Lynn Ferry in dry dock

LYNN – The boat that ferries passengers from Lynn to Boston, which doubles as a whale watch vessel, is in dry dock for at least two days.A group of 157 passengers and six crew members were forced to spend overnight at sea after the Cetacea, which since May has doubled as the Lynn Ferry, became entangled in lobster trap lines Monday.”Everybody is safe and secure,” said Sheila Green, a spokeswoman for the company that operates the vessel.But the ordeal threw the commuter ferry schedule into disarray, and that will take a few days to work out, said Lynn Economic Development and Industrial Corporation Executive Director James Cowdell.The Lynn Ferry, which is operated by Boston Harbor Cruises under contract to the MBTA, conducts the ferry runs in the morning and the evening, but in the afternoon it is used to take passengers on a whale watch, Cowdell explained.Green said the vessel went out Monday, and one of the boat’s propellers became caught in the line from a lobster trap about 15 miles offshore. Divers finally succeeded in freeing the boat early Tuesday, said Coast Guard Petty Officer MyeongHi Clegg.Two Coast Guard cutters remained with the vessel during the night, she added, making sure the passengers were safe and that there were no medical problems.Green described passengers as smiling and waving from the deck as the boat approached Lynn shore Tuesday morning.Cowdell said they were able to get another boat to pick up commuters in Boston Monday evening, but ferry service had to be canceled for Tuesday.”The boat is up in Gloucester with propeller damage,” Cowdell said. “So there will be no ferry (Tuesday) or Wednesday. We hope it will only be two days.”Cowdell said he doesn’t expect that the glitch in service will cut into the ferry’s momentum. He said earlier this month that the number of riders continues to rise and it is still rising.”I don’t think it will change but unfortunately these things happen,” he said.Passengers on the whale watch each received a refund on their $50 ticket, a $100 gift card for a future Boston Harbor Cruise and $500 cash for their troubles, Green said.The passengers were also given food and drink and blankets to stay warm, she added.Cowdell said he also plans to do a giveaway for Lynn Ferry commuters, albeit not quite as generous as Boston Harbor Cruises.”Because of the inconvenience, we will be passing out free tickets,” he said. “To try and soften the blow.”Material from Associated Press was used in this story.