Steamship Authority Ferries

[FNS]

It looks like transportation services will be disrupted this weekend as Hurricane Irene hits the Northeast.

NYC is planning to shut down its transit lines and the SSA is planning on doing the same on its ferry fleet.

From SSA:

steamshipauthority.com/ssa/documents/SpecTravAdv082511.pdf

Woods Hole, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority
P. O. Box 284
Woods Hole, MA 02543
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact information: General Manager Wayne C. Lamson
Woods Hole – August 25, 2011
Special Travel Advisory
Steamship Authority expects ferry service interruptions on Sunday and possibly
into Monday due to the anticipated effects of Hurricane Irene
The Steamship Authority is anticipating that its ferry service for the Islands of Martha’s
Vineyard and Nantucket will be temporarily suspended during the day on Sunday,
August 28th, due to expected weather and sea conditions associated with the effects of
Hurricane Irene. Once service has been suspended, the Authority does not expect to
resume service until sometime on Monday, August 29th.
The Steamship Authority is planning to eventually send three ferries to its vessel
maintenance facility in Fairhaven prior to the closing of the New Bedford Harbor
hurricane barrier by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The other vessels in its fleet will
tie up at its more sheltered ferry terminals in Vineyard Haven, Hyannis and Nantucket.
In the meantime, the Steamship Authority is running extra trips between Woods Hole and
Martha’s Vineyard as well as between Hyannis and Nantucket in anticipation that ferry
service will most likely be suspended during the later part of the upcoming weekend and
possibly into Monday morning.
There is still a lot of uncertainty as to the projected track, timing and intensity of
Hurricane Irene. The Steamship Authority is continuing to monitor the progress of the
pending storm and will issue further travel advisories and updates over the next several
days as revised forecasts are released by the National Weather Service.

www.mvtimes.com/marthas-vineyard/article.php?id=7322

[FNS]

It looks like Martha's Vineyard managed Irene for the most part.

Here are captures from the MV Times cam at Vineyard Haven of the Saturday ferry service prior to today's shutdown and during the shutdown:


The ISLAND HOME makes one of her routine arrivals.


The GOVERNOR added service on the Vineyard run.


The SANKATY and KATAMA did their freight trips.


After serving Oak Bluffs for the bulk of the day, the MARTHA'S VINEYARD enters the Haven to make fast.


Having only one wheelhouse at one end, the MV has to turn around.


MV is all fast to the dock. The ISLAND HOME rounds the bend.


The ISLAND HOME uses her search light as she enters the Haven.


Both ferries are secured and ready for Irene. There would be no service on Sunday due to the storm.

Today, Irene would arrive in the Northeast and did her damage. The SSA had their fleet fully fast to the docks for the day.


At 0900EDT this morning, the tide was excessively high and nearly submerged the pier you see in the middle of this capture.


At 1100EDT, the tide was still excessively high.


On this 1300EDT capture, we see the tide beginning to go out.


At 1500EDT, more of this pier's pilings could be seen, once again.


1656EDT is the most recent update at this site at the time of this posting. There hasn't been any further updates from this camera since this capture.

www.mvtimes.com/marthas-vineyard/webcams/vineyard-haven-harbor/

The folks there at the Vineyard hope for ferry service restoration on Monday.

END

Updated 9:30 pm, Sunday on MV Times:

Wayne Lamson, Steamship Authority general manager, provided the following Special Travel Advisory Update:

"The Steamship Authority will not be resuming service on Monday until the U.S. Coast Guard has had an opportunity to survey the waterways and determine they are suitable for navigation.

"All ports in the southeastern New England region were closed Saturday afternoon by U.S. Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England. The Steamship Authority will not be resuming service on Monday until it receives permission to do so by the Captain of the Port for U.S. Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England.

"All ports in the region are closed to vessel traffic and will remain closed until the waterways, including Vineyard Sound and Nantucket Sound, have been surveyed for floating debris fields and it has been determined that all "aids to navigation" are in their proper positions. The U.S. Coast Guard is planning to begin the overflight from Air Station Cape Cod at 6:30 am on Monday.

