Veteran Steamship Captain Brings New Vessel From Alabama To Nantucket

When the Steamship Authority's new freight boat, the M/V Barnstable, rounded Brant Point for the first time on Monday, it came as no surprise that captain Jim Corbett was at the helm of the new vessel, guiding it safely into Nantucket Harbor.

Corbett, who has been with Steamship Authority since 1979, also led the crew that took the new vessel from Mobile, Alabama, north to Massachusetts over 14 days earlier this fall. He's made countless trips to Nantucket over the past four decades, so he was a natural choice for the boat line to captain its newest vessel on its maiden voyage to the island.

On Monday, Corbett was standing in the wheelhouse of the M/V Barnstable after it docked in the north slip at Steamboat Wharf to greet island residents and show them around the new boat. 

The Current caught up with him to get his assessment of the vessel.

"What's unique about this boat is it has the extra thrusters," Corbett said. "We have two bow thrusters and one stern thruster, so it gives us more maneuverability than the Eagle - I was on the Eagle for the last 14 years - and the Eagle has one bow thruster at 450 horsepower. These are 950 each."

Corbett stated the M/V Barnstable did 12.7 knots on the way over to Nantucket - about the speed of the previous freight vessels - and mentioned that it had extra windows, giving it better visibility than the M/V Gay Head or M/V Katama.

He was especially thrilled about one new amenity.

"We have a head up here!" Corbett said with a laugh. "We didn't have that on the other boats. It's a nice feature." 

On the journey north from Mobile, Alabama, in November, Corbett said the 14-person crew made several stops, including Tampa, Fla., Port Everglades, and Morehead City, North Carolina.

"It was a good trip, but we never really left the boat," he said. "We ran into some weather. We couldn't catch a break. But the boat did well, and we're here."