MADONNA - FIRST TRIPS - 39.0

Completion of first round trip, 10:45 am Sunday.
Load consisted of 10 Segways and 27
autos.  (Purinton photo) 

Detroit Harbor, Washington Island -

Saturday's thunderstorms moved on, the last occurring during the early morning hours around 4 pm, and a warm westerly breeze settled in.  It seemed to Hoyt, Rich and Erik Foss like a perfect opportunity to run the Madonna on her first official revenue-making runs.  It was to be a chance to get used to the vessel, practice handling, see how the various ramp locations matched up, and to help out with the line of traffic that was "around the corner" at Northport by 10:00 am.

Meeting Arni J. Richter in the channel as we depart
Washington Island.  At this point, all five ferries
were underway.

Capt. Erik Foss took the wheel for the first of several runs
on the Madonna's first outing.  (Purinton photo)

We arrived at the Island dock in time to see the first round trip unload, with 10 Segways and 27 vehicles disembarking at the Island dock.  Then, an easy load of 24 vehicles were flagged aboard.  Next door, at another ramp, the Eyrarbakki began to load.  After replacement of several nav light bulbs, the crew of this 1970 vessel, christened 50 years ago (nearly to the day) joined in the sequence.

For the first time in quite awhile, five ferries were underway at one time.

A few white clouds and white sails dotted the horizon as
we crossed the Door on the second official round trip.

The smoothness and quietness of the ride were two very noticeable characteristics, as was the roominess and choices of vantage point for passengers who chose to get out of their vehicles and observe their surroundings.  The blue sky, the green of nearby shorelines, and numerous white sails of competitors passing through the Door, racers in the "Hook Race" that started Saturday in Racine and ends today in Sturgeon Bay, added greatly to the color - and, may I say, the excitement - of the crossing.

Among the passengers enjoying the ride on the Madonna's
upper deck were Marty Leibforth and Katherine Gordon. 
Ferry Washington nears the course turning point
off Plum Island.

On board were Rich Ellefson and Hoyt Purinton, this time working in the capacity of deckhands, while Eric Foss got time at the controls from the Pilot House and bridge.  Heavier, and longer, there is a learning curve to mastering this ferry, and it will take some time to obtain comfort and confidence in operations, but Eric did a great job of easing in to the piers at a variety of locations, both backing in and bow-first approaches.   Upon reaching Northport Pier, and with the end of the line still not yet visible from the upper deck, a quick 28 vehicles were loaded on board, seven per lane, with room remaining at either end of the lanes, and between lanes.

Completing a 28-car load proved what had been
laid out on paper, and it was accomplished in about the
same time as a 19-auto load on our smaller ferries.

Perhaps it is the solid structural members, the added length, and the CAT 32, V-12 diesels that run so smoothly, but most likely a combination of each of those elements in concert.  The overall effect makes Madonna's performance underway seem superior from a ridership standpoint of any of our ferries.  In fact, I would put the ride experienced this morning with any of a variety of passenger vessels I've had the pleasure to ride aboard from U. S. or foreign ports!

We're hoping that, over time, similar experiences can be enjoyed by all who travel regularly between the Island and the mainland peninsula.

-   Dick Purinton

MADONNA - UNDERWAY - 36.0

Madonna underway off the stone quarry, outer bay,
during builder's trial, Friday afternoon, June 19.
(Photo by Erich Pfeifer)

Detroit Harbor, Washington Island -

After long days of chasing down and correcting details, some small, some large, Rich Ellefson reported that Madonna would sail from the dock for the first time.  This would be the "builder's trial" in which various components and equipment would be tried and tested, including running main engines up to temperature while various systems were monitored.   Apparently things went well (or, I just didn't hear about the glitches!).

Bay Ship and Ferry Line representatives gathered for
briefing on main deck prior to leaving pier, and again
upon their return dockside.  (Hoyt Purinton)

Hoyt Purinton, Erik Foss, Joel Gunnlaugsson and Jeff Cornell joined Rich for the day, their first opportunity to see and experience the vessel underway.  A few photos are shown here of the Bay Shipbuilding and WIFL crew members in conference, and on the bridge.   With a few more days' work, the vessel could be ready for U. S. Coast Guard sea trials by mid-week.

Ferry line captains Jeff Cornell, Erik Foss, Rich Ellefson
and Joel Gunnlaugsson on upper deck.

Christening plans

In a departure from christening of the last several ferries, a ceremony will take place within the shipyard, with members of the Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding workforce present, along with a few invited guests.

We'll hold details of the christening back a few more days as we reflect back on other ferries and the christening ceremonies that took place, both at the shipyard and here on Washington Island, when the public was invited to take part in the festivities.