A further travel advisory update will be issued by the Steamship Authority as soon as the ports have been reopened by the U.S. Coast Guard or we have received express permission from the Captain of the Port to resume service."

Mr. Lamson told The Times he does not expect to resume service until 7 am or 8 am, Monday.

Today's edit:

SSA ferries are running and the cam is refreshing again.

[FNS]

Here's a great story of the SSA, their acts in adding car spaces, and Hurricane Irene:

www.mvtimes.com/marthas-vineyard/article.php?id=7378


SSA added hundreds of spaces over three days to offset Irene
By Nelson Sigelman
MARTHA'S VINEYARD TIMES
August 30, 2011

At noon Monday, the Steamship Authority's Vineyard Haven terminal was calm, a very pretty August picture. The sun shone, the sky was deep blue, and there was not one vehicle waiting in the standby line from the morning.

That the Steamship Authority (SSA) was able to recover so quickly from the suspension of service on Sunday, as hurricane Irene, downgraded to a tropical storm, passed far west of Martha's Vineyard, had much to do with boatline preparation and nimble fleet adjustments.

Wayne Lamson, SSA general manager, said the boatline added a total of 13 trips to its schedule before suspending service on Sunday and, based on the storm's projected wind direction, he decided not to take two freight boats offline early and send them to Fairhaven and safety behind the New Bedford hurricane barrier. To have done so would have resulted in the cancellation of six trips Saturday from Martha's Vineyard.

As Irene began her trip up the Eastern Seaboard, the SSA advised travelers to leave early and announced additional ferries would be added to the schedule in anticipation of possible cancellations as the storm approached.

"There is still a lot of uncertainty as to the projected track, timing and intensity of hurricane Irene," Mr. Lamson said in a press statement last Thursday. "The Steamship Authority is continuing to monitor the progress of the pending storm and will issue further travel advisories and updates over the next several days as revised forecasts are released by the National Weather Service."

On Sunday, the SSA suspended service and battened down to wait out the storm. On Monday, the boatline was ready to resume service right out of the starting gate, pending Coast Guard approval.

The Coast Guard closed ports and waterways to vessel traffic until a helicopter crew from Air Station Cape Cod could survey the area for floating debris fields and determine that all aids to navigation were in their proper positions. The overflight was scheduled for 6:30 am.

However, when the crew was pulled away on a search-and-rescue mission, Air Station Cape Cod needed to launch a second helicopter. So, the SSA was not able to resume service until about 9 am, Monday.

In a telephone conversation Monday, Mr. Lamson told The Times the SSA was fairly certain, based on the storm forecast, that it would not be operating Sunday.

Mr. Lamson said that 28 trips were on the Sunday schedule, and all were sold out. That would amount to approximately 1,300 spaces that needed to be shifted elsewhere.

To beef up capacity, the SSA added the freight boat Governor to the route Thursday and began adding additional freight trips Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. Mr. Lamson estimated each freight boat was able to carry about 50 vehicles, give or take a truck.

"We started to see it on Wednesday that we were going to need extra service, and that's when we arranged for the Governor to come out and head right for Vineyard Haven from Fairhaven," Mr. Lamson said.

"People were showing up and trying to get off. Even if they had reservations Saturday, they were trying to get off, presumably to get home or take care of other things."

By the time operations ceased Saturday night, the boatline had added four freight boats to the Thursday schedule, five to Friday's and four more on Saturday. In total, that amounted to the addition of more than 650 additional spaces.

In addition, trucks with reservations on the Island Home were moved to freight vessels to allow the use of both lift decks on the Island Home. That added about 350 more car spaces over the course of three days.

The SSA also moored the Sankaty and Katama in Woods Hole. "By allowing them to continue operating through the rest of the day Saturday rather than having to send them to Fairhaven, we gained a lot of space there too," Mr. Lamson said.

