At last, the namesake ferry of Martha’s Vineyard and the newest addition to the Steamship Authority’s fleet has arrived.
The MV Martha’s Vineyard survived the rough trip up the coast from Florida and sailed magnificently into Vineyard waters this week.
At 2:30 on Monday afternoon, she arrived in Woods Hole. In front of a cheering crowd of SSA employees, Capt. Ed Jackson showed off the boat’s powerful new bow thrusters by performing a quick turnabout before pulling the vessel into the slip.
With a holiday weekend approaching, the Steamship Authority was scrambling Wednesday to provide reliable service in light of continuing mechanical problems that have sidelined the two main passenger ferries to the Vineyard.
Ferry service to and from the Vineyard has returned to some degree of normalcy as the Vineyard representative on the board of governors called for an independent review of communications and operations.
With two ferries sidelined with mechanical problems, the Steamship Authority will continue to operate through the weekend with just two freight boats, the Katama and the Sankaty, and the SeaStreak.
The ferry Woods Hole was pulled from service late Thursday because of mechanical problems, the Steamship Authority announced, adding to a series of issues with the boat line’s ferries.
The ferry Martha’s Vineyard was pulled from service again Wednesday morning because of a generator issue and is headed to the Fairhaven maintenance facility for repairs, Steamship Authority representatives confirmed.
Saturday night’s engine failure aboard the ferry Martha’s Vineyard has been traced to a poor installation job by an electrician working on the vessel’s recent $17 million refurbishment.
The ferry Martha’s Vineyard resumed service on Monday morning with the 7 a.m. run from Woods Hole to Vineyard Haven, the Steamship Authority confirmed.
The ferry Martha’s Vineyard was out of service and undergoing inspection Sunday after the vessel lost power off East Chop Saturday night and had to be towed back to harbor.
