The Chappy Ferry has always been a family business. And most of those families are closely related. Tony Bettencourt built the first motorized barge, City of Chappaquiddick. Foster Silva, his nephew, built the next ferry boat and named it On Time. Then George T. Silva and Larry Mercier each took a turn running the ferry service with those two vessels.
Then Jerry Grant bought the business. He just happened to be married to Foster’s cousin. Jerry built both the On Time 2 and On Time 3.
Then Jerry’s daughter took over the operation and was the first female ferry captain. Her cousin became the third female ferry captain. Now that cousin is married to one of the current co-owners. The Chappy Ferry has been not only a family business but it also has been one big extended family.
That it has always been in the care of an owner who also drives the ferry boats and maintains them is the key to the success of the operation.
During the past several years, two separate groups investigated in great depth the notion of assuming responsibility for the ferry service. Both found that one of their major concerns was finding a qualified and willing person to embrace all of the major and minor responsibilities of keeping the ferry operation in motion. That person would be at the beck and call of the ferry every minute of the day and night and every day of the year.
Even if such a person could be convinced to take on that burden for mere money, they would have to endure the reality that working for a consortium means that you have multiple bosses. And that, eventually, since people are only human, each would want to tell that person how do the job as they visualize it. That hired manager might quit after the first week on the job.
The next owner of the ferry will also be a family. This family, as have all the previous owners, will dedicate themselves to the Chappy Ferry with all of their heart, soul and worldly assets. I’m grateful for their willingness to give me the opportunity to finally go home and to turn off my phone, my radio and my pager. The ferry will be in good hands.