Big Hips Sink Ships

Illustration by Robert Samuel Hanson.

Earlier this year, execs at the Island Queen ferry company came to a realization: Riders these days are quite a bit heftier than they used to be (the Coast Guard estimates the average passenger weighs 25 more pounds now than in 1960). So to meet weight restrictions, they announced they’d be cutting back on riders. The daily ferry from Falmouth to Oak Bluffs will now carry 80 fewer riders per lap, down to 520 total, including crew. Get in line early: You don’t want to miss the boat.