David M. Gerhardt had never been to Martha's Vineyard. He had never caught a bluefish or fished in the Atlantic. Then, on a Tuesday off Wasque, he reeled in a 21.01-pound bluefish. He was fishing with John Piekos and a few other anglers, and he was told to take the rod when it bent. The Vineyard Gazette reported that weighmaster Mike Cassidy called it the biggest bluefish the Derby had seen in roughly two decades. Gerhardt changed his flight home so he could stay for Sunday's awards.
Wasque is on Chappaquiddick. The awards Sunday, October 18, was also the first day of the Chappy Ferry's winter schedule. That timing comes from the ferry's own rules, which say winter service "starts on the Sunday after the MV Derby ends." In Edgartown, the 527-foot crossing to Chappy switches over the morning after the Derby's last fish is weighed.
The Derby set the date this year, too
The 81st Martha's Vineyard Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby ran from 12:01 a.m. Sunday, September 13, through 9 p.m. Saturday, October 17. The weigh station sits on the Edgartown harbor at the Edgartown Jr. Yacht Club. For five weeks, that stretch of waterfront ran on Derby hours. On opening day, the MV Times reported that Derby president John Custer called the turnout the biggest he had seen.
Committee members described an uneven season. "The fishing has been, I'll say, spotty," Piekos told the Gazette in its final-weekend preview. "My hunch is the volume of fish caught is down, but the size is up." Cassidy put it another way: "If you haven't caught a fish, the fishing hasn't been great, but if you have, it's been the best derby ever."
The false albacore were the season's surprise. According to the Gazette, anglers and committee members said the albies largely disappeared after a northeaster hit the island in late September. Bonito, once thought of as a "unicorn" catch, showed up in bigger numbers than ever. "This is going to be the year of the bonito," Cassidy said. Before the albies left, Sherry L. Countryman weighed in a 19.91-pound boat albie on September 17. The Derby reported it as both a Derby record and a Massachusetts state record.
Here is the Derby's own leaderboard as posted on its final day, October 17:
| Category | Boat leader | Shore leader |
|---|---|---|
| Bluefish | David M. Gerhardt, 21.01 lb | Bruce Dew III, 19.91 lb |
| Bonito | David Kadison, 10.98 lb | Cameron J. Maciel, 9.13 lb |
| False albacore | Sherry L. Countryman, 19.91 lb | Angela C. Fisher, 13.70 lb |
Under the Derby's format, each of the six grand leaders was to receive a key at Sunday's ceremony at Farm Neck Golf Club in Oak Bluffs. One key opens the lock on the grand prize, a 2026 Jeep Gladiator Mojave X customized by Vineyard Vines. The ferry's winter hours were scheduled to start that same morning.
What the ferry's switch means on a weeknight
The Chappy Ferry is the most direct way between Edgartown's downtown and Chappaquiddick. The two schedules start at the same time each morning. The changes come after 10 p.m.
| Summer 2026 | Winter 2026/2027 | |
|---|---|---|
| Season dates | May 27 to October 17 | October 18 to May 26 |
| Service | 6:30 a.m. to midnight | 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., then 11 p.m. to 11:15 p.m. |
In winter, the boat stops at 10 p.m. and runs again only from 11 to 11:15. A dinner downtown that runs past ten now means a wait for that one late window. After 11:15, service is for emergencies only. The ferry's schedule page states that missing the last run because you stayed on one side too late "does not qualify as an emergency."
The ferry also posts a few rules that matter more in the off-season:
- Early trips are available for a fee paid in advance: $25 for a 6 a.m. crossing and $60 for a 5 a.m. crossing. Arrange it with the captain in person before 5 p.m. the day before.
- Alarm calls carry a $150 fee when the ferry runs after hours to take police to an automatic burglar or fire alarm on Chappy, whether the alarm is real or false.
- Emergencies go through 911, which contacts the ferry captain. There is also an emergency phone at the front of the Chappaquiddick Firehouse.
