The image of a fun-loving boat full of passengers in Hawaii may provide the slightest bit of wintertime relief for those of us snowbound in the Northeast U.S., but it also could be be seen as a harbinger for good times to come in the passenger vessel sector of the marine market. The spectre of a robust passenger vessel market — particularly for fast craft — has loomed on the yearly planning agenda of nearly every marine related company for many years. The anticipated “boom”, as we like to call them, has yet to fully materialize, but the prospect of increased ferry utilization and activity in North America continues to grow. Giving credence to this possibility are developments in the Gulf of Mexico region…