Take your car for a boat ride on the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. Trust me.

On an unseasonably warm Tuesday in early March, I arrived at the Lewes Ferry Terminal not expecting to find many other passengers for the 12:15 p.m. voyage to Cape May. Sure, the weather was wonderful, but who takes a midweek boat ride before spring even starts?

As it turns out, a surprising number of people. By the time I pulled in 35 minutes ahead of departure, there were already several dozen vehicles lined up waiting to be driven aboard the Cape May-Lewes Ferry.

The cars and motorcycle I expected, the silver Airstream camper and fancy tourist trolley waiting to board, not so much. The ferry holds up to 800 people and 100 cars and can accommodate everything from boats to semi-trucks, according to Heath Gehrke, director of ferry operations.

“We’ve even carried the Weinermobile,” he said.

I bought tickets for myself and my car in advance online. A one-way adult fare was $8 and a standard vehicle ticket was $22 (prices will rise a couple dollars in May). Checking in at the entry toll booth was a breeze and though the clerk didn’t ask, I told him — and everyone else I talked to that day — that this was my first trip and I was ferry excited.

The year-round service averages 750,000 passengers a year, three-quarters of whom ride the ferry between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Gehrke said. About 80% of folks take their cars and most people buy a round-trip ticket.

As I pulled into the parking lot, two guards directing traffic pointed me to one of the numbered lanes for vehicles and asked me to pop my trunk for a security check. They didn’t bat an eye at the helmet that says “PRESS” and the safety goggles I keep in my trunk. Nobody judged me for my missing hubcap either, a sacrifice the streets of Philadelphia demanded from my car this winter.

“It’s my first time, I’m ferry excited! Is there anything I should know?” I asked one of the guards.

“Just remember, when you drive on, go about 80,” he said, jokingly.

The ferry is one of two year-round crossings for cars between Delaware and New Jersey, the other being the Delaware Memorial Bridge. It was actually the success of the bridge and the creation of the Delaware River and Bay Authority which manages it, that led to the ferry. According to Gehrke, the bridge was so heavily trafficked and prosperous with tolls that the revenues were paying a bond issued for the bridge too quickly. The DRBA wanted to do more with the money so they decided to create a second crossing, the ferry, in 1964.

While the ferry doesn’t make money — about 65% of it is funded by fares, with the rest covered by revenue from the bridge — Gehrke said the DRBA views the ferry as a public service.

“It fosters commerce and business, so while the ferry loses money and will never make money in the winter, it’s part of our mission,” he said.

Once the brief security check of my vehicle was done, I was able to leave my car parked in line and scope out the terminal’s welcome center. Kenny Loggins’ “Highway to the Danger Zone” played over the speakers and the bathrooms were clean and well-stocked.

Accessible from within the welcome center is Grain on the Rocks, a large, airy restaurant with a wall of windows facing the waterfront that open to a patio in the warmer months. The restaurant was open, as was the Lewes Coffee Company at the terminal, but before I could think of ordering anything, an announcement came over the speaker that it was time to return to our cars.

Several ferry goers who were obviously more seasoned than me weren’t fazed by the directive and went to watch the ferry pull in along the waterfront. I joined them and was captivated by the slow, placid ballet the ferry performed as it pulled into the dock.

By the second announcement to return to our cars, folks started to listen, so I booked it back.

As passengers coming from Cape May to Lewes drove off the ferry, security guards walked around our cars with explosive-sniffing dogs. Once cleared, we drove (slowly) in a single file onto the ship, where we were directed to park in rows of two.

“Have a good trip,” I whispered to my little car, an 8-year-old beleaguered beauty who has been so dinged and dented in Philly that I think she deserved this boat ride as much as I did, if not more.

Aboard the ferry, I was impressed to find three observation decks in the front and back, one of which has a bar that’s open in warmer months. Inside there was a cafeteria, a bar, and a gift shop that sold everything from Dramamine to children’s books. There was also plenty of seating, including tables and many rows of comfy chairs.

Most of the passengers appeared to be riding for fun, including several families and retired couples. I learned from Gehrke that my voyage had 68 vehicles and 117 passengers on board — and I only saw one person on a laptop.

Gehrke said the ferry sees very few commuters and that most people are traveling for pleasure, to see family, or to get a break from the road.

I spent the first 30 minutes of our voyage on the observation decks, feeling the wind on my face, taking in the views of the bay and its lighthouses, and watching the ships and birds. I even scrounged around for a quarter in my purse so I could use the coin-operated binoculars on deck (which actually work!).

Just as I was thinking the ferry must be a paradise for birders, a voice came over the intercom.

“We got an eagle on the tower folks, eagle on the tower.”

I was worried that it was some secret code for the crew, but I soon realized there really was a bald eagle on top of one of the towers on the shoal.

Most of the people on the deck when we sailed out retreated inside within the first 15 minutes or so, as the winds picked up and it got pretty cold. But not me and not Renee Anderson, 72, her husband Roy, 77, and their Tibetan spaniel, Vegas (dogs are welcome on board).

The Andersons, a retired couple from Milford, Del., were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary by taking a day trip to Cape May. It was Roy Anderson’s first voyage, but Renee has been riding the ferry since it began in 1964. She even took a trailer of her horses on board once and loves that she can bring her dog.

“It’s so much fun. The staff is always so nice and a lot of time you will see dolphins,” she said. “It’s a unique experience and it’s wonderful in this day and age to do something that’s not really expensive. We couldn’t drive to Cape May for this price.”

It was a smooth and pleasant 17-mile ride, but the 85-minute trip went by far too fast. Before I knew it, the Cape May shoreline was in sight and an announcement came over the loudspeaker that we had to return to our cars.

Instead of getting to take in the view as we pulled in (as passengers traveling without their vehicles do), those of us with cars had to be inside them and at the ready, so we could exit quickly once docked. While I enjoyed the rocking of the ferry on foot, I found it surprisingly unnerving while sitting in my car.

The ferry docked on the opposite end it did in Lewes (the stern had become the bow, and the bow the stern), so we were able to just drive forward and right off the boat.

I could have purchased a round-trip ticket, but instead, I decided to drive the two hours back home. I swear that old girl hummed a little sweeter after her boat ride, and I did, too.

For more information visit cmlf.com or call (800) 643-3779.