By the end of the day Saturday the SSA had carried all vehicles that wanted to leave Martha's Vineyard. Based on the wind direction out of the south, the SSA moored the Martha's Vineyard and the Island Home in Vineyard Haven, putting the two primary Island ferries in a protected lee.

Mr. Lamson said, unlike other storm events, operations were made easier by the fact that there was little question service would be suspended Sunday, so planning became easier.

"Whereas other storms, it might be the end of one day and the beginning of the next, so you never know when you will be stopping and resuming service," he said, "because it is on a trip-by-trip basis."

The SSA weathered the storm without significant damage, but for a few shingles here and there and some minor damage to the Oak Bluffs cupola. Mr. Lamson said the boatline was ready at 6 am Monday morning and had hoped to receive Coast Guard clearance and begin operations as soon as possible. "What we were hoping to hear at 7 am, we eventually heard about 8 am, that we had received permission to leave the port," he said.

Mr. Lamson said he expects to speak with Coast Guard officials about ways to expedite the process in the morning. "I know this is a tough call," he said.

Mr. Lamson praised SSA employees. "Everyone did a great job leading up to the storm and during the storm," he said. "People were still working, crews were on board the boats making sure that all the lines were secure. And then today, getting everything back on schedule. I appreciate all those extra efforts that were made over the last few days."

[Deleted]

Sept 8, 2010 16:55:49 GMT -8 @lmtengs said:

Is this the Auriga you're talking about?
media.shipspotting.com/uploads/photos/rw/964842/Ship+Photo+Auriga.jpg

Then there's this Auriga, just before she was scrapped in '97:
www.maltashipphotos.com/productfile.asp?ProductID1=2586&PRODUCTCAT1=Yachts

And this Auriga, which seems to be still in service. The bar on the left lets you scroll through more images:
www.shipspotting.com/modules/myalbum/photo-280291-Auriga

I don't think any of the above fit. Here's a link to a local paper archive with a picture following the Naushon/Auriga collision of 1981:

news.google.com/newspapers?id=sasrAAAAIBAJ&sjid=Sf0FAAAAIBAJ&pg=1871,1899739&dq=ferry+auriga+naushon&hl=en

She was a small freight boat....roughly 150 feet in length. Similar to the current Katama and Gay Head from what I recall...but smaller, even before they were lengthened in the 90's.

[Low Light Mike]

From my father's bookshelf:
- A National Geographic article that he cut-out and kept. I couldn't find a date, but the "Islander" ship marks the general era:

[EGfleet]

Martha's Vineyard ferry service is weather and design dependent
By Nelson Sigelman

Martha's Vineyard Times
February 29, 2012

The timing for Martha's Vineyard travelers could not have been worse.
School vacation week began Saturday with gale force gusts out of the
west and Steamship Authority ferry cancellations, the majority by the
Island Home, the boatline's newest and largest ferry.

Early Saturday morning, Islanders with a reservation on the Martha's
Vineyard held something of a winning lottery ticket. The older,
single-ended ferry held to its schedule throughout the morning as winds
blew between 30 and 40 miles per hour and gusted to 49.

The story was different on the Island Home. The new, $32-million
double-ender did not cross Vineyard Sound until 1:15 pm, when she left
Woods Hole on her first trip of the day. Sunday, the Island Home failed
to make its first trip of the day due to weather, an 8:15 am departure
from Woods Hole. Island travelers with reservations on the 9:30 am trip
to Woods Hole were left high and dry.

Wayne Lamson, SSA general manager, said this week that there are many
factors that affect the decision to sail. They include the direction of
the wind, the direction of the tidal current in Vineyard Sound, the
judgment of the ferry captain, and the handling characteristics, which
differ among the vessels.

"We were fortunate to be able to get the trips in with the Martha's
Vineyard," Mr. Lamson said in a telephone call with The Times Tuesday.

Ultimately, he said, the decision to cancel a trip is left to the ferry
captain's judgment. "They are ultimately responsible," he said. "That
decision is left to the captain. Management would not tell somebody to
go when they do not think it would be appropriate."

