Steamship general manager Robert Davis went to Washington, D.C. to talk to lawmakers about the proposed right whale protective measures as conservation groups call for a hard implementation deadline.
A simmering squabble over control of family-owned and operated Hy-line Cruises, which provides high-speed ferry service between Hyannis and the Islands, erupted into public view Tuesday at an SSA meeting.
For the first time since 1960 a Hy-Line ferry docked in Edgartown on Tuesday morning, part of a test run for Christmas in Edgartown plans to see if the vessel could dock at Memorial Wharf.
Expanding transportation services among airlines, ferries, buses and trains have made the Vineyard more accessible than ever this summer.
Four airlines are now operating summer service between the Island and three major metropolitan areas. And two months ago train service began between Boston and the Cape that connects with a shuttle to the Steamship Authority.
Hy-Line Pitches Fast Ferry, Year-Round Service to Link Oak Bluffs
and Hyannis
By JAMES KINSELLA Gazette Senior Writer
In a move that would tie Martha's Vineyard even more closely
to the mainland, Hy-Line Cruises wants to launch year-round fast ferry
service between Hyannis and Oak Bluffs by next May.
The high-speed ferry operation proposed by the Hyannis-based company
would become the second such service started within a year between the
Vineyard and the mainland.
The Vineyard will lose Hy-Line Cruises’ high-speed ferry connection to Hyannis for the remainder of the season, following a major fire aboard the vessel Lady Martha last week.
Hy-Line vice president for marketing Philip Scudder said yesterday there was no way the damaged ferry could be back in service before the end of the season, Oct. 31, and he said the company’s efforts to find an alternative vessel had been unsuccessful.
The options for getting to the Vineyard, particularly at times other than the summer high season, continue to diminish.
Following the recent cutbacks in off-season high-speed services to the Island from New Bedford by the New England Fast Ferry, two more boat lines have flagged their intention to reduce the number of runs they do to the Island.
Hy-Line Cruises has notified the Steamship Authority, which licenses ferry service to the Island, that it intends to shorten by two months its operating season between the Vineyard and Hyannis.
Steamship Authority governors have opted to take a hit of up to $160,000 to boat line revenues this year so high-speed services to Nantucket can be maintained in the face of falling patronage.
Ellen Lonergan has been promoted to the position of treasurer/controller for Hy-Line Cruises, following the retirement of Mark Joseph, who had held the job since 1972. Ms. Lonergan, with the company since 1978,has been working as the assistant treasurer and supervising the ticketing and reservation department. Hy-Line Cruises is a family-owned company and operates harbor cruises, fishing trips, and Island ferries. Hy-Line celebrates their 50th anniversary in business next year.
For almost a decade, the two major ferry operators in the Cape and Islands were united in trenchant opposition to Cape Wind. Suddenly though, one operator sees the wind farm as a major tourism opportunity, while the other maintains it is a navigational hazard.
The one that changed position was Hy-Line Cruises, which announced this week that it was partnering with Cape Wind to develop eco-themed tours of the 130-turbine wind farm in Nantucket Sound, both during construction and operation.
