The ferryboat On Time 3 returned to service on Tuesday, Nov. 5 after only two weeks and two days away. During that time, every square inch of the hull of the 44-year-old vessel was scrutinized. It passed the biennial Coast Guard out-of-the-water inspection with flying colors. Along with a myriad of smaller details, its bottom was cleaned and recoated with antifouling paint, the topsides got a shiny new coating of white enamel, the propellers took a trip to Plymouth to get rebalanced and the deck was recoated with non-skid paint. Since the ferryboats alternate turns being hauled out every other year, any repairs or maintenance to the underwater parts of the vessel must withstand two years of constant wear and tear on the ferry run.

While the On Time 3 was away, the shorter ferryboat, On Time 2, was solely responsible for carrying all of the traffic back and forth from Chappaquiddick, therefore the so-called vehicle “cut line” was temporarily suspended. Now that two ferries are in service, the “cut line” is once again in use.

A Thanksgiving open house and crafts fair will take place at the Chappy Community Center on Saturday, Nov. 30 from 1 to 4 p.m. The 2020 calendar CCC will be available for sale during the open house or you can order online or stop in anytime the office lights are on. Once again the photo contest produced a fabulous batch of Island scenes.

If you weren’t worried about California-type wildfires occurring on the islands, you probably will be after you attend an educational forum called “Fire! The Danger that Confronts Us.” A doctor of public health with firsthand experience of the fire tragedies of last summer will cover such subjects as personal preparation for a fire event and creating a defensible space around your home. The educational forum is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 20 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center.

Chappaquiddickers concerned about climate change will be interested in the second in a series of community information talks entitled Climate Solutions for the Vineyard. Adapt to the Impact is the subject of the talk that will take place at the Oak Bluffs library at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23. Four more monthly talks are scheduled. Check out their website at islandclimateaction.org.

According to a poster on the ferry house bulletin board, over one third of household refuse is food waste. If you don’t have a compost pile at home and you like to personally deliver your trash and recycling to the dump, now you can also separate out your food waste at home and put it in the community compost processor at the Edgartown transfer station or at Island Grown Initiative at Thimble Farm.

At the moment that I’m writing this, you can drive to and from Chappy by the beach. The situation can change with any storm. You will want to go during the lower half of the tide since you will be driving on the low flat sand on the Katama Bay side of Norton Point. High tides generally flood that area and obstruct that route.

Send Chappy news to peterchappyferry@gmail.com or slipawayfarm@gmail.com.