Mr. Lamson acknowledged that there is a degree of subjectivity. For
example, the decision to sail at 1:15 pm, Saturday coincided with a
change of captain and crew.

Mr. Lamson said he thinks it was more a case of a change in the
direction of the current than crew Saturday, but he agreed there is a
degree of variability.

Passenger and crew safety is the primary consideration, according to Mr.
Lamson. "When a captain feels that it is not safe, or somebody could get
hurt, he is not willing to take that chance, that risk, and I support
that," he said.

Mr. Lamson said the differences in performance between ferries are
attributable to the differences in the design of the vessels. For
example, the Nantucket continued to run Saturday between Hyannis and
Nantucket. "Probably the best sea-keeping vessel we have is the
Nantucket," he said. "The wind was out of the west. Generally, when it
is out of the east is when we run into problems with the Nantucket route."

Mr. Lamson explained that each ferry design, a double-ender versus a
single-ender, has built in trade-offs, and each port presents specific
problems depending on the direction of the wind.

On Saturday, the Island Home's tall superstructure would have added to
the difficulty as she entered the Woods Hole passage, a channel known
for boiling strong currents, with a west wind pushing her from left to
right across the channel.

"Trying to make the turn in Woods Hole and then keep a course and then
make the stop before the vessel gets into the slip can be very
challenging," Mr. Lamson said.

Once the Island Home did begin running, the lift decks, which can
accommodate eight vehicles on each side, remained up to keep the
vessel's center of gravity as low as possible and increase stability, he
said.

Unhappy

In a Letter to the Editor published in today's Times, an unhappy Leah
Casey of Oak Bluffs said she and her family had a reservation on the
cancelled 9:30 am Island Home and were forced to wait until the
afternoon to board a boat, even as the SSA loaded trucks rather than
automobiles. She wanted to know why the SSA did not bump "enormous,
probably empty, trucks" to allow long-delayed passenger vehicles to board.

Mr. Lamson said the current policy is to board reservations first for a
scheduled trip that runs, not those that have been bumped. They will be
loaded as space allows on trips that run.

"We would take them before standbys that didn't have any reservations,"
he said.

He said the advantage of this system as opposed to simply pushing each
reservation back is that it disrupts only those who held a reservation
for a cancelled trip, "rather than having a domino effect throughout the
day."

To the point of Ms. Casey's letter, he said the SSA would not bump a
truck driver holding a reservation but does work with the companies to
open up spaces when there is a considerable backup. He said the SSA
would ask if there is any way that the company can move a reservation or
go later, perhaps another day.

Mr. Lamson said that depending on the weather, the SSA will issue travel
advisories when it expects possible cancellations. In this case, there
was some uncertainty.

He said many people anticipated cancellations due to the forecast of
high winds and so traveled Friday. He said he understands the
frustration people experience when there are cancellations. "It is
unfortunate," he said. "We know how much people rely on the service, in
particular this week when people are heading off for vacations and
perhaps flights and other commitments that have been made. The crews do
everything that they can to run if at all possible."

Numbers compared

On Saturday, the Island Home missed three trips out of Vineyard Haven: 7
am, 9:30 am, and noon. That translates into about 180 vehicles left
waiting to cross.

Looking at 2011, Mr. Lamson said the Island Home was scheduled for 4,414
trips. She cancelled 59 trips due to weather and six trips due to
mechanical issues. She made greater than 98 percent of her scheduled
runs, he said.

By comparison, the Martha's Vineyard was scheduled for 2, 978 runs in
2011, between Woods Hole and Vineyard Haven and cancelled 14 trips due
to weather and four for mechanical problems. There were another 952
trips between Woods Hole and Oak Bluffs, for which 10 trips were
cancelled due to weather.

In sum, the Martha's Vineyard missed 24 trips due to weather and the
Island Home missed 59. Mr. Lamson said that difference could be
explained in the handling characteristics, particularly in Woods Hole
during certain current and wind conditions.