A few panels and wires yet to be made permanent,
but the pilot house was functional for builder's trial.
(Hoyt Purinton)

Several reasons led to our decision to hold the christening at the shipyard.  One, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding wishes to recognize its workforce for a job well-done on a product that will sail in their "backyard," so to speak.  We will join the yard management in offering our thanks, and congratulations for a job well done.  A substantial amount of pride has been evident in workers who participated in this vessel construction, intended for Door County service, what could easily be 4-5 decades or more of continuous use for ferry transportation.  This occasion also highlights the importance of shipbuilding to the area's economy, and the contribution building such a vessel adds to Door County and the region.  Another reason for holding the christening within the shipyard confines is that with Covid-19 as a threat to public health it becomes easier to hold the christening in a controlled setting.  All participants will be asked to wear a mask (the Bay Ship workforce has been doing this for five weeks or more).

In wheelhouse:  WIFL construction supervisor and vice-president Rich Ellefson
with Steve Propsom, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding Senior Project Supervisor.
(Hoyt Purinton photo)

We'll provide more detail in a few days' time.  -  Dick Purinton

MADONNA CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS 16.0

Washington Island ferry captains visit shipyard Feb. 12. 
With Madonna as backdrop:  Con McDonald, Kraig Krueger,
Erik Foss, Pete Nilolai, Rich Ellefson, Hoyt Purinton
and Dave Heath.  (WIFL photo)

Detroit Harbor, Washington Island -

Construction of the new Washington Island ferry Madonna continues within the large shed #411, a former Palmer Johnson Yachts building now owned by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding, located at the south end of the shipyard facility.

Hoyt and Rich were away last week, attending a meeting, and with their absence my photo source was lacking.  However, the work product moved ahead, although it may not show the obvious visual changes seen during the steel erection process, where frames, plating and hull shape shifted dramatically week-to-week.  But progress is there, and in ways that may be obvious only upon closer examination.

Several days ago, a portion of the ferry crew visited the shipyard for a close-up look at the new ferry for the first time (topmost photo).  When they left the Island, a skeletal crew remained to operate the Arni J. Richter, and yesterday the remaining men went to the shipyard, touring both the hull inside and out.  They were guided by Rich Ellefson, Hoyt Purinton and Fincantieri Senior Project Supervisor Steve Propsom, who have been with the project closely from the start.

Madonna main deck, looking aft, on Feb. 13 - Rich Ellefson,
Hoyt Purinton, Joel Gunnlaugsson, Jake Dahlke,
 Jeff Cornell and Tully Ellefson. Insulation materials
are stacked on deck.  (WIFL photo)

A fair amount of time has been spent assembling and adjusting the sundeck, in order to achieve the proper rake and smoothness.  The rather light steel plating that becomes the upper passenger deck can dish and warp, through the welding and fitting process, if steps are not made to eliminate such rippling.  The second of two photos (below) was taken from the upper deck looking aft over the main deck.  Carpenters, electricians, and painters now work daily in various sections of the vessel, staying out of one another's way as much as possible. The soft patch, a steel cover for one of the engine room openings, rests in the center of the deck.

U. S. Coast Guard inspector, shipyard personnel and Ferry Line
representative Rich Ellefson discuss plan details.

In this photo taken from the sundeck, main deck bulwarks, 
the solid ship's rails, are in place. (WIFL photo)

Two workers fit aft bulwarks to match curvature of the deck's shape.

Surface of the sundeck, made of lighter steel, reveals
effort to get smooth surface.  Disk welded to the deck
will help absorb welding heat when passenger
benches are installed, later on.

Although nearly all of today's photos were of work above-deck,
here is a shot of the starboard main engine, through the
main deck access opening. Piping is well along, and the engines
have been mounted in close-to-final position on rails, awaiting
boring of stern tube and  final alignment. 

Compressed air hoses, oxygen and acetylene
hoses, and electrical lines run to various work
stations on the ferry. (WIFL photos)

- Dick Purinton

NEW FERRY MADONNA - PROGRESS REPORT 7.0

Ferry Madonna, constructed with hull inverted, taken bow-on. (Rich Ellefson photo)

Detroit Harbor, Washington Island -

Photos shown in this posting were taken by Ferry Line VP Rich Ellefson Monday and Tuesday of this week, and they indicate significant overall progress once again.

In the shot below, Rich stood on the bottom, straddling the keel and looking forward.



The bow shape is now well-defined and soon should be completely plated over.

Hull plating of 1/2-inch thickness is being added here to the framed
bow section.  Yellow cube is a weight suspended from overhead crane
 used to flatten shell plate until it can be welded to frames.

