Islanders weather three-day nor’easter 

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Martha’s Vineyard is slowly coming out of a long-lasting nor’easter that hit the Island over the three-day weekend. Residents are digging their boats off of beaches after they broke free of moorings and washed ashore, and floods are receding from some low-lying areas.

While there were some scattered outages, ferry cancellations, and some trees reported down in local roads, the National Weather Service reports that the Vineyard dodged the bull’s-eye of the storm, receiving 2 to 3 inches of rain since Sunday; locations further north, like the Cape, received upwards of 5 inches. The highest wind gust reported on the Island was 53 miles per hour, recorded at the Martha’s Vineyard Airport. 

The weather service also reported minor flooding, namely 1 to 2 feet of inundation around Edgartown Harbor. The Island seemed to avoid any significant power outages, according to Eversource.

Still, the Island didn’t completely dodge the bullet; harbormasters around the Island reported boats damaged in the storm.

On Sunday, around 6:30 am, Oak Bluffs Harbormaster Emily deBettencourt said that after hours of strong winds, boats in the harbor had torn through secondary lines, including one 15-ton lobster boat that had frayed through both backups. After deBettencourt reached out to the owner, who was not on-Island, the owner had the boat moved to a dock farther inside the harbor to avoid the continuing strong winds and further damage. 

DeBettencourt said another boat with a missing hatch cap on its bilge had to have roughly 500 gallons of water pumped out of it, before a deflated football was stuffed in the gap to stop more water getting in. “You gotta get clever out there sometimes,” she said. 

DeBettencourt noted that it was helpful that her office took proactive measures before the nor’easter hit. “Seeing how these storms affect the harbor over the last several years, I try to do as much precautionary action as I can.” She said that on Saturday afternoon, she repeatedly inspected all boats still on moorings in the harbor, contacted owners about frayed lines, and secured as many moorings as possible. 

The harbormaster was planning another sweep of the harbor on Tuesday to ensure boats were secured.

In Edgartown, the harbormaster department reported minimal incidents during the nor’easter. In one instance, a 42-foot vessel broke free from its private mooring early Monday morning, and drifted into a private beach on the Edgartown side of the inner harbor. After a routine patrol around 8:30 am on Monday, it was confirmed no additional damage to vessels or docks had occurred, and the boat was refloated and secured to a town mooring later in the day. 

Another vessel was found partially submerged at Boulevard Landing in Sengekontacket, the owner was notified, and the vessel was moved to shore. The storm also caused minor coastal flooding in the Dock Street area, and disrupted Chappy ferry schedules. 

“The department was fully staffed and on standby for emergency responses throughout the storm,” said Edgartown Harbormaster Gary Kovack in a statement to The Times. “We’re grateful for the minimal impact and for the cooperation of boat owners, local mariners, and local shipyards for their dedication to storm preparation and response efforts.” 

The Steamship Authority reported cancellations on both routes on Monday evening.

Conservation officials in Edgartown reported no significant damage at South Beach and Norton Point, likely because the winds were coming from the Northeast. There was some sand displacement, but not enough to have a significant impact.

Local police departments across the Island reported some flooding, downed trees, and downed telephone wires, but no significant accidents or injuries as result of the storm.