The Lighthouse Keeper
REQUIEM FOR A LIGHTWEIGHT
BY DANIEL W. DRAKE ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER
Saturday morning was about as glorious a March day as one gets on Nantucket. The sun shone. The blue sky was reflected in the water. The northwest wind was brisk and still had a bite to it, but it didn't penetrate quite the way the winds of even a few days earlier did. It was an auspicious day for a christening.

MV Iyanough, the Steamship Authority's new fast ferry, rounded Brant Point only a few minutes behind schedule, but, this time, no one cared. The crowd was too busy listening to the greeting committee of bagpipers blowing, apropos of absolutely nothing, "Scotland the Brave."

In defense of the music selection, it is probably a safe bet that no bagpipe tunes were ever written in honor of any Native American sachems. However, with the "Sky Boat Song," the Scots have not let us down entirely:

"Speed bonnie boat like a bird on the wing; 'Onward!' the sailors cry.

"Carry the lad that's born to be king, over the sea to Skye."

Because of the wind direction, the wailing of the pipes drifted across the other wharves and downtown. Somehow, on such a gorgeous day, it did not seem a mournful sound, but a sound of good cheer, a sound of welcome.

The welcoming ceremony was as small town as it could be, with lots of remarks from everyone who had to be heard and a fine dose of patriotic music. It was fabulous!

The appearance of a large Wharf Rat burgee amongst the bunting draped across the bridge windows (but, wisely, only after the vessel docked) gave the ceremony a special, local touch. Unfortunately, the actual christening with a bottle of champagne was not visible to much of anyone, seemingly it happened, because everyone did get to see one of the christeners, the wife of the SSA representative from Barnstable, who named the ship, wiping champagne from her coat.

A brief tour, after the ceremony, revealed that the interior of Iyanough, as with the exterior, looks quite similar to the Hy-Line's Gray Lady, only larger. From here on, it is only fair to let passengers draw their own comparisons.

And what of the Flying Cloud, Iyanough's predecessor and the Steamship Authority's initial response to the need to provide faster service to Nantucket in a faster paced society? She (will one ever get used to the gender-bender mind twist of calling Iyanough "she"?) - or more notably, her absence - was mentioned briefly during the remarks, both in jest and with a great sense of relief. There is no doubt, that Flying Cloud will not be missed by SSA management, by the crews that had to deal with her whims, or by the traveling public.

No doubt, when Flying Cloud entered service, she was greeted with the same approbation as was bestowed on Iyanough on Saturday. That honeymoon didn't last long.

Her mechanical failures were legendary. Her behavior in rough seas was not unlike a teacup ride in an amusement park. Her very seaworthiness was called into question when, one stormy day a few years ago, a plate of her bow superstructure was stove in by a wave.

As for appearance, Flying Cloud had none of the sleekness of Iyanough or Gray Lady. In fact, she might best be described as looking much like a mail box turned over on its side.

As if her inherent flaws were not bad enough, in the early days at least, service was not a word in the lexicon of either the SSA's then management or of the crew. Management got its knickers twisted with both its policy on (not) carrying dogs and by establishing expiration dates for commuter ticket books. Encounters with crew members frequently, for no apparent reason, left one feeling like one had been caught by the teacher pasting a wad of chewing gum to the bottom of one's desk in school. Courtesy was certainly not a watchword.

Should we mourn Flying Cloud? Probably not. She was unreliable and unattractive and may well deserve an eventual, if likely brief, reincarnation carrying 2000 passengers a trip, together with assorted livestock, between two islands in the antipodes.

On the other hand, during her years of so-called service to Nantucket, Flying Cloud provided lots of entertainment, and opportunity for social discourse, as well. People delighted in regaling everyone in earshot with their Flying Cloud stories. It is as if contests were held, encouraging people to come up with the most outrageous plays on her name. One was almost disappointed to actually find her in the slip when one pulled up to the wharf ready to board, although, the suspense was not over even then, because there was still always the 50-50 chance she would not leave on the scheduled trip.

Again, will we miss her? Absolutely not! But, neither will we forget her.

Does anyone talk about the most recent incarnation of Naushon or of its smaller sister, Uncatena? Their years of service go unnoticed. They were distinguished by their ordinariness. Try Googling the 1965 version of Uncatena to get an indication of just how pedestrian they were.

Flying Cloud was nothing if not spectacular in her ability to attract attention and, therefore, become etched in our memories. While it is unlikely, whatever her fate, that she will ever rest in peace, she can take some measure of satisfaction in having developed a reputation, here on Nantucket, second to none. If nothing else, Flying Cloud created a standard by which all other means of transportation to Nantucket will be judged for a couple of generations.

And our wish for Iyanough is that she, in the manner of Naushon and Uncatena, develop a routine and assume a mantle of ordinariness, so that we can take her for granted. Long may she "Speed … like a bird on the wing …". Good luck and Godspeed.

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The "Lighthouse Keeper" reflects the views of the author and does not necessarily represent the editorial position of The Nantucket Independent. Please send any ideas or comments to drake@nantucketindependent. com.