The nonprofit organization, Chappy Community Ferry, will provide a public presentation on Saturday, August 17 at 10:30 a.m. at the Chappy Community Center about their proposal for future ownership and operation of the Chappy Ferry.

Voting for the Chappy Community Center 2025 calendar photos ends Friday, August 23.

The start of the Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby is a mere four weeks away. This year it runs from Sunday, Sept. 15 through Saturday, Oct. 19. As usual, when it ends, one of the Chappy Ferry boats heads up to Vineyard Haven for maintenance and Coast Guard inspections. This year it will be the shorter of the two ferryboats that goes out of service leaving the longer ferryboat to handle the fall traffic all by itself. It will be up to the ferry steering committee to decide if use of the cut line needs to be abbreviated.

I like to ask my harried hardworking friends if they have been swimming yet this summer. It’s mostly to commiserate with each other over the tough life we have here in paradise but also to encourage each other to take at least one dip before the water turns cold again. I always manage at least one swim.

This year it was beneath the ferry ramp. I was drilling holes up through the planks on the underside of the new Chappy side ramp. My granddaughter Erin was pushing bolts down through the holes. I was putting washers and nuts on the bolts and tightening them. The water was up to my shirt pockets. The socket fell off of the ratchet wrench. I could clearly see it lying at my feet.

In the attempt at picking it up with a dip net I stirred up the sand and it disappeared. So, I had to reach down for it. The water felt so nice and cool on my saw dust covered head and the salt water tasted so refreshing that I promised myself another swim this season. I could tell right away that I was just teasing myself. There’s always next year.

Shortly after I sent in last week’s column I remembered that also within walking distance from the ferry years ago there were two general practice doctor’s offices, a dentist, two stores with a fully stocked toy department and the home of a veterinarian who would gladly get up from the dinner table to examine a big snake with cataracts that my brothers found in the Beetle Swamp.