Rough waves whipped up by howling winds led to numerous ferry cancellations over the Presidents’ Day weekend for the Steamship Authority, and impacts continued into Tuesday.
Vineyard businesses were also affected.
As of Tuesday afternoon, more than 70 ferry trips on the Vineyard route had been canceled since Sunday.
“Decisions to cancel service will be made closer to the scheduled departure times, so please monitor our website for updates if you are planning to travel,” an online post from the authority reads.
All of the cancellations over the past few days were because of adverse weather conditions. The National Weather Service issued a wind advisory for several parts of the state, including Dukes County, in effect until 5 pm on Tuesday. The agency stated that gusts blew at nearly 50 mph between Sunday and Tuesday. Wednesday is forecast for gusts up to 31 mph.
On the shuttle bus from the Palmer Avenue parking lot to Woods Hole on Tuesday morning, passengers exclaimed in exasperation when they heard over the driver’s radio that multiple upcoming trips were canceled — including the 8:15 am trip to Vineyard Haven that they were hoping to ride. Around half of the passengers exited the shuttle to try their luck on a later boat, while the remaining people and passengers who couldn’t get on a vessel earlier that morning rode the bus back to the parking lot.
Still, Patriot Party Boats have been running except for a couple of trips on Tuesday morning, so passengers could opt to take that service from Falmouth to Oak Bluffs.
Unlike the Steamship Authority, the Patriot doesn’t transport vehicles, so some Vineyard businesses have felt delays on their truck routes from the weather-based cancellations.
Eddie Cottle from Island lumberyard E.C. Cottle told The Times that while he’s lost reservations, the setback wasn’t outside the company’s expectations for wintertime weather. “We’ve seen it all,” Cottle said.
Bob Pacheco, owner of Reliable Self-Service Market in Oak Bluffs, said while they have missed a couple of trips, their inventory is in “good shape.”
“We’re hoping to get the trailer off tonight and return tomorrow morning, if the boats are running,” he said.
The Steamship Authority is waiving trip change and cancellation fees on Tuesday. Reservation changes and modifications can be made on the Steamship Authority website, by calling the reservation office at 508-477-8600, or at one of the terminals.
The windy conditions also caused delays and cancellations for Cape Air flights between Martha’s Vineyard and Boston on Tuesday.
