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A Boston icon rides to the rescue in flooded Wayland

E-mail|Link|Comments () April 1, 2010 03:20 PM

David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

"Old Gloria" in action today in Wayland

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

For years, the amphibious vehicles of Boston Duck Tours have ferried excited and bemused tourists around Boston, chugging down the streets and then plunging into the Charles River Basin for a better view of the city. Now, one of the iconic vehicles is playing a more serious role: helping the state with flood relief efforts after the recent torrential rains.

One of the "duck boats" has been dispatched with two drivers to work in the western suburb of Wayland, where some residents in the Pelham Island Road area have been stranded by rising water and need to be ferried in and out of their neighborhood, said Cindy Brown, general manager of the company. The vehicle will be on duty today from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

The vehicle had been used for the same purpose during the mammoth rainstorm that dumped rain on the state in mid-March, Brown said.

The vehicle in question, Old Gloria, is a 2-year-old replica of the original World War II DUKW boats. The company still owns some from that era, but is updating its fleet, Brown said. Brown said the state is paying for the vehicle, but is getting a "huge discount."

"I know our staff and I know they've really enjoyed going out there and helping," she said. "The people [of Wayland] have been really appreciative."

Duck boats from the company have been operating in the city since 1994. They were in the spotlight in 2008 when they carried members of the Boston Celtics on a victory parade through the city.

Lanny Johnson, a spokesman for Boston Super Tours, which runs tours with amphibious vehicles that ply Boston Harbor, said his company had been in contact with the state, offering to help out, but hadn't heard back.