Locals know it as the Patriot. Some old timers still call it the “Paper Boat.” Officially, it is referred to on the website as the Vineyard Shuttle. Whatever one chooses to call it, the vessel departs Falmouth town dock at Scranton Avenue, starting at 4 am, headed for Oak Bluffs Harbor, Monday through Saturday.
A family-owned and -operated business for more than 40 years, the Patriot has become a symbol of resilience and determination, often the last, best hope one has for getting on or off the island in inclement weather, or for a very early start to the day. And as the Steamship Authority ferries in and out of Woods Hole are increasingly seen as unreliable, with staffing shortages and often inexplicable cancellations, the Patriot is getting a well-deserved, time-tested reputation for reliability. So our senior photographer Dena Porter was welcomed aboard on a recent morning to take the pre-dawn journey and chronicle a day in the life of the Patriot, and to celebrate its valor.
The “Paper Boat” moniker comes from the fact that all newspapers come to the Island on it — the Boston Globe has been Patriot cargo since 1968, and to this day the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and other papers arrive each morning aboard the boat. But news is far from all it brings.
“We bring a lot of baked goods. Pain D’Avignon meets us with a truck every morning,” says Captain Jim Tietje (pronounced Tee-Gee.) “A lot of regulars are schoolteachers, nurses, lawyers, people working around the Dukes County Courthouse, and construction workers — a lot more construction workers than usual because of the housing projects on the Island and the need for early starts to the day.”
There are construction and Martha’s Vineyard Hospital workers making the commute on this transit. As a water taxi, it’s a straight shot — 20 minutes dock to dock, in good weather.
But the Patriot supply chain, so to speak, isn’t just human. Since the Lady D, a pontoon water taxi in Maryland, capsized in 2004, “All of these boats have been stability tested — you could put twice the load on [our boat] and it still wouldn’t capsize,” Tietje says.
On our crossing, for example, a long steel I-beam, loaded by Hayden Building Movers, was brought over, at the last minute. Four people carried it on, placed it across the armrests of deck chairs. The cost for an I-beam to be shipped over was not clear, but if one person can carry something on, the charge is $10 to $20, depending on size. “If two people have to carry it, it’s more. Auto parts are common, construction materials — even IV [intravenous] supplies are brought on-Island,” says Teitje. On our crossing, Maison Villatte’s Bob Pimental delivered French pastries and breads to the boat. Fresh scallops go off-Island in the wintertime. According to Tietje, “There are more scallops than Islanders can eat. A couple of wholesalers meet the boat and take them to market in Boston and other places.”
In the summer, some weddings would have no band, or the band would be stuck on the Island, if they didn’t have the Patriot on Saturday nights. The last boat on Saturdays runs from the Island to Falmouth at 3 am. And “after every Sharks [baseball] game, we take the visiting teams off. If the Sharks are playing away, we bring the Sharks home,” says Tietje. The game has to go on! As a 24/7 water taxi, “We can take up to 40 people for $350, if the ferry isn’t running.” Otherwise games might not happen. Meetings would be missed, courtroom arguments canceled. IV’s delayed. For many, the Patriot isn’t the “other boat”; it’s “the” boat.
At least there is ONE “trusted part of the island supply chain….for daily commuters”
all the little beautiful things about MV
Love this boat and service! Great crew too! They do a professional job offering businesses and clients a safe way to MV.
Wonderful story paying tribute to Falmouth/MV institution. I remember driving by the dock as a youngster and seeing the newspapers all stacked up, waiting to get put onto the boat.
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