Ferry service to the Vineyard was set to resume early Sunday morning following a 24-hour battering from the prolonged blizzard that hit eastern and central Massachusetts with a vengeance this weekend.
The Steamship Authority announced Saturday evening that the 6 a.m. ferry between Vineyard Haven and Woods Hole was expected to run Sunday. Boat line service was suspended Friday afternoon and throughout the day Saturday. Most major transportation links were shut down, including air and bus travel on the mainland, during the storm.
No up-Island bus service? No problem.
No up-Island bus service? No problem.
Islanders spent Saturday digging out from the storm, which pelted the Vineyard with snow, ice and hurricane-force wind gusts Friday night and early Saturday. The Martha’s Vineyard Shipyard clocked a peak wind gust of 83 miles per hour overnight Friday.
The storm caused scattered power outages across the Vineyard, the outages were widespread in the up-Island towns of Aquinnah and Chilmark early Saturday morning.
Wind-driven snow drifts piled up on roadways and highway crews worked around the clock with heavy equipment to clear snow and ice from the roads. Driving remained treacherous, even after a statewide travel ban was lifted late in the day.
At least one intrepid Islander refused to let storm cancellations keep him from his responsibilities.
On Saturday afternoon as the sun began to break through heavy storm clouds, Alan Hampshire of Chilmark rode his bicycle down State Road in West Tisbury, on his way to Vineyard Haven, where he hoped to catch a bus to Oak Bluffs and check on his boat. “There are no buses running,” from Chilmark, he said. “I figure I’ll take my time.”
John Kennedy contributed reporting.
Comments
I will never forget the
Christine Powers Waltham, MAI will never forget the Blizzard of '78 on Martha's Vineyard! I was living on Winyah Lane in Tisbury and working at the Vineyard Gazette. The day before, a bright Sunday, I was skating on a snow-free Seth's Pond. The National Weather Service did not provide advance warnings of the storm on the horizon. The next morning, I went to work, and when the snow began flying around 11:30 a.m., we were dismissed. Once home, I decided to go for a walk, but when I saw the utility lines whipping around like jumpropes I quickly turned back. The next morning dawned clear and sunny, and I went to work. Dukes County was exempt from the driving ban that the governor (Dukakis, I think) had imposed on the state.
Bad storms when I am away
D.L. Davis PennsylvaniaBad storms when I am away from island, I worry but I have confidence in everyone to do their best and use common sense. I must say on here, pictures are always so telling and beautiful. They lift me up very often looking forward to spring, summer and autumn! Thank you.
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