Temporary repair puts The Cat back on track

BAR HARBOR — To the relief of its passengers and crew, The Cat set sail Thursday as scheduled after two days in port due to equipment failure.

Engineers installed a temporary T-foil, or motion sensor, to the vessel’s port bow Wednesday night, replacing one lost at sea earlier this week as The Cat returned to Bar Harbor from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. The T-foil was one of two used by engineers to make sure the ferry is stable. A permanent replacement is being shipped from Australia, where The Cat was built a year ago.

Throughout the two-day detainment, rumors circulated that newly arrived craft had struck a whale or other submerged object which had broken the T-foil.

Officials at Bay Ferries Ltd., which brought the vessel up from Tasmania where it previously operated this spring, maintained the piece fell off because of stress. A preliminary Coast Guard inspection found an 8-inch gash in the hull which inspectors determined was likely caused when the 12-by-20-foot T-foil broke free and struck the boat.

On Thursday, a press release from the company thanked passengers for their understanding and cooperation. “The repairs have been made and it is all systems go,” spokesman John Miller wrote.

Approximately 2,000 passengers were scheduled to ride the ferry on Tuesday and Wednesday.