After a great weekend on Martha’s Vineyard, my girlfriend and I were returning to Manhattan via the Seastreak New York. We were traveling through the Block Island Sound at the time of the accident. Waves were rolling into Oak Bluffs harbor when we first departed and there were decent swells in the Block Island Sound.
The fast ferry catamaran started bounding over a few swells as the waves seemingly harmlessly washed onto the deck of the bow. Eventually we hit a swell just right as a wave came over the bow, dislodged two life jacket bins, several bicycles, and blew out one of the front windows of the first floor. One half-inch thick window shattered yielding screams and a wave of water into the interior of the boat.
One row of seats is directly below the front windows, backs facing the windows. There are then three rows of seats immediately facing the windows. All people in those four rows were hit with water and shards of glass. I was sitting eight rows back along the port side of the boat and quickly reached for my bags. Confused as to what exactly happened, I thought that we might be taking on water bow-first and that we’d have to evacuate so I dropped my bags. The true situation (one rogue wave) quickly became apparent so I got my bags up off of the floor as an inch deep wave of water quickly made its way towards the back of the boat, soaking my sandals.
People scurried towards the back of the boat as some rushed to help. Some passed me with cuts on their foreheads or arms from the shattered glass which covered the floor. The life jacket bins could be found off to the right side of the bow, clearly tossed from where they once were at the front of the boat.
The Seastreak crew moved swiftly to assist, especially anyone who was injured. Being close to Connecticut we made our way to the New London, CT harbor to dock, unload injured passengers to waiting ambulances, and transfered to the Seastreak Wall Street which took us the rest of the way to Manhattan.
My girlfriend and I, along with a few others, had our bicycles severely damaged in the accident (see photos) as they were dislodged from where they were secured on front deck. The Seastreak crew quickly assured us that anyone who had anything lost or damaged (bicycles, electronics, etc.) would properly be reimbursed.
The Seastreak crew was very attentive and helpful. At least one man was escorted off the boat on a stretcher with apparent cuts as his clothes were bloodied. Ambulances and fire department vehicles were ready and waiting at New London harbor and the transition to the new vessel went smoothly. While some passengers opted to find other means of transportation, I’d say that the majority of people continued on the new boat provided.
Whether or not it was appropriate to have embarked on the trip is in question. Steamship Authority service was interrupted Sunday evening due to weather conditions. We left New London under a heavy rain and wind but the remainder of the trip was smooth although we were in the protected waters of the Long Island Sound.
UPDATE: Coverage by the MV Times and Vineyard Gazette.