MARGARET KNIGHT
508-627-8894
On Monday afternoon the ferry waiting line on the Chappaquiddick side moved back to its normal place for the first time since last November. It was finally warm enough for the asphalt plant to open, and Chappy was high on the waiting list. The hole where the under-harbor cable came up in the ferry line area was asphalted over, as were four more of the rough patches up the road. Some of the more bothersome potholes were filled on Tuesday. The Bay State Piping crew was cleaning up other areas at the Point and beyond for asphalting on Wednesday. After a winter of driving on the wrong side of the road to avoid the rough patches, with luck we will manage to remember which is the right side to drive on now. Nancy Slate remarked that for people who are used to driving on the bumpy dirt roads of Chappy, it was surprising to her how unwilling we were to drive over those rough patches. Dock street holes have been asphalted and the road is open to traffic again.
From looking at a front page Gazette article from August 30, 1968, we see that Chappaquiddickers’ relationship to the Chappy ferry hasn’t changed much since then. As D. S. Plumb said then, we “are aware and thankful for the numerous continuing acts of courtesy and consideration extended ... by the ferry owner and his ferrymen.” On the other hand, we usually have something we’d like to see change. Back then, 46 members of the Chappaquiddick Island Association went to talk with the selectmen about improving ferry service in the off-season.
In the off-season then, the hours of service were from 8 to 11 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m., with special trips on request at 11:45 a.m. and 1 p.m., and after 6 p.m. According to Mr. Plumb, people didn’t like to request a special trip “since they know it involves calling out the ferryman at a time inconvenient to them.” The change requested was to run the ferry from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 6 p.m.
Mr. Plumb suggested that if the change in schedule was not acceptable to the ferry owner (then Jerry Grant), “perhaps the time has come for the town to consider a modest subsidy to the ferry.” Others suggested the ferry be considered a public utility, and complained about the seeming paradox of the ferry being a continuation of the public highway and at the same time a private enterprise. Contractor Bob Marshall remarked that trucks and workers often had to wait, sometimes an hour and a half, thereby adding costs to the services. This all sounds very familiar.
Present owner Peter Wells remembers that when he started driving the ferry in 1974, the daytime hours were from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. with an hour off at noon. He started out as the evening captain, though, with hours from 7 to 7:15, 9 to 9:30, and 11 to 11:15 p.m. He also drove the early school bus runs, before 8 a.m. The ferry hours eventually extended through the noontime hour, and started at 7 a.m. In the 1990s (I think) the hours changed basically to what we have now.
The On Time II is back at work. She was called out of the extra slip on Sunday when the ferry lines looked almost like summer due to the great weather, school vacation week, and an estate sale. The bottom of the II is painted a beautiful blue, and it’s running very well after all its repairs. It has probably never been in as good a shape as it is now since the time it was built. So much has been replaced on the ferry that Captain Liz Villard calls it the On Time Two-and-a-Half.
Liz will be holding the annual Easter egg hunt at the Chappy Community Center at 4 p.m. on Saturday, followed by a potluck tea. All families on Chappy are welcome.
The Martha’s Vineyard Center for Living invites us to eat at Sharky’s Cantina in Oak Bluffs or Edgartown for its Dine to Donate day on Tuesday, April 26, from noon to closing. The Martha’s Vineyard Center for Living will receive 15 per cent of the food sales to help them achieve their goals of enriching the lives of Island seniors.
On May 3, Adult and Community Education of MV (ACE MV) offers ServSafe Food Sanitation Training and Recertification classes with Alice Robinson. There will be a Food Safety mini-course for vendors at farmers’ markets, street fairs and B& Bs on Wednesday evening, May 25. Introduction to Children’s Literature begins May 14. You can register online or by calling 508-693-1033, extension 240, or 774-310-1131 or by e-mailing lynn@acemv.org.
The Farm Institute’s Sheepapalooza begins next Friday evening with a presentation of the care and feeding of sheep, a light supper included. Reservations can be made by e-mail to cathy@farminstitute.org. Saturday and Sunday are filled with sheep-related activities. You can see more details online at farminstitute.org.
It’s a good time of year to drive extra slowly after sunset. The suicidal bunnies are out again. Along the main road they dart onto the pavement at the last possible second, just to test your reflexes.
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