The freight ferry Gay Head will ply the Vineyard route all day Monday after an incident early Sunday put the ferry Martha’s Vineyard out of service, the Steamship Authority said.
The Martha’s Vineyard went out of service after a large truck struck her stern door during the first trip of the day from Vineyard Haven.
“A semi struck the stern door while the M/V Martha’s Vineyard was loading its 6 a.m. trip from Vineyard Haven this morning,” an emailed statement from the boat line said late Sunday.
After morning cancellations, the freight ferry Gay Head was brought in from Fairhaven to replace the Martha’s Vineyard, which in turn was taken to Fairhaven, where the SSA has a maintenance facility.
“The Gay Head will continue to run for the MV tomorrow,” SSA spokesman Sean Driscoll said in the statement. Because the Gay Head has limited passenger capacity, commuters were advised that all walk-on passengers may not be able to be accommodated.
In a followup text message to the Gazette, Mr. Driscoll said further details about the extent of the damage to the Martha’s Vineyard were not immediately available. He said operations Sunday went relatively smoothly, and travelers with reservations were accommodated.
