Well, I just got back from 6 days at my summer house on Martha’s Vineyard. In case you don’t know where that is, it’s an island – about 120 square miles in size – 12 miles off the coast of Massachusetts. I’ve been going there for about 25 years, 15 of which have been spent at my family’s summer house, which was built in 1985.
The best thing about Martha’s Vineyard (MV) is the relaxation and stress free life. It’s like a paradise; no crime and no worries. The largest thing you’ll have to “worry” about is finding a parking spot, or making your ferry to and from the island.
The last time I was there, it was September of 2003, two years after the 9/11 attacks in NYC and D.C. Even then, there wasn’t any real security at Woods Hole, which is where the auto ferry’s depart for MV.
Recently, on 7/7/05, there were attacks in London which prompted this country’s threat level to go from elevated to high. What this means in the grand scheme of things no one knows, but on a smaller scale, I found that it made traveling to MV from Woods Hole a lot more intrusive and a little more annoying.
I get to the terminal, which is basically a building with 3 docks and a parking lot. The area to board the boat is small. If the whole area is as big as a football field I’d be surprised. For the first time ever, in 20+ years of going to MV, my car was searched. I was asked to lower my windows and open my trunk, so the teenage and twenty-something summer work crowd (experts?) could sift through my luggage looking for God knows what. I hope they would find my dirty underwear, but that was no in the cards that day.
That was a quick check, and a little sticker was put on my car, which signaled to the rest of the workers that my suspicious vehicle – a 2004 Nissan Maxima – was checked, and declared bomb free. I didn’t have any chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. I did however lay a mean fart while waiting for my ferry, so that could have classified as a chemical weapon, I don’t know. Have to consult the Patriot Act for that one. Anywho, we board the ferry without trouble.
My girlfriend and I grab our seats, and it’s a beautiful day for a ferry. As the boat leaves, we are now flanked and escorted out of the harbor by two U.S. Coast Guard cutters, two machine guns on each and about 5 crew members on each boat.
There was almost an incident. A small boat – like a Boston Whaler, which seats about 4 people, came within about 50 yards from our boat as we left the dock. I could see a cooler, and a small family aboard. Very dangerous. 🙂 One of the Coast Guard ships got on their loudspeaker, and directed the boat to steer away from our ferry, as another crew member manned the machine gun turret. They literally watched that small boat for about 5 minutes, before they deemed it not a threat.
As soon as we left the harbor, Coast Guard turned around and we continued on the rest of the ~12 mile journey. To me, it makes more sense to not have that guard there, or have them escort the ship the whole way. I don’t quite see the point in escorting us just out of the harbor. If someone wants to do something, they’ll stay in open waters where there are less witnesses. Right?
So, we arrive at MV, spend 6 wonderful days there, and before I board the boat to go home, my car is once again searched. I’m questioning the logic in this, and I laugh when the ferry officer asks me to pop my hood. Yeah, my engine. She looked in my engine for about 5 seconds. If you own a 2004 Maxima or no someone that does, open the engine. Tell me where you can hide anything in there. Yeah, let me put something explosive or flammable next to something that gets hotter than hell.
Paradise lost? Absolutely not. Paradise annoyed? A little.