Passenger ferries to Martha’s Vineyard have either delayed or curtailed summer service, with traffic low due to the pandemic.
Passenger ferries to Martha’s Vineyard have either delayed or curtailed summer service, cutting trips, limiting passengers, mothballing boats — and in one instance canceling the entire summer season — all as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
“It’s because of demand — or lack of,” said Todd Bidwell, general manager for the Island Queen, a passenger ferry that operates between the Falmouth harbor and Oak Bluffs. The Island Queen is running, but has temporarily cut back on weekday service. “We just don’t have the ridership,” Mr. Bidwell said.
The Steamship Authority, which serves as the main conduit between the Island and the mainland, has also reported dismal foot traffic this spring, but the smaller passenger ferries, normally cruising at this time of year with tourist traffic and daytrippers, have been hit hardest.
The smaller, faster ferries have long served as a summer alternative to the slower SSA vessels out of Woods Hole. Although the SSA licenses the ferries, all are independently-owned, small businesses that operate out of diverse port locations: Falmouth, Hyannis, New Bedford. Two larger fast ferries operate out of Rhode Island and New York city in the summer months.
But demand for the independent passenger ferry services has cratered this year, forcing cutbacks and one outright cancellation.
For the first time in its 17 years of service, the Martha’s Vineyard Fast Ferry, which operates between North Kingston, R.I., and Oak Bluffs, canceled the entire 2020 season. Safety concerns were cited as the main reason.
“Our top priority is the safety of our passengers and our staff,” a statement from the company said last week. “The layout of high-speed ferries is such that, even with socially distant seating arrangements and substantially reduced capacity, close interaction with other passengers and our crew is unavoidable.”
Other ferries are taking precautions. The Seastreak, which operates high-speed passenger service between New Bedford and Oak Bluffs, has cut its 6:30 am trip to the Island and is reducing capacity on boats. All vessels are requiring face coverings.
The Pied Piper a boutique passenger ferry service that operates between Falmouth and Edgartown during the summer, is limiting ridership to 45 passengers, about a third of its normal Coast Guard capacity, according to manager Paul Porter. The ferry is currently running on the weekends, with a summer schedule set to begin June 19.
Mr. Porter said demand is much lower than normal — and most of the other companies concurred.
The Island Queen, which can carry 500 passengers, recently announced it would temporarily suspend trips on Monday through Thursday for at least the next week because of low demand. The spring schedule is running on weekends, but one Friday trip has been cut and summer service will not begin until June 19 — a week later than usual, according to Mr. Bidwell.
“There may be some modifications to that,” he said. “We’re just not seeing the normal numbers.”
The Hy-Line, a private passenger ferry which operates between Hyannis and Oak Bluffs, normally starts running the first week of May. Hy-Line has not run a ferry to the Vineyard yet this year, and doesn’t plan to until the weekend of June 12. Company co-owner Philip Scudder said that service would be limited too.
“It will not be our full summer service,” Mr. Scudder said. “Our Vineyard service is strictly tourist-related. We have no idea what the demand is going to be.”
Inter-Island service between Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, which the Hy-Line normally operates during the summer months, is being handled for now by the Seastreak. And the Seastreak’s New York city to Martha’s Vineyard weekend service has been delayed a full month. Normally operating by Memorial Day, the service won’t run until Fourth of July this year.
The Steamship Authority reported passenger traffic was down 68 per cent in May. Mr. Bidwell said the Island Queen, whose riders include visitors, Cape residents, commuters and Islanders, has likely seen a comparable decrease in traffic.
He said an added underlying factor affecting passenger ferries was the almost complete cancellation of the motorcoach (tour bus) season and the lack of day-trip visitors from Boston hotels.
“With all of those folks not coming, it really just relies on the local residents here in Falmouth and on the Island,” Mr. Bidwell said. “It’s just not enough.”
One small ferry service is the exception to the rule this year. The Patriot, a 40-passenger charter vessel that runs eight daily trips between Oak Bluffs and Falmouth, has only seen about a 20 per cent decrease in traffic recently, owner Jim Tietje estimated. Although the Patriot cut trips early in the pandemic, it has returned to a full schedule since the Island’s construction moratorium was lifted in late April.
The Patriot mainly services contractors and commuters, and carries freight, including newspapers and baked goods. The lack of tourist traffic hasn’t been a problem, Mr. Tietje said.
“I’d say it is a little off from other years, but we’re doing fairly well it seems,” he said. “We don’t really rely on tourists at all.”
And despite the bleak spring numbers, independent ferry owners looked with some optimism toward the sunnier summer months. Some said creative thinking from Island towns could help. Mr. Porter said Edgartown’s plan to shut down portions of Main street and offer outdoor dining seemed promising.
“I don’t want it to sound like all doom and gloom,” he said. “If their downtown plan comes to fruition, that can give us some glimmer of hope.”
