A Saturday evening wedding cruise on Boston harbor ended abruptly shortly before 7 p.m. when the 113’ excursion boat Majesty went aground near Georges Island, with 137 passengers evacuated safely to another vessel.
The vessel operator, Boston Harbor Cruises, got the vessel powered and refloated around 3:30 a.m. Sunday. Alison Nolan, general manager and a principal in the company, said in a statement to local news media that the captain – a mariner with 27 years’ experience – was suspended from duty pending an investigation by the Coast Guard and company officials.
“After initial review, we anticipate the findings will prove to be operator navigational error,” Nolan said.
Rescuers assembled at the grounding site included the Boston Fire Department and Massachusetts Environmental Police on the 50’8″×15’10” patrol boat Thomas Paine. Passengers from the wedding cruise were transferred to the 110’ fast ferry Asteria by around 8:20 p.m. for return to Boston’s Long Wharf.
During the recovery phase, the 125’x26’x8’commercial salvage vessel Gateway Endeavor contracted by Boston Harbor Cruises stood by along with a Boston police marine unit to assist. After refloating off the sandy bottom without major damage, the vessel was moved to Charlestown Pier 8 for investigators to inspect, Coast Guard officials said.
The Majesty is one of two vessels outfitted specifically to host wedding parties, according to the company’s website, which promises couples “a four-hour cruise you’ll remember for a lifetime.”
