The ferry Martha's Vineyard gave a brief scare Saturday evening when a warning light cancelled the 5 p.m. trip from Woods Hole to Vineyard Haven, but technicians were able to fix the issue, said Marc Hanover, the Vineyard representative on the Steamship Authority board of governors.
The problem-plagued ferry Martha's Vineyard was returned again to service Thursday morning, as Steamship Authority officials pieced together a plan to get travelers to and from the Vineyard for the upcoming holiday weekend.
Business owners who rely on the ferry to transport cargo to and from the mainland have dealt with late and cancelled shipments that have cost them thousands of dollars.
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.