Comments
I'm not sure what you
Jenny CTI'm not sure what you expected! You have spent months telling people to stay away! We are!
Unfortunately, Jenny is
Lucy EdgartownUnfortunately, Jenny is correct. Be careful what you wish for.
It really sounds like an
JMIt really sounds like an unfriendly place to visit this summer. A renter would think twice.
I own a home so I know to stock up before I leave. I do this even when there is not a health crisis.
There’s a difference between
Islander Martha’s VineyardThere’s a difference between unfriendly and concerned, I think we are attempting to be welcoming while understanding that it’s a very limited set of options while you’re here and those of us who live here are concerned for everyone who comes. The island really has shut down in many ways, I do not think people would recognize it if they are here.
It’s time for everyone to
Ted EdgartownIt’s time for everyone to really look at the numbers... if your elderly and have health issues stay home. The average death in Massachusetts is 82 years old and most with underlying health issues. Approximately 4,500 of the 6,500 deaths in Massachusetts happened in Nursing homes.
What are we all scared of?
I think we are “scared” of
David EdgartownI think we are “scared” of hurting the people you mentioned.
Well, death comes to mind. So
Kelce OBWell, death comes to mind. So does lack of a vaccine. And so does seeing folks who don't think socially distancing is required.
We are scared of a disease
JJ VHWe are scared of a disease that can take the young and the old. People have died who have no preexisting conditions who are young and 100 year olds have walked out of the hospital. When you get people coming to the Vineyard from all over the country and world and them put them in tight spaces you will get community spread. Furthermore, the hospital doesn’t have the capacity to handle any significant outbreak which is problematic. That’s why the numbers are down. I have a house on the Vineyard I would love to stay in all summer as I do every year. Unfortunately, I’m not coming and I would not get on a plane at this point which is why the airlines are doing poorly too. Remember during the summer not everyone is from MA.
Yipppeeeee! I have been
Kelly EdgartownYipppeeeee! I have been praying for years that we get back to the days when I was growing up here in Edgartown and I am 73 years old now!
Even though I fall into the compromised immune system category I still could not be happier in my later years!
Your attitude is incredibly
Mark EdgartownYour attitude is incredibly selfish as most islanders rely on the Summer season to provide for their families.
Please check yourself
A Summer Person from Kansas Staying in KansasPlease check yourself
I feel bad for the businesses
mike edgartownI feel bad for the businesses who depend on the tourism. baker has bankrupted the restaurant and tourist business throughout Massachusetts......
why would anyone come here to have take out only restaurants? sticking a few outdoor tables around, doesn't cut it..
Something is lost in the
JMSomething is lost in the translation with take out. We ordered mussels from our favorite place and it just wasn’t right.
Many Vineyarders have been
Kay EdgartownMany Vineyarders have been acting entitled and telling others they are not welcome. As a result they will suffer via a much softer local economic environment this summer. Very unfortunate.
Nothing could hurt the
BAU Vineyard HavenNothing could hurt the reputation of Steamship Authority as much as its own senior managers.
The scare tactics and fear
BThe scare tactics and fear-mongering worked. Those with a working knowledge of virology and life sciences quickly realized the virus was not nearly as dangerous as first expected (two months ago) and tried to temper the fear. This SARS virus is almost exclusively fatal to populations in the latter years of life with preexisting comorbidities. It is a community’s obligation to look after these at-risk populations, but not to stop day to day life completely. The original shutdown was warranted, but the tardy reopening has been a smoke screen for how wrong original estimations were.
One summer economy afflicted as badly as this one will be will take years to rebound from. In the prosperity of recent years, the island saw great new places open with optimistic investors making an impact. One will be hard pressed to find an entrepreneur willing to allocate capital when they now know state and local governments could destroy it on a whim for a chance to be the outspoken leader during a crisis. Hope for nothing but the best for the island economy moving forward although outward vitriol towards non-residents was magnified due to this and leaves a terrible taste.
I’m guessing if you are
Juleann West TisburyI’m guessing if you are someone who falls outside of your “almost exclusively” qualifier — and still managed to die of coved-19, then you might have a slightly different take on the risks of this coranavirus. And, if you are someone who IS at-risk and hasn’t yet become sick or died, then you would certainly have a different view than the one you espouse. Finally, having lived here for 40 years, it is far past time for optimistic investors to quit making an impact. They are destroying us.
Every summer The Islanders
SandraEvery summer The Islanders complain about the crowds and the traffic., so I guess they’ll be happy this summer.
We are!
Sam VHWe are!
shouldn't you be speaking for
Jim West Islandshouldn't you be speaking for yourself? " We are! " is in no way the response the island deserves.
