Plan your arrival around three marks on the clock rather than a printed timetable. The Real McCoy II leaves the Rio Vista bank of Cache Slough at the top of each hour, then at :20 and :40, through the night as well as the day, so a driver who reaches the ramp at 2:05 a.m. has a quarter of an hour to kill, while one who pulls up at 2:19 rolls straight on. The landing is on Highway 84 about three miles north of Rio Vista in Solano County, and across the water lies Ryer Island, roughly 11,700 acres of farmland with about 300 residents.
Phone before you set out as well, because of the two boats Caltrans crews on the Delta sloughs, this one has the patchier record. In 2022 the department's Inspector General found it had been out of action an average of 116 days a year over the previous five fiscal years, close to a third of the time, mostly through mechanical faults. The recorded message on (510) 622-0120 is the quickest way to learn whether it is moving today.
Paying is never the issue; weight can be. Cars and people on foot ride free, but the hull is rated at 80,000 pounds across eight vehicles, and Caltrans' environmental study for this crossing concedes that the heaviest commercial trucks, big motorhomes and some emergency vehicles exceed what the boat and its 1960s ramps can carry.
Three sailings an hour from the Rio Vista bank, right through the night
Departure pattern published by Caltrans District 4, with no end date, read on October 13, 2026; service status checked the same day in Caltrans' lane closure data and highway conditions report Caltrans — Delta Ferries · 2026-10-13
No toll at either ramp, but a ceiling on weight
Riders pay nothing in either direction, and there is no booth or machine at the ramps. The state's own Inspector General put the cost of running both Delta ferries at about $4 million a year in 2022, with no tolls collected to offset any of it.
| Car, pickup, van or motorcycle | Free |
| Person on foot | Free |
No charge per Caltrans District 4; confirmed October 13, 2026 Caltrans — Delta Ferries · 2026-10-13
Six parking spaces on the mainland side, none on the island
Rio Vista landing
Each twenty-minute cycle begins here, on the mainland bank about three miles above downtown Rio Vista. Caltrans counted six parking spaces at the ramp in 2022, two of them reserved for ferry staff. The concrete ramp was poured in 1967 and lengthened in 1976.
Ryer Island landing
On the island side the highway simply resumes, heading north along Ryer Island's western shore. There is no parking here at all, so walk-on riders bound for Rio Vista should be dropped at the ramp.
Where Highway 84 runs out of asphalt north of Rio Vista
Just below the landing, Cache Slough empties into the Sacramento River, and at the crossing point the channel is 750 to 800 feet wide. Highway 84 comes up the west bank from Rio Vista, rides over on the deck and then continues north along Ryer Island toward the Miner Slough Bridge, the only fixed connection the island has.
Ryer Island therefore has three doors: this boat at its southern end, the cable-drawn J-Mack on Steamboat Slough at its eastern edge, and the bridge at the top. On October 13, 2026 the J-Mack was shut for emergency work, which left the Real McCoy II as the island's only ferry. Washington runs a comparable no-fare state highway crossing at Keller on Lake Roosevelt, but that boat ties up at midnight; on Cache Slough the clock keeps turning until morning.
What to sort out before driving up Highway 84
- Aim for just before :00, :20 or :40
Sailings from Rio Vista keep to the same three minute marks every hour. Arrive at 3:21 and you will watch it pull away, then wait until 3:40.
- Ring (510) 622-0120 first
That number reaches Caltrans' Delta ferry line. The message is re-recorded each day and whenever something changes, and a voicemail gets a call back.
- Look up Highway 84 in the road report
Caltrans' highway conditions report, online or on 1-800-427-7623, names ferry closures by route. On October 13, 2026 it flagged the J-Mack under Highway 220 and nothing at Cache Slough.
- Heavy rig? Check before you go
The 80,000-pound hull rating rules out the heaviest trucks, motorhomes and fire apparatus, according to Caltrans' own environmental study.
- Learn both detours
With this ferry down, Caltrans sends traffic over the Rio Vista Bridge on Highway 12, up Highway 160 and across on the J-Mack: about 16 miles, 45 minutes. With neither boat running, the Miner Slough Bridge route is about 40 miles, 55 minutes.
- Walking aboard is fine
Pedestrians ride as well as vehicles. Neither approach has a sidewalk or bike lane, so keep well to the edge of the highway.
Why a judge keeps it running, and why it so often stops
The rule that keeps a crew on duty at 3 a.m. comes from a courtroom. In November 2003 a Solano County Superior Court judge ordered Caltrans to keep the original Real McCoy sailing at all hours on all 365 days, calling it vital for police, ambulance and fire access to Ryer Island; the order never covered the J-Mack. It weighed more after 2006, when the Rio Vista-based Montezuma Fire Protection District absorbed the island's own fire district and this ferry became its fastest way in. The present boat replaced the first Real McCoy in 2011, bought for about $4.3 million, and sails with a licensed ferryboat master and a deckhand.
Caltrans' press releases trace the rough years since. A hull failure on September 28, 2019 kept it out until February 21, 2020; a mechanical failure on April 9, 2020 lasted until June 12, with parts held up by the pandemic; the five-year Coast Guard inspection took February 11 to 24, 2021. It returned on December 18, 2024 after a complete hydraulic rebuild, and in February 2025 needed a new thruster box. Next come the landings: steel fenders instead of timber, longer concrete ramps for heavier vehicles and eight more feet of deck at each end. The water-quality permit arrived in September 2025, no start date has been set, and the crossing will close during the work, for five months by one Caltrans estimate and at least eighteen by another.
A propeller-driven boat that joined the route in 2011
Questions drivers ask about the Cache Slough crossing
Is the Real McCoy II running today?
On October 13, 2026 Caltrans listed no closure at Cache Slough, either in its lane closure data or in its highway conditions report. Breakdowns are frequent, so call (510) 622-0120, the Delta ferry line, before leaving.
When is the next boat from the Rio Vista side?
At the next :00, :20 or :40. That pattern holds overnight and at weekends, so the longest wait at the west ramp is twenty minutes.
Will the ferry take a loaded truck or a large RV?
Possibly not. The hull is rated at 80,000 pounds for eight vehicles, and Caltrans' 2022 environmental study says large commercial trucks, recreational vehicles and some emergency vehicles are too heavy for the boat and ramps. Ask the hotline first.
Do drivers pay anything on Cache Slough?
No. Cars and foot passengers cross free in both directions; nobody at either ramp takes money.
Which way round if the Real McCoy is out?
Caltrans' detour crosses the Rio Vista Bridge on Highway 12, follows Highway 160 north and reaches the island on the J-Mack: about 16 miles and 45 minutes. When the J-Mack is also out, as on October 13, 2026, use the Miner Slough Bridge, about 40 miles and 55 minutes.
Is there parking for walk-on riders?
Only on the Rio Vista side, which has six spaces, two of them kept for Caltrans staff. The Ryer Island ramp has none.
Why does this ferry run all night when traffic is light?
A 2003 Solano County Superior Court order requires round-the-clock operation so emergency services can reach Ryer Island, allowing only brief closures for breakdowns, bad weather and similar events.