One boat, starting the first week
Beginning October 18, the ferry is running one boat while it does scheduled maintenance and prepares for a U.S. Coast Guard out-of-water inspection. The notice at the top of every page on its site asks riders to "plan accordingly." Riders can sign up for service alerts on the ferry's website.
For anyone crossing several times a week, the posted round-trip fares are $5 for a passenger, $17 for a car and driver, and $8 for a bike and rider. Discount books bring those prices down a good deal:
- Passenger: $193 buys 50 round trips, about $3.86 each instead of $5.
- Car, van, or truck: $258 buys 40 one-way trips, or 20 round trips at about $12.90 each instead of $17.
- Bike and rider: $129 buys 20 round trips, about $6.45 each instead of $8.
A new captain's first off-season
This is the first winter on the crossing under Captain Brian Scall. In May, the MV Times reported that the Edgartown Select Board voted unanimously to transfer the ferry license from Peter Wells and Sally Snipes to Scall, who was already captaining the boat. The approval was subject to a final review by town counsel, and Wells said he would keep driving the ferry. On August 12, the ferry announced that Wells and Snipes had "officially passed the wheel" and thanked them for "decades of dedicated service." It also said its commitment to "the tradition, safety, and everyday reliability of the ferry" would continue.
The new captain's first off-season begins with tight conditions. The schedule is shorter, the fleet is down to one boat, and a Coast Guard inspection is ahead. The posted fares match those listed under the new ownership announcement.
On Main Street, the off-season is a design review
A few blocks up from the ferry landing, the largest change planned for Main Street is still in design review. Joseph and Lisa Amato bought 37 Main Street on February 19 for $2.8 million. According to the Gazette's March report, the plan was for Sole, the tenant at the time, to stay through summer, for restoration to start in the fall, and for a general store to open in summer 2027.
The building dates to 1790, when it was built as a ship owner's house, and it now holds two retail storefronts. The proposal would combine them into one larger store with a kitchen for Island-made goods and grab-and-go meals. It would also add about 1,600 square feet across three floors and a wraparound porch at the back with a takeout window onto the village green.
The Edgartown Historic District Commission makes sure buildings in the historic district fit the character of downtown. In August, commission members and members of the public criticized the design. On September 3, the team came back with a smaller version. "The visible massing is far less," designer Sasha Robinson-White told the commission. "I think it's a step in the right direction," commission member Ezra Sherman said, according to the Vineyard Gazette. Members still had questions about the dormers and the flat roof section. Downtown business owner Geno Courtney said the porch had been his concern "right from the beginning." Contractor Gerret Conover said the green's walking path between Main Street and Peases Point Way would stay the same. "The path does not change and the flow does not change," he said. The team agreed to consult with the owners and return to the commission.
That same village green is where the Christmas in Edgartown Holiday Faire takes place in December.
The rest of the season, on the town's own calendar
After the ferry's switch, the next fixed dates on Edgartown's calendar are these:
- Saturday, November 28: The Chowder Cup at the Dr. Daniel Fisher House, held on Small Business Saturday.
- Thursday, December 10, through Sunday, December 13: The 45th Christmas in Edgartown. The organizers say more listings will be added, so the program may still change.
- Friday, December 11: The Edgartown Lighthouse lighting at Memorial Wharf. Festivities start at 5:30 p.m., and the light comes on at 6.
- Saturday, December 12: The Christmas in Edgartown Parade on Main Street from 11 to 11:45 a.m. The Holiday Faire runs on the Village Green from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with more than 30 local vendors planned.
- Saturday, December 12, and Sunday, December 13: The 33rd Annual Christmas in Edgartown Art & Crafts Festival at the Edgartown School.
For anyone coming over from Chappy on the night of the lighthouse lighting, the 6 p.m. lighting falls well inside the ferry's winter hours. The 10 p.m. cutoff still applies on the way home.
At Donnelly + Co., the Derby's last weigh-in is also our cue that winter has started on the harbor. If you are thinking through how the winter ferry schedule fits a home on Chappaquiddick, or you would like a calm conversation about a year-round life in Edgartown, our Donnelly + Co. team on South Water Street is a short walk from the ferry landing, and we would be glad to help.
