BOATLOAD
An app for Fire Island Pines and Cherry Grove Ferry times.
I was talking to a friend the other day about how I have all of these ideas. I start working on one, only to have another big, bright, shiny idea pull me away from what I was initially working on. Maybe I just happened to be on the phone with the right person, because they validated me.
They reminded me that I’m a creative person. Of course I’m going to have a lot of ideas. And this isn’t our parents’ and grandparents’ generation, where you get one job and stay there until retirement. It’s really just not in the cards for me to do one thing forever and ever.
Also, one of my biggest strengths is launching. A lot of people have ideas and that’s where they start and end. I bring my ideas to life. I have concrete proof of them existing in the world, and even if they amount to nothing, it’s nice for me to have them to look back on. And I truly believe that every creative project is just a stepping stone toward your next big success!
That said, I’ve been in the kitchen, y’all! And I have a few things launching this summer that I’m really excited to share. The first is for my Fire Island peeps.
Introducing BOATLOAD
A website and mobile app that simplifies the ferry schedule between the mainland and the island. The website is live right now at boatload.app.
Check it out, and save it to your phone’s home screen.
The features
Whenever you open it, it always shows you the next ferry scheduled to depart for both Fire Island Pines and Cherry Grove.
With one click, you open the full schedule for the day.
In two clicks, you open the schedule for any other day.
It understands triangle boats and tells you which community the ferry will go to first.
It has departure and arrival times, which come in clutch for triangle boats, especially when you have a train to catch.
It knows when a boat is running on a holiday schedule and shows the correct corresponding trips.
It lets you set reminders for individual ferries.
And this is just my v1.0, so there are more features on the way.
Why I built this
I wanted to make understanding ferry departures and arrivals as simple as possible. Even as a Fire Island vet, I’ve gotten confused or messed it up. Showed up at the terminal at the wrong time because I was looking at the wrong neighborhood or the wrong day. And if it can be confusing for vets, imagine how it is for first-timers!
I need my Fire Island peeps to test the mobile app
I’m launching the iOS and Android apps in beta, and I need you to test them and give me feedback. If you’re interested, you can either reply directly to this email or message me at hello@boatload.app. Make sure to include your name and operating system (iOS or Android). Once the beta is live, I’ll run it for two weeks before launching it publicly.
Really excited to get your feedback.
Please tell everyone you think might appreciate this!
P.S. — Want to reach everyone heading to the Pines and the Grove this season? I’ll have a few ad spots available. Holler at me at ads@boatload.app.