The freight ferry M/V Gay Head is having an 18-inch by 24-inch section of its steel hull removed and replaced at Thames Shipyard in New London, Ct., according to an announcement from the Steamship Authority Tuesday afternoon. The ferry was taken out of service last week after a crack was discovered above the water line.
The work is scheduled to be finished on Wednesday, with the Gay Head returning to its Hyannis berth later the same day, according to the announcement.
The M/V Sankaty, which has been bouncing between Nantucket, Hyannis and Woods Hole, will then resume its regular schedule on the Vineyard route as the Gay Head goes back on the Nantucket route at 5:30 a.m. Thursday, the announcement continued.
The SSA has reopened online automobile reservations on the Martha’s Vineyard route, and expects to reopen online reservations for Nantucket by Friday, according to the announcement.
Passenger traffic aboard the SSA’s traditional and high-speed ferries remains unaffected by the Gay Head’s sidelining.
