The new high-speed Cat ferry left Yarmouth for Portland for the first time Wednesday morning with more than 100 passengers onboard.

Curious onlookers dotted the shoreline as the ferry set off on its inaugural voyage.

“I wanted to come see the boat leave, definitely,” said Fred Jacquard. “It’s a great thing for Yarmouth.”

The round-trip will be made almost every day until September.

“Getting back to Portland is a lot quicker for us and it’s more efficient,” said American tourist Chris Beaulac. “I feel like it will be a pretty fun adventure as well.”

“I’m a fisherman. I’m from Briar Island, so this is the quickest way to get there,” said Nova Scotia traveller Kenney Graham.

The provincial government has faced harsh criticism over the nearly $33-million subsidy it’s giving Bay Ferries to operate the service for the next two years. But many Yarmouth residents say they are optimistic about the future.

“As for the money, I think, no I’m not concerned,” said Melanie Boudreau.

“We’ve weathered the storm and we’re ready to get going and set sail,” said Yarmouth Mayor Pam Mood, who boarded the ferry for Portland Wednesday morning.

Mood has been encouraging businesses to get ready for what she says is sure to be a busy summer.

“Increasing the square footage, anything they could do because they know it’s going to be crazy,” she says. “It’s going to be a crazy summer.”

Businesses around town have been upgrading old facades and splashing on fresh coats of paint in preparation for an influx of visitors, but there are still a number of empty storefronts on Main Street.

“There’s a big push to put more businesses in the downtown area so the landlords have been working with us and giving us half-decent deals on the rent,” says business owner Kendall Adams.

Bay Ferries says it won’t be releasing passenger data, so whether local businesses see a spike in customers and sales will be a key indicator of the ferry’s success.

“We’ll have a general sense in the community from an economic standpoint,” says Nova Scotia Liberal MLA Zach Churchill. “We’ll know with room bookings. We’ll know how our businesses are doing.”

The Cat left Portland Wednesday afternoon and is expected to dock in Yarmouth around 9 p.m. The community has a welcome celebration planned for when it arrives.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Sarah Ritchie