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Passengers recount frightening morning ferry ride, brave terrible weather

BOSTON — Stormy conditions made for one wild ferry ride into Boston on Monday morning.

What was supposed to be the return to real life for many following the long Thanksgiving weekend ended up being a nightmare commute into the city.

The Boston Harbor ferry named Massachusetts left Hingham at 8:20 a.m. en route to Boston. No issues were reported at the beginning of the trip.

"It was pretty choppy but we're used to that," said Kim Dimodugno, of North Weymouth.

As soon as the boat passed Castle Island, however, things took a turn for the worst.

"Then all, of sudden, about 20 or so chairs fell over, people flying so that was pretty scary," said Dimodugno.

The ferry, which can carry up to 347 people, had 222 passengers on board at the time, according to the MBTA, which oversees the Boston Harbor Cruises operation of the ferry.

According to our meteorologists, the northeast wind speeds were gusting up to 40 miles per hour for several hours, making for choppy conditions in the water.

Dimodugno, who has been taking the ferry for 20 years, says this was the worst trip she's ever experienced.

"Then, as we went the boat started to tip a little where I reached out and grabbed a gentleman's hand, it was a little scary," said Dimodugno. "It was pretty scary. But they were nice to us."

The Massachusetts, which had the issue, is what is called a mono-hull ferry. According to the MBTA, they will not be using the mono-hull boats while the weather persists.

Instead, they are going to use the catamaran boat, which the transportation agency says is more stable in choppy conditions.

An MBTA spokesperson highlighted that the boat never came close to capsizing when it encountered choppy conditions. The captain managed to turn the vessel into the direction of the wind to stabilize it before continuing on to Rowe's Wharf.

On Monday afternoon, the MBTA confirmed that ferry servcie to Boston, Logan and Hingham would be canceled after 6:05 p.m. due to poor weather and visibility concerns. The Charlestown ferry will continue to operate normally.

Dimodugno says she's going to find another way to get home, despite calling her ride into work just "a typical Monday morning in New England."

No one was hurt during the trip, although many say it made them uneasy.

The MBTA plans on having all of their service back on a regular schedule for Tuesday.

At the end of the day, while some decided to brave the waters on their return trip home, others decided it was best to travel by land.

Many said they probably wouldn't take the ferry on Tuesday morning, when the worst of the storm is expected to still be hitting the area.

"I might be staying home if it's a snow day, so we'll see," said Chad McConathy, of Hingham.

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