had to sell the idea again. "It was all frozen and they're trying to imagine what the ferry boat would look like," Huntley said. "We're like, 'yeah, it'll work.' We were just telling them it would work. We weren't sure if it was gonna work. Obviously it has, and it's become very iconic and it's something Jim and I are very proud of." The setting at the Port Authority dock has proven to be perfect — better than another site that was considered. Kennedy is the longtime manager of the Paper District Marina, which was discussed as another option. "It would be a pretty hard logistical thing," Huntley said. "Jim and I are pretty good at running boats, but I wouldn't want to have to spin one of those in there." Instead, the marina is where the 1.2-mile swim portion of the triathlon ends. Swimmers use a portable dock to get to the transition area and prepare for a 56-mile bike ride. Huntley, who was born and raised in the area, will bring the Carlee Emily from its dock on the west side of downtown to the pier Saturday afternoon and make sure it's secure. Kennedy will help him. "We literally strap the boat in with ratchet straps because we keep it suspended off the dock," Huntley said. Huntley, who works for Marysville Marine Distributors in Port Clinton and started with Newman Boat Line in 1995, will be back on the boat at 3 a.m. Sunday. A few hours later, more than a thousand athletes will begin boarding the boat, which was built in the late 1980s. "The athletes are so friendly," he said. "When you have thousands of people coming up and thanking you for the work you're doing, it is so nice. I was blown away that first year with how nice everybody was. "I think it's awesome for the city to bring people here and showcase Lake Erie." Gilvin agrees. He's a big fan of the starting area, which has become a popular spot for Ironman spectators. "We didn't envision we were gonna have all these spectators down the side and it just happened. That makes it special," he said. "We had a guy on the site team last year and he was helping with the swim. He was crying and I said, 'Dude, what's wrong?' He said, 'This is amazing.' " It will take about 45 minutes for all of the triathletes to jump off the ferry boat's ramp, which is set at a 20-degree angle. Of the volunteers who help the athletes on boat, five have been with Huntley and Kennedy for all of the Sandusky races: team leader Brad Downs and Linda Carol, Sara Boyer, Karen Lamb and Corey Majoy. They make sure that three athletes hit the water every five seconds. "We'll just be wrapping up and the (race) leaders will be seven or eight miles on the bike and you're like 'how did that happen?' It's so much fun; It's a great event to be involved in," Huntley said. Once the boat is empty, there won't be much time to sit around. Island Fest — Kelleys Island's biggest event of the year — is this weekend. The Carlee Emily, which runs from downtown Marblehead to Kelleys Island, will be busy. "We're gonna actually have this boat cleaned off and on the run by 10 o'clock Sunday morning to get everyone on Kelleys because they need the boat," Huntley said. ""We'll transform it from a race platform to a car ferry. It's a lot of work, but it's a lot of fun. "Volunteers will help us strip the boat. We'll get the crew in, they jump on the boat and we'll take off."