Think about it.

And forget the individual persons involved. Look at the entire operation.

It is absolutely ridiculous to think that you can prevent a terrorist attack by shadowing a 3000 ton ferry with a small boat. The capability of a terrorist using another boat to attack the ferry is certainly possible, however, what are the odds? The terrorist(s) have shown that they have extreme patience and that they will simply wait for the right place and time to strike. Providing a show of force for three (or six or ten) weeks will simply delay whatever they might have planned.

The show of force is, IMHO, designed to provide the travelling public with a sense of security. Ask any of the passengers how they feel about such behavior by the police and you will get a positive response.

However, if these agencies really wanted to stop a terrorist, all their actions would be covert.

I'm a bit miffed about the large expense of money for all these operations. Because of this BS, I can't even get my license renewed by the Coast Guard after waiting three months. They have no personnel to do it and the fact that I can't work without the license is of no consequence to them.