MARGARET KNIGHT

508-627-8894

(margaret02539@yahoo.com)

Hurricane Sandy gave us a glancing blow. There was little rain, some wind, surf, high tides . . . but no houses fell into the ocean. Just as the wind was predicted to reach its height as it turned to the south, it petered out to almost nothing. At my house several miles from the coast, though, the surf sounded like a freight train coming through all night long. Three days later you could still hear it.

Wasque Point lost 24 feet of beach, according to The Trustees of Reservations superintendent Chris Kennedy, and 15 feet of upland washed away at the western end. The eastern end of Norton Point became a sandbar as waves washed over it at high tide, but the rumor of a new breach is not true.

The Chappy ferry was closed all day Monday, but open for business Tuesday morning. On Saturday Peter Wells had put up a sign at the ferry that read: “Ferry vs. Sandy. U.S. Coast Guard may stop ferry earliest Sun. night subject to change. Emergencies 911.” He was going to write “Shop Sunday; Monday too late,” but opted for a little more explanation. Although the Coast Guard closed the port of Edgartown as of 4 p.m. Sunday, the Chappy ferry was allowed to operate until winds reached a sustained 40 miles per hour, which didn’t happen until Monday. As far as emergencies, the best way to make sure you get to the hospital is always to call 911, whether the ferry is running or not. Emergency services will contact the ferry. Also, an ambulance is left on Chappy when there’s no ferry service, reachable by dialing 911.

Sandy gives us a lot to think about for the future. The rise of the wind-driven ocean during the storm lets us see what sea level rise could mean in the maybe not-so-distant future. For one thing, we should be thinking now about access to the Chappy ferry for those of us who live past Caleb’s Pond. During the storm, the main road along Caleb’s Pond was flooded, as has happened in past big storms. The road past the pond is through an area that’s basically marsh and sand dunes. At some point in the past, fill must have been added to raise the road slightly above the marsh. It will certainly need to be raised again, unless we want to consider ferry service starting at the bottom of Litchfield Road — or maybe we’ll need to take two ferries to get to town. And we may need a causeway to reach to the ferry ramp at the Point.

If you look at Chappy from above you can see that our island could easily turn into several islands: the Point and the Manaca Hill area (the main part of Chappy), and the beach and dunes from Wasque Point to the Cape Pogue lighthouse, and the Gut. Also, John Oliver Point would be a little island separate from North Neck, as it almost is already.

I spent a lot of the storm on Monday looking at pictures online. We did lose our power twice, but not for long. The Gazette’s great new website has many storm photos, including one Peter took of whitecaps in the parking area in front of the ferry ramp on the Chappy side. The wrack line on the Chappy side is at the top of the paved parking lot and on the Edgartown side it is halfway up Daggett street. Dock street was all underwater. You can see the photos at mvgazette.com/towns/edgartown.

Facebook was another constantly renewing source of information and photos. That helped keep me home instead of out looking at the sights. I always think of the story in the Chappaquiddick Weekly that Edo Potter and Ruth Welch wrote when they were kids, about the Chappy woman who was killed when a tree fell on her car while she was out driving in the 1938 hurricane. I managed to stay home except for a brief foray out to get quinces in what turned out to be the height of the wind. I kept thinking of that quince tree at my cousin’s house that I hadn’t gotten around to picking, and how they were probably all going to be blown off by the wind. The more I thought, the more I needed to go get them. Just as the wind picked up around 11 a.m. I decided to go, driving past raging Cape Pogue Pond and down roads crunchy with fallen branches. One of my proudest local food moments was biting into the dessert crisp I made all from Chappy fruit — quince, cranberries, and blueberries (from my freezer).

Blinding headlights continue to be a problem for the Chappy ferry captains. During an early trip on Wednesday morning, Captain Charlie Ross had to abandon his first approach to the Chappy slip because he couldn’t make out the corners of the slip. Peter points out, “When you drive your car down the road, the cars coming at you momentarily blind you with their headlights. Your headlights do the same thing to the ferry captains, but with the added reflection off the water.” He said people have told him they don’t know how to shut off their headlights. The easiest way is to shut off the engine, and I’ve read that’s the best choice economically if you need to wait more than 10 seconds. If it’s winter and you need heat, you can try what works in both Sidney’s and my cars: you put on the parking brake, shut off the engine, then start the car again and the automatic lights don’t come on. You can also check your car’s manual or call the dealer to see how to shut off the automatic headlights. Peter says, “I was thinking about putting up a mirror where you could see your own reflection, and then maybe drivers would realize how bright their lights are. I’m always open to suggestions. But really, you’ve got to shut them off.” The Ferry Captain and Crew Appreciation Potluck is coming up at the community center on Dec. 5. Let’s appreciate them now, as well as helping them get us where we need to go.

The next potluck at the Chappy Community Center on Wednesday, Nov. 5 will be hosted by Judy Buss and Paul Cardello. Appetizers start at 6 p.m. and dinner starts at 6:30 p.m. No doubt there will be plenty to talk about the day after elections.

The CCC is excited to report that new clerestory windows are being installed, replacing the leaky rotting windows and making the building tighter than before. They want to give thanks to all those who have donated to the Cressy Building Fund making these and other repairs possible.

Preorder forms for the CCC’s 2013 calendar are available for pickup at the center, at the Point or by download at chappycommunitycenter.org. Calendars are scheduled for pickup over Thanksgiving weekend. Any volunteers for the potluck on Dec. 5 or the Christmas Eve dinner on Dec. 24, please contact the community center at 508-627-8222.

Election day is Tuesday, Nov. 6. Polls will be open at the town hall from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Don’t forget to turn your clocks back on Saturday night. On Sunday Nov. 4, daylight savings time ends at 2 a.m. and we gain an hour. In trade for that one hour, the sun will set at the shockingly early time of 4:33 p.m. and will keep setting earlier until Dec. 1, at which time it sets at 4:12 p.m. until Dec. 14. After that it starts to stay lighter later, although the shortest day is Dec. 21, the winter solstice.