The water taxi would be faster but a lot more expensive. One of the benefits of the water taxi is clearing into WE and not waiting on the long line for C&I in RT.

There is a restaurant/bar at the ferry dock in CA. You can have a drink and look out over the harbor while you wait for the ferry. We have done the water taxi route but only when our arrival in STT was after the last ferry departure. When you factor in the cost of hotel rooms for the night the water taxi option makes sense.