Up until just a few days ago, if you were a visitor or off-island delivery truck driver who was headed for Chappaquiddick using Google Earth for navigating, you would have been instructed to come all the way down Main street, take a left onto Dock street, and proceed to the Chappy ferry. When you arrived at the ferry you would have been confronted by cars getting off of the ferry coming directly at you or cars boarding from the line coming down Daggett street honking indignantly at you as you attempted to breach the proper queue, or someone impatiently explaining that you had to go back two blocks, take a right for one block, and go another two blocks to get in line at the top of Daggett street, unless of course the line has spilled back onto Simpsons Lane, in which case you have to take the next three lefts to get in line on Simpsons lane, unless of course the line extends beyond North Summer street, in which case you would take the next three rights to get you to the very beginning of Simpsons Lane.

Now, however, when you ask Google Earth to get you to the Chappy ferry your instructions will be to proceed down Main street, take a left onto North Water street, then a right onto Daggett street, thence to the ferry. It’s a vast improvement over the old misleading route. A regular modern day miracle. It took half a year and three pleas to Google Earth on their feedback website to accomplish this. It’s entirely possible that I didn’t have anything to do with it. Perhaps it was a conscientious kind soul at Google headquarters who experienced the situation personally and fixed it. When I filled out the online form to instigate a correction to the route, I pointed out that the last 100 feet of Dock street is one way leaving the ferry and therefore vehicles should not be sent to the ferry that way. I suggested that they didn’t have to take my word for it. They merely have to zoom in on their own satellite photo to see the words DO NOT ENTER painted twice in two-foot-high letters on the pavement. Every once in a while, I would check to see if they had fixed it. Nope. Cars kept coming at the ferry along Dock street. It was actually supremely entertaining to see how drivers would retreat from their faux pas. Very few would back up to get quickly out of the way. The majority would do an excessively multifaceted K turn right there in the heart of the loading/unloading area. I’m guessing they would feel unfairly scowled at since all they did was follow the instructions given to them by a very helpful and mostly trustworthy computer program. Hopefully, eventually the map programs and apps will catch up with the Google Earth correction and misguided tourists seeking Mytoi Garden via Dock street will become a rarity instead of the norm.

Judy Buss and Paul Cardello will be hosting the first Chappy Community Center potluck of the season on Wednesday, Sept. 20 between 6 and 8 p.m. Please bring a dish to serve six. Throughout the winter and spring potlucks are scheduled for the first and third Wednesdays of the month except in December when the second dinner is held on Christmas Eve.

The Slip Away farm stand will be closed this weekend so that Lily Walter can take a few days off from farming to get married.

The Pied Piper ferry has finished its summer season. I recall that about two decades ago the big question was whether it was a good idea to have passenger ferry service between Memorial Wharf and America. It reminds me of the age-old adage regarding the very common human fear of change, that without change things cannot improve. It does seem ironic that many old photographs of the Edgartown waterfront show a big coastwise packet tied up to the wharf.

The MV Bass and Bluefish Derby ends on Saturday, Oct. 14. The next day the Chappy ferry goes on its winter schedule. The ferryboat On Time 3 also departs for Vineyard Haven to get hauled out for maintenance and Coast Guard hull inspection. With only one ferry carrying all the traffic, the shorter one of the two at that, expect to wait in line longer. You can help speed things along by removing your trailer hitch.

Send Chappy news to peterchappyferry@gmail.com.