Again! be careful what you wish for. I'll be that guy with the bright tourist shirt on and the goofy hat looking around thinking to my self... wow! I got this entire place for my self. Maybe this year ! Just maybe this year... I won't be getting greeted with" Snooty snooty!! when I spend my looty.
or was it the " off" island brats that treat people like that? this year will answer that question.
I believe there will be plenty of work for the island.... get them local kids to work instead of hire off island, so you can keep that money local.
Tidy the ship up a bit, were on our way.
I have no skin in this game
AB OBI have no skin in this game because I'm retired. However, I have had businesses on the Island. I hope that everyone that thinks it's great that people aren't coming will make huge donations to all of the businesses that might go under.
SANDRA, Count me in as
Robert TisburySANDRA, Count me in as ecstatic that we will see the total decrease in the crows, traffic, trash, illegal dumping, and rudeness for starts!
So far, so good....who needs
Marie EdgartownSo far, so good....who needs crowds. A nice steady flow is fine. At the end of the day the restaurants will survive or live off their rainy day fund. Edgartown always acts like you are doing them a favor to be there anyway. I laugh at the false attitude but it will be interesting to watch how it plays out this year. Let’s see what happens in the next two weeks after all the protesters marching. Maybe we can all go back to life as usual....Smile, be happy and enjoy our wonderful beaches and outdoor spaces.
As usual so many mixed
Anne MarylandAs usual so many mixed feelings. I get it. But, the ferry issue causes multiple travel issues for us. Over 63 and afraid to fly to the Vineyard, we are forced to drive and need to of course, take the ferry. Closing the fast ferry from R.I. took out our chosen option. And, now forced to try another option. We would prefer to cancel our trip or put the deposit towards next year, but the rental company is not refunding us. It seems that these rental companies would like to help older renters and out of state renters to back out gracefully from their contract. We don't want to bring COVID to you or take it home to our families. As permanent residents I would think you'd want to encourage the rental companies to distribute refunds/delayed visits from out of state visitors.
Many of us have tried to
Islander Martha’s VineyardMany of us have tried to encourage the rental companies to do such things. Apparently, the end of the day it is still up to the homeowner, and some of them have been pigs about it. I think it is the rare homeowner that truly relies on the income, certainly in some cases they are just taking advantage of legal issues. That’s the ugly side to this island. Maybe you will have learned a bit of a lesson. It’s not all magic.
I do not think that Gov.
Amy Oak BluffsI do not think that Gov. Baker is to blame for people not coming to the Vineyard. It the overwheming chants of so many Vineyarders with the words to “stay in your permanent home”. So many friends who love the island commented to me, “ I hear that we are not welcome” . As a result , they made other summer plans and will spend their money elsewhere. I hope that such decisions will not adversely affect island businesses.
I will return but I hope that I will not regret that I am “ home” when I get there . The Vineyard is always where my heart is and where I have returned for every summer of my entire life.
Heaven forbid the island
Rex Treadwell EdgartownHeaven forbid the island should transition to a stable economic model that doesn’t rely on overcrowding, commercialism, greed, and trash overflow. Visitors and vacationers should always be welcome but the “pack em in, take their cash” way of doing business deserves to be extinguished, and maybe it took coronavirus to do the job.
If you are offended by
CraigIf you are offended by islanders being protective of the island and it’s inhabitants by all means don’t come, you’ll be replaced quickly.
Because of the pandemic and
alpacalunch NJBecause of the pandemic and the cancellation of special summer events, many people have chosen not to visit the island. What my family loves most about the island are the beaches, the trails, all the natural beauty it offers, and spending time together. We’ve seen few people on the beaches, and the trails are as uncrowded as they’ve always been. We arrived with groceries, intending to cook all our meals, but when the small businesses we’ve loved were clearly hurting, we began ordering take-out instead. We were welcomed and greeted warmly in each place, just as we've always been. Nevertheless, we do worry how islanders depending on seasonal income will recover. Things are very different, just as they are everywhere, but if you don’t need the extra entertainment, the beauty of the island itself is still here and still inviting. The food is still good and you can gather around your table with your family. Wear a mask when walking in town to order food, keep your distance, and otherwise just enjoy being in a place you love, spending time with the people you love.
Maybe those relying on
Blythe OBMaybe those relying on seasonal income will find themselves in a spot that they can no longer afford their seasonal homes. Or those who rely on seasonal renters to make their mortgage can no longer keep up with the payments. If all of those homes suddenly flood the market and YOUR home value drops, will you still be ‘singing your happy tune?’
Not only will the home values
PBV up islandNot only will the home values drop but your property taxes will skyrocket. Significantly fewer meals taxes collected and any other local taxes collected will not be good for the island.
Again, be careful what you wish for. Less than 30 thousand year-round residents cannot pay for the infrastructure of the island. The renters will come, but not so much the daytrippers.
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