The drunken ferryman met Geralt, Dandelion, and Essi Daven as the group was leaving Bremervoord and were about to cross the Adalatte.
The trio was forced to pull the rope-operated ferry across the river themselves as the ferryman was near paralytic and was clinging to one of the posts on the dock. He was clearly in no shape whatsoever to do the job himself. When they tried to speak with him, all the man could manage were a few unintelligible syllables.