[FNS]

Found another webcam at Martha's Vineyard.

www.mvshipyard.com/marthasvineyard-webcam_lg.shtml

A couple of captures from this afternoon:


The GOVERNOR on a freight trip to Woods Hole.


The ISLAND HOME arrives from the mainland.

[Jody]

Woods Hole to Martha's Vineyard - 1 of 5

Three years ago, I sat on a hill in West Seattle looking down on the Chetzemoka under construction at Todd Shipyards, and never imagined that I'd be riding on the Island Home before I ever set foot on her or any of her classmates. But that's exactly what happened on July 6, when I ventured down to Woods Hole to take the Island Home out to Vineyard Haven for the day.

After a push to get from the remote parking lot to the dock via shuttle bus, I was relieved to actually make it on the boat - despite arriving in Woods Hole almost an hour prior to departure, by the time we made it through the parking and shuttling hoops, we had only ten minutes to departure.



Seats in one of the mezzanine lounges as you enter the boat.


Despite the busy day on a holiday weekend, they weren't using the drop-down car lifts. Since it was pretty busy on the car deck, I snapped the one photo then moved back upstairs.


Lounge type seating at the front of the Island Home.


Comfortable booths in the snack bar area. Like WSF, the food was much more expensive than the quality.

More photos to come!

Jody

[Jody]

Woods Hole to Martha's Vineyard - 2 of 5


Part of the entertainment while we boarded the Island Home and waited to depart was watching them load trucks onto the freight vessel Sankaty in the slip next to us. I'm not sure where it was headed, but I didn't see it again until late evening when it arrived back in Woods Hole shortly after the Island Home.


Seastreak Passenger-only ferry Whaling City Express on its way back to New Bedford from Vineyard Haven. This isn't a Steamship Authority boat, as near as I can tell, but a separate passenger-only operation that also has boats in New York City.


The Martha's Vineyard passes on its way inbound to Woods Hole from Oak Bluffs.


Looking forward past the wheelhouse of the Island Home as we get an unexpected surprise - the Governor, formerly WSF's Kulshan - on its way out of Vineyard Haven. I wasn't able to find any schedule for this boat, and wasn't expecting to see it.

More to come!

Jody

[Jody]

Woods Hole to Marthas Vineyard - 3 of 5

The one thing I accidentally did right on this trip was left my car on the mainland and walked on. First off, it was substantially less expensive and, with the availability of rental mopeds and a good bus system, it was much less stressful than braving the heavy traffic and narrow roads of the Vineyard.


A closer look at the Governor as it heads west with a heavy load. I don't recall seeing this boat when it was in the WSF fleet, so I expect that this was my first look at her.


After unloading in Woods Hole, I walked around the bay to get some photos of the Island Home leaving the dock. She was still loading up for the westbound trip when I found a good spot.


With the sea doors closed, the Island Home gave a couple of blasts on her whistle, then got underway out of Vineyard Haven Harbor. The sailing boat in the foreground is the Alabama, which does charter cruises out of the harbor.


A closer look at the Island Home as she cruises out of the tight little harbor. Not Keystone tight, mind you. But still fairly congested.

More to come!

Jody

[Jody]

Woods Hole to Martha's Vineyard - 4 of 5

I won't bore you with my sightseeing photos, but there's about a five hour gap between the first photos in this set and the last two, which was taken up by some beach combing, a moped ride, a lighthouse tour, and a pleasant little bookstore, along with a fresh fish lunch that was to die for. And a bunch of relief that I hadn't walked. When I re-boarded the Island Home for the trip back to the mainland, traffic was backed up at the stop sign by the ferry terminal for at least a half a mile that I could see.


The Island Home turning and heading out of the harbor.


One final look as she gets through the congestion and looks to open sea.


Back on the Island Home and headed back to Woods Hole, we passed the Marthas Vineyard again as she cruised out toward Oak Bluffs.


Unmistakeable in her profile, the Governor navigates some traffic on her way back to Woods Hole.

OK, one last set to come. Hope you guys are enjoying these!

