The Chappy ferry is now operating on the winter schedule, which means that the ferry runs continuously from 6:45 a.m. to 8 p.m., then 9 to 10 p.m. and then 11 to 11:15 p.m.

Only one ferry is in service now, so expect delays during the busy times. Check the waiting line situation by viewing our webcams at the Chappy ferry website.

The ferryboat On Time 2 is hauled out of the water at Packer Marine Railway in Vineyard Haven for its biennial inspection and maintenance. The Coast Guard performed their hull inspection on Monday. Our fixit crew did their own very thorough inspection before the CG arrived. The CG inspectors are also very thorough and didn’t see any issues needing attention beyond what we had already found.

This ferry was built nearly half of a century ago in Jerry Grant’s yard on Hillman Drive. He stopped by the railway the other day when he had a spare moment and we got a history lesson about the construction and evolution of this particular ferryboat. He feels a lot less affection for her than I do because he had to solve all of her various idiosyncrasies when she was first launched and during the following decades as the propulsion system evolved into the very dependable equipment that we now have. He did solve all of her problems, with Roy Hayes following in his footsteps to make further improvements, and she has been a fine ferry all these years. She is very ruggedly built and with the continuous care required of any wooden vessel she will be in service for many more years. She is the favorite among some of the ferry captains because she is more interesting and even exciting to drive compared to the On Time 3. Other than being a little too short to be capable of carrying three big pickup trucks at a time she is perfectly suited for her job.

Along with the usual projects such as cleaning and painting the hull, this year the wooden timber that runs the length of the center of the hull needs replacing. This chunk of wood is eight inches wide, six inches thick, and 34 feet long. It is basically a keel and serves to strengthen the hull as well as protect it from impacts from below. When the ferryboat is hauled out of the water this is the component of the hull that most of the weight of the vessel rests upon. Removing the old piece and installing the new piece requires supporting the hull in other spots with a dozen screw jacks. This project also involves removing the engine to allow access to the inboard ends of the bolts that hold it in place. With that very involved process and all of the other general preventive maintenance, the ferry will be out of the water for at least a month more.

I heard a rumor that the breach had reopened so I hightailed it out to Wasque a half hour before my deadline. There was evidence of plenty of wash-over during the afternoon high tide but no real breaching. The moon is full and in perigee, which means that it has its greatest effect on the tides. Combined with the southerly breeze I would expect an occasional wave to slop all the way over the crest of the beach and into the swan pond.

This fall has been particularly colorful here on Chappy. We are enjoying such a nice variety of colors. Unlike during the summer, when everything is green, now the dozens of predominate vines, trees and bushes stand out splendidly. Perhaps the leaves are responding to the big temperature swings that we have experienced over the past three weeks. On Tuesday the afternoon high temperature was 70 degrees. Last Saturday there was frost on the grass in the wide-open fields. Even with the daylight hours growing rapidly shorter this is a most wonderful time of the year. Luckily, Halloween is on a Sunday this year and the powers that be down in Washington had the great good sense to put off the end of Daylight Saving Time until the following Sunday. Remember years ago when they did it just a day before Halloween and the trick-or-treaters were stumbling around in near total darkness. Reminds me of the time way back when I was in the sixth grade and the A&P had a sale on eggs the whole week before Halloween.

Send Chilmark news to peter@chappyferry.net.