Block Island Ferry nearing longest service delay in decades

NARRAGANSETT, R.I. (WLNE)– Tuesday marked day four for people stuck on Block Island as the ferry service announced another closure.

Locals told ABC 6 News that they remember closures before, but almost none as long as this.

It’s been quiet in Point Judith for the past few days, as every morning, hopeful travelers find out their trip to or from the island is a little further away than they expected.

“It starts with just maintaining a safe environment for our passengers on board. The ferry vessels are built to withstand these types of sea conditions.” explained Port Captain Chris Myers.

“But it needs to be a stable platform where someone won’t fall down and get hurt, or someone’s property won’t get damaged, such as a car or freight that we’re carrying,” Myers continued

Myers has seen delays before, recalling situations that required cancellations all the way back through 1991.

But in the long history of the Block Island ferry, he can’t remember any delays lasting 5 days, something that is quickly approaching for travelers this month.

“A few years back we had a four-day interruption of service in, I believe, it was October of 1991. And then we had a very long time where we didn’t have such a thing,” Myers said.

Several people voiced their concerns over the cancellations with ABC 6, and while things aren’t ideal, they also say they’re not dire at this point.

“I’ve definitely heard people say stranded, but these are modern times, so we have Wi-Fi, we have great food on the island, and in the case of a medical emergency, I have seen several air services schedule fly-in, and fly-out starting yesterday and today.” Jason Mansour, a Block Island resident said.

“So if you’ve really, really, really got to leave, heaven forbid a medical emergency, air service is available is my understanding,” Mansour continued.

Things are currently looking up for a return to service on Wednesday, but there’s no guarantee that these conditions won’t cause another delay.

“Because every day you cancel service, you have to reschedule all of those vehicles and all of those passengers who are looking to walk on.” Myers explained.

“It does involve frequent updates, but it’s a lot of work,” he continued.

If they can start up again tomorrow, Myers expects a busy day and they plan on adding another ferry into rotation to ease that burden.

He says the soonest they’ll know about service continuing is Wednesday morning.

For the latest updates on the Block Island Ferry schedule, click here.