Islanders love their ferries. They loved the stately old Naushon, the last of a line of truly elegant ferries to ply the Vineyard route, with her staterooms, leather banquettes and sharp bow that carved a smooth path through the rough chop of the Sound. They loved the steady old Islander, the double-ended iron workhorse of the Vineyard run for more than half a century that carried millions of passengers and hundreds of thousands of cars in her day. They have learned to love the Island Home, the newest ferry in the Vineyard fleet with her gleaming white superstructure, lift decks for extra car-carrying capacity, capacious seating areas and high-tech amenities.

And most love the Governor, the simple open-decked freight ferry that has been a humble presence in our watery midst for more than two decades now. Purchased for a dollar from the Coast Guard in 1987, the Governor is slated for possible retirement from the Vineyard run. If that happens, she will go to another owner, or more likely the scrap yard.

However much affection we may have for the Governor, statistics are not on her side: She was in service for just 87 days in 2010 and 62 days in 2011. At last week’s monthly boat line meeting, managers said they will examine alternatives for replacing the ferry that once plied the run between New York city and Governors Island.

Among the options slated for study are doing nothing, purchasing a used freight vessel, buying a new one with more truck-carrying capacity and converting the ferry Nantucket to a freight vessel. Converting the Nantucket would necessitate the purchase or construction of another car and passenger ferry to replace her — an extraordinarily expensive and unlikely choice at this juncture.

But it was a surprise to learn that the management study will also analyze the feasibility of freight service between New Bedford and the Vineyard. A little more than ten years ago trial freight service between the Whaling City and the Vineyard proved to be a colossal flop — despite an economy that was much healthier than the one we have now — and was quickly abandoned. The heated political warfare between New Bedford and the two Islands during that era remains painfully fresh in many memories here.

The mission of the Steamship Authority is to provide dependable, year-round service to the two Islands, as Nantucket governor Flint Ranney reminded his colleagues. For that very reason, the votes of the two Island representatives on the Steamship Authority – Mr. Ranney and Vineyard governor Marc Hanover – are afforded extra weight.

It is reasonable for the boat line to consider a range of alternatives when considering how to replace outdated equipment. But it is up to Mr. Ranney and Mr. Hanover to make sure the best interests of the Islands are paramount in any decision made.

In the words of the late Edmond G. Coogan, a Tisbury selectman who helped lead the fight for the Vineyard when powerful New Bedford politicians threatened to break up the boat line a short decade ago:

The ferry is our road home, our only road home.