Jody

[Jody]

Woods Hole to Martha's Vineyard - 5 of 5

One final set of photos as we wrap up the voyage back to the mainland from Vineyard Haven. When I arrived in Woods Hole, I set about trying to find a good photo location to shoot the boat leaving the dock again. Forget about it. The harbor is so well developed, and then fenced off and secured, that I was barely able to see between buildings as the Sankaty arrived again behind us, and the Island Home departed. To add insult to injury, I managed to screw around long enough that the last bus had already left the terminal, and I had to wait for the next round of buses that coincided with the arrival of the Marthas Vineyard nearly an hour later. Oh well. You win some, you lose some, right?


Looking back down the Island Home toward Vineyard Haven as we cruise west.


The Governor passing us again.


Marthas Vineyard approaching the Woods Hole slip.


And a final look at the Marthas Vineyard eases in to the slip with her bi-fold sea doors starting to open.

I hope you have enjoyed the photos of this visit to Marthas Vineyard as much as I've enjoyed shooting and posting them. It was a pleasant experience getting to ride the boat, and spending some time on the island. And next time, I will knowingly not bring my car, instead of just happening to on accident. LOL.

Enjoy!

Jody

[Kahloke]

Nice pics of Island Home and the other SSA ferries. I went over to Martha's Vineyard for a day 4 years ago and had an enjoyable experience. You are right about the public transportation on The Vineyard - it's really quite good. I did it the way you just did - parked my car at the remote lot in Falmouth, and took the shuttle bus down to Woods Hole. It worked out well doing it that way.

[FNS]

Here we go again with another east coast hurricane.

NYC is shutting down its transit system as well as its subways.

Flights cancelled galore.

And, the SSA is making fast its fleet as explained by the MVTimes:

www.mvtimes.com/2012/10/28/ssa-expects-suspend-marthas-vineyard-service-late-sunday-13106/

SSA expects to suspend Martha's Vineyard service late Sunday

October 28, 2012

In a travel advisory updated mid-afternoon Sunday, Wayne Lamson, Steamship Authority general manager, announced that the Steamship Authority has suspended its ferry service on the Hyannis-Nantucket route due to high winds and rough seas. Service between Woods Hole and Martha's Vineyard is continuing on a trip-by-trip basis.

Mr. Lamson said earlier today that the boatline expects to suspend ferry service possibly before the end of its scheduled operating day Sunday, on the Woods Hole-Martha's Vineyard route, due to the impact of hurricane Sandy.

"The National Weather Service," Mr. Lamson said, "has issued a Hurricane Force Wind Warning for Southern New England. Storm force winds, with hurricane force gusts, are expected Monday into Monday evening before starting to subside on Tuesday.

"The Steamship Authority is anticipating that its ferry service for the Islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket will be suspended throughout Monday and into Tuesday. Further updates will be provided as additional weather forecasts become available."

Mr. Lamson added, "In preparation for the storm, the M/V Eagle, M/V Gay Head and M/V Iyanough are expected to tie up later today in Hyannis. The M/V Island Home and M/V Katama will be berthed overnight in Woods Hole and the M/V Nantucket is expected to tie up in Vineyard Haven at the end of her operating day later today.

*** *** *** *** *** *** ***

This article doesn't mention our former KULSHAN (now GOVERNOR) as she must be made fast for the winter. This ferry did "feel" our powerful storm on February 13, 1979 and wasn't able to start in the morning. The RHODODENDRON, acting as third ferry on the Columbia Beach run that day, assisted the ILLAHEE until the KULSHAN was started. This ferry has "felt" a lot of big storms in her current location on the east side of our continent, most likely made fast to a dock.



www.mvtimes.com/marthas-vineyard/webcams/vineyard-haven-harbor/

[FNS]

Webcam photo update from Vineyard Haven:





Notice how high the storm surge is in this view. The dock is virtually submerged.

No ferry service today according to the SSA.

[Koastal Karl]

Where do those boats tie up when not in service?? Looks like they are ton that side.

