new tour boat operation gets underway.

From July, visitors and locals will be able to experience the whole Island from the vantage point of a high speed catamaran in just two and a half hours.

Wildcat Adventure Tours is bringing a specially constructed 48-foot-long vessel to Bermuda from Australia which will take 54 passengers on a tour around the Island in all conditions.

William Lawrence, who is behind the project with his brother Ed, said the venture responds to requests from vacationers who wanted to see all of Bermuda in a short period of time.

"That is what they ask for. We plan to go around on sightseeing tours at any time. It is being built to handle any of the weather that Bermuda has.'' The tour will last about two-and-a-half hours and operate in the morning and afternoon around the eating schedules of cruise ship passengers.

"We will zoom in for photo opportunities, explain landmarks and stay away from the reefs'' continued Mr. Lawrence.

"Without having to worry about traffic, what better way is there to see Bermuda than from the ocean?'' The catamaran, which cost several hundred thousand dollars to build, can top 30 knots but creates little wake or noise.

Trips will cost $50 per adult, half price for 12 years and under and free for four and under.

Once the catamaran reaches New York, the Lawrences plan to sail it to Bermuda in a bid to break the Bermuda Challenge record.

See the Island in a flash: From July, visitors and locals will be able to experience the whole Island from the vantage point of a high speed catamaran in just two-and-a-half hours.