A Ford Explorer Will Not Work as a Yacht to Martha’s Vineyard

A driver in Edgartown accidentally turned his SUV into a submarine.

byJustin Hughes|
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Boston drivers are the worst. Their skill–specifically, their lack thereof–seems to extend beyond the city and across the water to Martha's Vineyard, the island and popular vacation spot off the south shore of Cape Cod. Continuing the Massachusetts trend, William Jones accidentally hit the gas instead of the brake while making a U-turn at the Reading Room in Edgartown, causing his Ford Explorer to take an unexpected swim, according to The Martha's Vineyard Times.

After making a splash, Richard Sutphin and Wendy Ritch, who were putting their boat into the water at adjacent Collins Beach, dove in and helped Jones out of his partially submerged SUV. Jones was examined in an ambulance and released, unscathed by his ordeal.

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The Ford's swan dive was not captured on video, but The Martha's Vineyard Times posted this video of the recovery on YouTube. It shows a JWL Transport and Towing truck pulling the Explorer out of the water onto Collins Beach with the assistance of a diver. Edgartown Police told the Times that the vehicle was deemed totaled.

For some reason, people seem to drive into the water fairly regularly on Martha's Vineyard. Last August, a woman from West Tisbury inexplicably drove her Ford Fusion into the water in Chilmark. And 28 years ago this week, Senator Ted Kennedy infamously drove his Oldsmobile off a bridge on nearby Chappaquiddick Island. Admittedly, Martha's Vineyard is an island, completely surrounded by water, meaning that if you drive in one direction long enough you're bound to get wet. But the Atlantic Ocean is a rather big place, and one might think that drivers would see it coming.

You can't drive your Ford Explorer to or from Martha's Vineyard, but there is a regular ferry service available, as well to the nearby island of Nantucket. Even if you have modified your car to be amphibious, we recommend using the ferry instead.

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