Destin Water Taxi Now Servicing Destin Harbor
By Jordan Swanson, The Destin Log, April 3, 2012
Around here, taxis aren’t just for landlubbers.
The Destin Water Taxi is currently operating in its first season of service since starting business in the last week of February. It serves the Destin Harbor and its immediate surrounding waters.
“The taxi caters to anyone that wants to go for a harbor cruise or get from point A to point B,” said Jimmy Crawford, the sole owner and captain of the taxi.
The taxi is a 26-foot, 1968 navy lifeboat that can hold up to 18 passengers.
“If I drop them off, I’ll pick them up,” said Crawford. “I won’t leave anybody hanging out there.”
The taxi operates seven days a week from 11 a.m. until late at night, sometimes running into the early morning hours, depending on the day.
“People staying on Holiday Isle use me so they don’t have to worry about traffic, parking or driving after a couple of adult beverages,” said Crawford. “People living on sailboats use the taxi to get to and from shore. “
The cost is $5 for a one-way trip and for $10 you can get on and off the taxi all day and night. Harbor cruises also cost $10 and last a little over an hour.
Crawford’s friend, Matt Ronk, first turned him on to the idea of a water taxi.
“I’ve been in restaurant management for the past 30 years and was looking for something different to do and have always had a love for the water,” Crawford, a licensed captain, said.
On average, Crawford has about 50 passengers a day.
Amber Peterson has been a frequent passenger during the past week.
“I live at Harbor Lights, so he picks me up at my dock,” said Peterson. “I work on the harbor, I drink on the harbor, I eat lunch on the harbor.”
Peterson has been taking the water taxi four times a day for the last week or so.
“He’s pretty quick – I just send him a text message and he’s at my dock usually within like ten or fifteen minutes,” said Peterson. “He doesn’t have to go that far, so he’s always pretty close.”
Crawford said that it takes about 25 minutes for him to go from one end of the harbor to the other, so he’s never too far away from any potential passengers in the area.
A first-time passenger, Laura Ragland, was enjoying a $10 harbor cruise with her friend, Melissa Erbert, who was visiting from Huntsville, Ala.
“Today has been worth way more than ten dollars for me,” said Ragland. “We’re having fun.”
Ragland has a condo at Sandpiper Cove and was picked up behind Louisiana Lagniappe. Ragland and Erbert had been on the water taxi for almost four hours, and it didn’t look like they were ready to get off any time soon.
Another passenger, Michael Stone, has been friends with Crawford for 20 years.
“Ten dollars to go ride on a boat all day long, are you kidding me?” said Stone.
As for the immediate surrounding waters that Crawford can take passengers, there are some restrictions.
“I can drop them off at Crab Island if there’s a boat I can put them on,” said Crawford. “I can put them on a dock, the shore, or a boat — I just can’t go drop them on a sand bar.”
He also doesn’t operate during inclement weather, and the Gulf is off-limits.
“I can’t go out in the Gulf. I can go to the end of the pass, but I can’t drive in the Gulf with passengers.”
To contact the Destin Water Taxi, call Crawford at 850-499-6679.
“It’s the best and cheapest entertainment you’re gonna find in Destin,” said Stone. “No drinking and driving – that’s the best part.”
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