Last Wednesday, the new owner of the Chappy Ferry, Brian Scall, held a listening session with community members at the Chappaquiddick Community Center. You can read a summary of that meeting on the Chappy Island Association website.
Brian covered a whole range of subjects. He has been very busy during his first 48 days as owner of the Chappy Ferry. He took over on June 25. Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Less than 10 days later he dealt with the July 4th weekend. I always prayed for a three-day northeaster to calm the reliably crazy celebration. I heard that Brian came through it fine. Lucky me, I wasn’t there.
In case you are wondering about some long-standing practices in the operation of the Chappy Ferry, allow me to elaborate on a few. The pilot house is on one side of the ferry, technically the starboard side as per the orientation of the engine. The exhaust muffler and stack are on the opposite side. The ferry captains prefer that the pilot house is on the windward side of the vessel if conditions allow. That way the exhaust is blowing away from the vessel and passengers rather than on to them.
If the wind direction shifts during the day, the ferryboat may need to be turned around. If there are no vehicles on board when it becomes clear that the wind has settled into its new bearing, the ferry will pivot on its way across the channel.
If there are vehicles in line with no break in traffic expected for a while, the ferries will simultaneously back out of their respective slips with only the crew aboard, perform a synchronized pirouette and return to that same slip. One day, a curious passenger asked if the pilot house was heavy and how did it get dragged across the deck without scratching it. She was actually disappointed with the answer.
Ferry owners and ferry captains don’t like surprises. At each change of crew shift, the ferry unloads, the gate closes and all of the hatches are opened. The crew looks for anything out of the ordinary. They may not be trained in engine maintenance, but they know when something isn’t normal. If an issue is discovered, we can determine how soon it needs to be addressed. At the noon shift change, each rudder is swung from side to side to make sure that all is well. The ferryboats themselves, the propulsion system and steering gear are all worked pretty hard. Identifying a problem early gives us the opportunity to fix it at a time of our choosing rather than having a breakdown in the middle of a busy summer afternoon. The On Time 3 ordinarily changes crew just before noon and just before 6 p.m. The On Time 2, being on a two-shift schedule, changes crew just before 1 p.m.
When there is an emergency on Chappy, the folks at 911 will let the ferry crew know immediately via a pager carried by the ferry captain. The ferries then complete their current voyage, unload and sit empty in their slips until the emergency response personnel arrive. Depending on the amount of traffic on Main street or if the only available ambulance has to come from Oak Bluffs, it may be a while.
We have learned from unhappy experience over the years that continuing to carry cars and passengers while waiting for emergency vehicles to arrive is courting disaster. The ferry crew, being human, feels the anxiety of the situation. If they have to ask people to hurry along, that’s when someone trips on the ramp or a driver gets flustered and can’t remember how to start their car.
Usually there are multiple trips to get emergency vehicles over as soon as they arrive. The ferry never wants to be the reason that an ambulance or fire truck are held up in responding to a crisis. When we are notified that the ambulance is on its way back to the ferry, the boat in the Chappy slip will remain empty in anticipation of its return. The ferry in the Edgartown slip will likely load up with cars and passengers, keeping a sharp lookout for activity on the Chappy side in order to get out of the way as soon as the other ferry gets underway.
We are acutely aware that it’s inconvenient to halt operations suddenly without notice. We will do the same for you when you have your heart attack or your house is filled with smoke.
This article appears in August 21, 2026.