Repairs begin on ferry Martha's Vineyard in Woods Hole Wednesday.
Ivy Ashe

Ferry Governor Collides With Martha's Vineyard; No Injuries

Julia Wells
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<p>The Martha’s Vineyard was back in service Wednesday night after a morning collision with the Governor in Woods Hole put the ferry out of service for a day. There were no injuries in the mishap.</p>

The Martha’s Vineyard was back in service Wednesday night after a collision with the Governor in Woods Hole Wednesday morning put the ferry out of service for a day.

Long backup of cars in Oak Bluffs Wednesday afternoon after mishap in Woods Hole put ferry Martha's Vineyard out of service.
Jeanna Shepard
Long backup of cars in Oak Bluffs Wednesday afternoon after mishap in Woods Hole put ferry Martha's Vineyard out of service.
Jeanna Shepard

There were no injuries in the mishap, which caused a large standby line on the Vineyard, two days after the Fourth of July holiday.

SSA general manager Wayne Lamson said in an email late Wednesday that the Martha’s Vineyard had been repaired and inspected by the Coast Guard and would make her 7:30 p.m. run from Woods Hole to the Vineyard.

According to Mr. Lamson, the ferry Governor was coming into Woods Hole at about 11:40 a.m. that morning when she lost steering. At the time the Martha’s Vineyard was already docked in another slip, unloading vehicles. “The captain went to back up the bow engine and it stalled,” Mr. Lamson said, describing the incident. He said as a result the Governor hit the Martha’s Vineyard in the slip. The Governor sustained only minor damage and was later cleared by the Coast Guard to begin running again, Mr. Lamson said.

Passengers line up to leave the Island. Replacement ferry Katama, a freight vessel, has limited passenger capacity.
Jeanna Shepard
Passengers line up to leave the Island. Replacement ferry Katama, a freight vessel, has limited passenger capacity.
Jeanna Shepard

But the Martha’s Vineyard had a 12-inch crack above the water line, just below the rub rail, he said. Additionally there were some structural frames bent by the collision. Mr. Lamson said it is technically called an allision — a maritime term for when one moving vessel hits a vessel that is not moving.

The ferry was moved to the third slip in Woods Hole where welders went to work to repair the damage.

Meanwhile, the freight ferry Katama was brought over from Fairhaven to begin service between Woods Hole and the Vineyard.

Mr. Lamson said the Coast Guard is investigating the incident.

The captain of the Governor at the time was Steve Estrela, he said.

Oak Bluffs terminal extra busy.
Jeanna Shepard
Oak Bluffs terminal extra busy.
Jeanna Shepard

He did not have immediate information about how many people or cars were on the Governor at the time of the mishap. But he said the crew acted quickly to move people back when they saw what was happening. “They got everybody back and out of the way — this may have prevented anything worse from happening. We were lucky; it could have been worse,” the general manager said.

He said sea conditions at the time were a strong flood tide with winds out of the southwest.

Travelers who had reservations on cancelled trips were given priority in the standby lines, and the Katama continued running to help clear the backup.

Steamship Authority customers can check for updates on the SSA website.

Comments

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 07/06/2016 - 16:16

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Bruce Vineyard Haven

I was on the Governor over a decade ago when it hit the WH dock so hard people were taken away in ambulances... Time to sell it to Washington State.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 07/06/2016 - 16:48

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Laura Piacentini Oak Bluffs

All that matters is that no one was hurt. A boat can be fixed.

I am an Islander and I know that the crew is excellent! Ive never experienced anything vigilance from the crew, and they always look out for their passengers. And hey, accidents happen.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 07/06/2016 - 17:09

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peter robb Holliston and Oak Bluffs

The Guv is our favorite boat. Classic. Surely it can keep running for years. Here's to keeping her on the MV run!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Wed, 07/06/2016 - 23:45

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Roger Rogers Vineyard Havev

The Governor is just one of those "grand ladies" of transportation. She had a good run in New York harbor and has become an old friend to many Vineyarders. Many of us trip, stumble or fall and given the chance, get up and keep moving. Lomg may she sail!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/07/2016 - 08:12

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David Darence Falmouth

I love the MV Governor and she is a great boat when handled by a competent Captain.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/07/2016 - 08:37

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Dana Oak Bluffs, 65 years.

One slow-speed collision in 10 years due to mechanical failure is not bad, considering the thousands of landings during that time. The ships are well maintained and skillfully operated. Among common carriers, are there never any plane, bus, train or trolley mishaps?

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/07/2016 - 08:40

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Kim Newton

I was in the long line waiting for the 12:00. None of the staff told us that the trip was canceled when it happened. They just told people standing nearby to take their luggage from the cart. That's how we found out, and we were the ones who told people further back in line.

We certainly were never offered any kind of priority boarding or anything else to make it an easier trip. Oak Bluffs was closed for many hours, which caused a huge backup at Vineyard Haven. Staff was very rude about inquiries related to this, and they did not add any extra buses between the terminals to make up for the fact that people went to Oak Bluff expecting a ride and had to find their way back to Vineyard Havens.

The 5:00 ferry to the Cape had a line all the way to the street and was half an hour late. We were very surprised and disappointed by the lack of coordination and professionalism all around.

Dan Edgartown

Priority boarding?? Ride to the VH Terminal?? Oyyyyyy. Just imagine what the staff had to deal with the seemingly endless people complaining. I would be rude too. I commute on the ferry every day for work, and yes, their communication can be improved, but they run a thankless business and had a very rough day yesterday. Just be glad you got to spend a bit more time on the Vineyard and had a ferry ride home. Even if it was late...

denise leary chevy chase Md

I was in line @ VH at 12 waiting for the 1:30. One of the staff kindly came over to the line (which had two or three cars) and suggested we get on the departing boat because our 1:30 boat was "going to be late". I could not leave and stayed until 3 when we boarded. From my observation, the staff was consistently professional, courteous and helpful. There were huge lines and they were actively directing and explaining. I have nothing but praise. For those who are unhappy, please come to DC and ride our Metro where you will likely experience service in the real world (from Hades).

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/07/2016 - 08:53

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Jack O'C Vineyard Haven

Is not the Governor diesel-electric?
How could the bow engine stall?

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 07/07/2016 - 11:19

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Heidi Duxbury

We were on the upper deck of the MV ferry and experienced the incident live, almost in slow motion.Hats off to the Governor's crew for alerting us before impact. We took a video after the incident and were sympathetic to all parties involved.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 07/08/2016 - 07:00

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Exit 3 truck Middleboro

From a truckers view the governor is the most efficient boat . No height restrictions roll on roll off fast.

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