The Steamship Authority’s schedule was a mess on Saturday after the MV Nantucket had to be replaced by MV Sankaty, a smaller ferry that has less walk-on capacity.
According to spokesman Sean Driscoll, an engine governor needed to be replaced on the Nantucket. The repairs to the Nantucket continued Sunday morning, the SSA reported. At about 8:30 am, the SSA tweeted that the repairs were complete and the Nantucket would return to its schedule starting at 8:35 am Sunday. Meanwhile the Sankaty will remain in service “to accommodate vehicles that were unable to travel earlier this morning,” a tweet states.
The loss of the Nantucket, which runs between Woods Hole and Oak Bluffs, caused delays throughout the day Saturday.
As a result, the MV Martha’s Vineyard missed its first crossing of the day on Sunday due to “Coast Guard mandated rest hours overnight,” according to a Tweet by the SSA.
That led to confusion at the terminals on Saturday and social media lit up with people upset about the inconvenience.
On Sunday morning, the SSA added to the confusion by canceling a ferry in an email blast and then corrected it. In a text message, Driscoll said customers also received an email telling them that cancellation was sent out in error, it was posted on social media and the SSA’s website.