Deep Freeze: Harbor Ice Forces Hy-Line Cruises To Cancel Fast Ferry

Hy-Line Cruises was forced to cancel all of its scheduled ferry trips to Nantucket on Saturday due to the widespread buildup of ice in Hyannis Harbor. With the cold snap expected to continue, it’s unclear when the boat line will be able to resume service to the island.

The 6:10am boat left the dock Saturday morning, but turned around and went back to its slip. “The captain announced after 20 minutes that it wasn’t worth going,” a passenger said.

“It’s been many years since there has been any significant icing,” Hy-Line Cruises president Murray Scudder told the Current Saturday morning. “With the extended forecast being what it is, it could be a problem for a while.”

The Steamship Authority’s larger car ferries and freight boats have so far been unaffected and continue to run on schedule.

On Sunday, an offshore storm that was initially expected to bring a potential blizzard to the island stayed to the east, passing Nantucket without dropping any snow but bringing winds that cancelled ferry trips for both the Steamship Authority and Hy-Line Cruises.

By Sunday morning on Nantucket, nearly the entire harbor has frozen over, and Harbormaster Sheila Lucey has been sounding the alarm about the buildup of ice since last week.

Coast Guard Station Brant Point master chief John Lowell, however, said help was on the way after the weekend storm passes.

“We are still fully mission capable here at Brant Point,” Lowell said. “The Coast Guard has an ice breaker en route that will arrive after the storm to make sure the harbor is open.”

The Coast Guard cutter Shackle is the vessel that Lowell said would be arriving to break up the ice on the Hyannis-Nantucket route.