I just checked the map. It looks like that ferry was doing runs of about 20 miles each way to and from the Jersey Highlands. There are similar boats in Milwaukee, WI that cross Lake Michigan to Muskegon, MI in about 2.5 hr. for the 78 mi. run. Such boats really move, often at over 30 mph. Taking the Jersey ferry would be a good way to avoid the hassels of surface travel. I bet it’s a bit pricey.
I had an apartment down on the battery for several years, and you could see those high-speed ferries zipping up the bay. Yes, they’re really fast and convenient, but they don’t maneuver well when they come down off a plane. Probably this guy was running a few minutes late, made a bad approach, and decided to gun it around into the dock rather than back off and try again—which would annoy the passengers and be an admission of error.
So he made a much bigger error. That’s my guess.
You are correct. Very fast and you pay for it dearly. This was retrofit with props instead of jets and shaved off a few knots in order to lessen its carbon footprint. It was also detested by the crew for its lack of maneuverability. That landing is in very heavy east river current with massive traffic especially at that hour. Thanks Obama, Bloomberg and your minions. You really do own this one.