The crew members have shown incredible patience while I navigate the task in front of me. The people who maintain the boats and facility have been amazing, not only in the work they do but also in sharing the knowledge it takes to keep it all running...you know who you are. So much focus was put on the ownership aspect of this endeavor and not enough on the steadfast hard working members of the ferry staff who show up every day to provide safe, reliable, friendly service without asking for anything in return.
Along the way, someone shared a fact that summed up why the crew is so vital to the operation. A full time captain will make approximately 24,000 crossings a year. A full time resident will make approximately 730 crossings a year if they go across and back at least once every single day. That means someone would need to live on the island of Chappaquiddick for about 32 years to gain the same knowledge about the ferry that a captain gains in one year. I am lucky enough to have captains with over a quarter million crossings, and the staff combined has about 2 million crossings.
Words can't express how incredibly grateful I am to the Chappy Ferry team, but I hope this letter expresses some of my gratitude. I'm so lucky to have such experienced and dedicated captains and crew. Thank you all. I look forward to the many years ahead together.