[FNS]

Oct 29, 2012 13:53:24 GMT -8 Koastal Karl said:

Where do those boats tie up when not in service?? Looks like they are ton that side.

According to the article above, the ISLAND HOME and the freighter KATAMA are made fast in Woods Hole while the NANTUCKET is made fast in Vineyard Haven. Over on the Nantucket run, the EAGLE, the freighter GAY HEAD, and IVANOUGH are made fast in Hyannis.

[FNS]

A bittersweet note to start the month of November 2012 ...

The ISLANDER's life as a floating object is ending. The MV Times explains:

www.mvtimes.com/2012/10/31/islander-meets-her-final-end-scrap-yard-13123/#


The rest of this story can be read by clicking the above link.

[Neil]

Nov 3, 2012 21:50:16 GMT -8 FNS said:

A bittersweet note to start the month of November 2012 ...

The ISLANDER's life as a floating object is ending. The MV Times explains:

www.mvtimes.com/2012/10/31/islander-meets-her-final-end-scrap-yard-13123/#

The good news: She didn't end up rotting away and sinking into the muck somewhere, and she's being taken apart in the United States in a safety regulated work environment, by workers probably earning a decent living wage. Not a bad end, overall, compared to some other old ferries we've known of.

[SolDuc]

Does anybody know the car capacity of the Martha's Vineyard, Eagle, Nantucket, Katama, Gay Head and Sankaty as well as the passenger capacity of the Martha's Vineyard, Eagleand Nantucket?

[FNS]

Nov 22, 2012 20:24:07 GMT -8 SolDuc said:

Does anybody know the car capacity of the Martha's Vineyard, Eagle, Nantucket, Katama, Gay Head and Sankaty as well as the passenger capacity of the Martha's Vineyard, Eagleand Nantucket?

The SSA doesn't show much in the way of capacity info for most of its ships as we see in this fleet guide:

www.steamshipauthority.com/ssa/ferries.cfm

CAPACITY AS PROVIDED BY SSA

MV ISLAND HOME
60 cars (plus 16 on deployed mezzanine decks), 1200 passengers.

MV MARTHA'S VINEYARD
No info.

MV NANTUCKET
No info.

MV EAGLE
No info.

MV GOVERNOR
No info, freight ferry.
The "Evergreen Fleet" (http://www.evergreenfleet.com/kulshan.html) shows a capacity of 65 cars and 350 passengers as a Washington State ferry. I think she could carry about 45 cars after the side lounge was placed on the car deck.

www.tumblr.com/tagged/freight%20ferry?before=1348635248

MV SANKATY
No vehicle info, 300 passengers, freight ferry, only freight ferry having a lounge with forward views for passengers (GOVERNOR has a door at each end of the side lounge that has a window for limited forward viewing).

MV GAY HEAD
No vehicle info, 149 passengers, freight ferry.

MV KATAMA
No vehicle info, 149 passengers, freight ferry.

[SolDuc]

Nov 23, 2012 12:05:29 GMT -8 FNS said:

Nov 22, 2012 20:24:07 GMT -8 SolDuc said:

Does anybody know the car capacity of the Martha's Vineyard, Eagle, Nantucket, Katama, Gay Head and Sankaty as well as the passenger capacity of the Martha's Vineyard, Eagleand Nantucket?

The SSA doesn't show much in the way of capacity info for most of its ships as we see in this fleet guide:

www.steamshipauthority.com/ssa/ferries.cfm

CAPACITY AS PROVIDED BY SSA

MV ISLAND HOME
60 cars (plus 16 on deployed mezzanine decks), 1200 passengers.

MV MARTHA'S VINEYARD
No info.

MV NANTUCKET
No info.

MV EAGLE
No info.

MV GOVERNOR
No info, freight ferry.
The "Evergreen Fleet" (http://www.evergreenfleet.com/kulshan.html) shows a capacity of 65 cars and 350 passengers as a Washington State ferry. I think she could carry about 45 cars after the side lounge was placed on the car deck.

www.tumblr.com/tagged/freight%20ferry?before=1348635248

MV SANKATY
No vehicle info, 300 passengers, freight ferry, only freight ferry having a lounge with forward views for passengers (GOVERNOR has a door at each end of the side lounge that has a window for limited forward viewing).

MV GAY HEAD
No vehicle info, 149 passengers, freight ferry.

MV KATAMA
No vehicle info, 149 passengers, freight ferry.

You forgot the MV Iyanough, which is certified for 393 passengers.

Also, according to Wikipedia the Governor has a 59 car capacity (which is probably pre-lounge) and a 350 passenger capacity.

Result: SSA should work on putting capacities on their fleet page.

[EGfleet]

Nov 23, 2012 13:38:28 GMT -8 SolDuc said:

Nov 23, 2012 12:05:29 GMT -8 FNS said:

The SSA doesn't show much in the way of capacity info for most of its ships as we see in this fleet guide:

www.steamshipauthority.com/ssa/ferries.cfm

CAPACITY AS PROVIDED BY SSA

MV ISLAND HOME
60 cars (plus 16 on deployed mezzanine decks), 1200 passengers.

MV MARTHA'S VINEYARD
No info.

MV NANTUCKET
No info.

MV EAGLE
No info.

MV GOVERNOR
No info, freight ferry.
The "Evergreen Fleet" (http://www.evergreenfleet.com/kulshan.html) shows a capacity of 65 cars and 350 passengers as a Washington State ferry. I think she could carry about 45 cars after the side lounge was placed on the car deck.

www.tumblr.com/tagged/freight%20ferry?before=1348635248

MV SANKATY
No vehicle info, 300 passengers, freight ferry, only freight ferry having a lounge with forward views for passengers (GOVERNOR has a door at each end of the side lounge that has a window for limited forward viewing).

MV GAY HEAD
No vehicle info, 149 passengers, freight ferry.

MV KATAMA
No vehicle info, 149 passengers, freight ferry.

You forgot the MV Iyanough, which is certified for 393 passengers.

Also, according to Wikipedia the Governor has a 59 car capacity (which is probably pre-lounge) and a 350 passenger capacity.

Result: SSA should work on putting capacities on their fleet page.

I did a licence search on the ferries and came up with these numbers:

MARTHA'S VINEYARD: 1376 Passengers, no autos given

NANTUCKET: 779 passengers, no auto capacity given

EAGLE-no info turned up
GOVERNOR--No infor turned up

SANKATY: 290 Passengers, No autos given

KATAMA: 143 No autos given

These figures were taken from the certificated issued through 2013-14.

[SolDuc]

Nov 23, 2012 18:01:12 GMT -8 EGfleet said:

I did a licence search on the ferries and came up with these numbers:

MARTHA'S VINEYARD: 1376 Passengers, no autos given

NANTUCKET: 779 passengers, no auto capacity given

EAGLE-no info turned up
GOVERNOR--No infor turned up

SANKATY: 290 Passengers, No autos given

KATAMA: 143 No autos given

These figures were taken from the certificated issued through 2013-14.

Thanks! If I ever go there I'll try to ask crews about the capacities.
Talking of capacities and vessel characteristics, does WSF still print those fleet guides? I know its online but I prefer the updated one.

[Jody]

Question: Has the Island Home recently been in New York for dry dock work? I was in NYC on April 11, and noted a pair of wheelhouses matching the Island Home's in an apparently submerged drydock at the old US Navy Brooklyn Shipyard. I finally got around to looking for info tonight, and noted that the Island Home is showing up as being in Fairhaven, MA. If I am reading it right, it has been there since April 7th? (Edit: I did read this wrong. It's showing an ETA into wherever of July 4, which I thought was being shown in European format as April 7...) So what the heck did I see in New York? Is the data in error, and the Island Home was in New York, and is now back up north? Or did I see another similar class of vessel there in NY, perhaps one under construction?

Here's a photo of the boat that we saw:


Thanks for any answers.

Jody