Below, the center trunk, or pedestal, shows more definition. It will join the main vehicle deck to the upper passenger deck.  A unisex toilet, engine room entry, a locker for the U. S. Mail, and fore and aft stairways are among the features within this main enclosure that will be offset to starboard, between vehicle lanes one and two.  The difficulty encountered in painting the enclosed foredeck overhang, a narrow space (port and starboard) just large enough for a man to crawl within, poses a problem.  All possible hot work will be completed, except the underside plating, so that 95 percent of primer painting can be accomplished before enclosure.


Shown below that photo is one of the engine room overhead.  Pipes, or stanchions, help support the main deck overhead while taking up minimal space around machinery and piping.  A ladder for crew access to the machinery space is shown resting in its approximate location, not yet attached.


 


Bulwarks that will become vehicle deck enclosures, and the larger side curtains that also provide rigidity to the hull while supporting the superstructure above the main deck, are being fabricated separately.  They'll be attached in location once the two hull halves are upright.  With hull steelwork easier to complete in the present upside-down configuration, roll-over for the two hull halves has now been pushed back until January 6th.

This shot from overhead makes it appear ship worker is scaling the heights
when, in fact, he's lying on his side, welding an angle stiffener to what
will be the side-curtain for the superstructure.
A designed opening can be seen at right.

Below are two photos taken in the Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding machine shop, showing rudder attachments (quadrants) for a bar that will connect the two rudder stocks for steering purposes.
Below that is a photo of the two rudder supports, heavy plates that project both aft and slightly outboard from each shaft centerline, so that propeller shafts can be inserted/removed from the vessel without removal of the rudders.

White cylinders are Thordon rudder bearings machined of a hard ceramic material that will accept and support each rudder's pintle, the lower end of the rudder.  The final photo shows the two rudder stocks of heavy pipe that become the basis for each rudder plane.  Above each rudder are the "palms," flat surfaces bolted together that make removal relatively easy in dry dock, should it be necessary to repair a rudder.









One final note apart from new ferry construction, and one not substantial enough to warrant a separate blog:  the morning ferry today sailed to Gills Rock due to lake seas and surging at the Northport facility.  

This is a a change of pace, certainly, and the second time in the past month when Gills Rock has been used as an outlet.  This move creates confusion for travelers and some difficulties for our crews, too.  Crew must deal with freight delivered to Northport.  Tickets can't be sold at Gills Rock for lack of computer / printer there.   Incoming traffic (without cash) wishing to use credit cards are asked to stop at our Island booth to make transactions AFTER arriving at the Island.  So, it's a bit of a hassle, but only temporary.

Winds had dropped considerably by 10 a.m., with trips resuming to Northport by then.  Later today the storm will have passed, and high pressure will cause an equally strong flow from the N/NW, with gusts predicted to reach 40 mph.  That, too, may slow things down, with the possibility of overpowering winds and seas at Northport.

Robert Noble, with Eric Foss as Captain, returned to the Island
from Gills Rock on the first trip of the morning.  The additional
distance to Gills Rock plus time communicating and waiting for 
cars directed to Gills Rock, adds minutes to the round trip, making
the ferry behind for the subsequent departure.

Happy Thanksgiving!

-  Dick Purinton

LET'S LEAVE JANUARY BEHIND

     Detroit Harbor, Washington Island  - A snowstorm blew through the upper Great Lakes Monday, driven by 30-40 mph winds.  Because of drifting, snow amounts were hard to estimate, but I'll guess we received around ten inches, some of it lake effect snow picked up by the southerly flow.  Monday's midday temperature was eight degrees, and that made being outdoors for any length of time a miserable experience, although you wouldn't know it from the expression of ferry captains Joel Gunnlaugsson and Erik Foss.  I waited on the pier as they walked toward me, to the AJR after lunch in the ferry terminal, and it was hard just to see them, given the blizzard in progress.

 
By webcam that morning, I observed the ferry at Northport, the loading of Mann's grocery truck and the mail van and one other car.  Most vehicle reservations resulted in either cancellations or no-shows.  Now, at 12:45, smiling despite crummy conditions, Joel and Erik posed long enough for me to take their photo before starting up the engines and preparing for their second run of the day.  On this trip they would carry the U. S. mail van and one car with passengers.  Other reservations, understandably, had once again cancelled.  Joel said that he heard that the hill on Hwy. 42 in south Sister Bay was closed, at least to truck traffic.

Summer is a picnic by comparison, for both passengers and ferry crew, working in shirtsleeves in mostly pleasant conditions.  I asked how the ice conditions were in the Door and inside the breakwater.  "Slush ice partway through the Door," Joel answered.

"Was it hard to turn around inside the break wall, given the strong southeast winds and ice, as it appeared on the webcam?"

"Not bad," Erik said. "We made the turn in one swing."

They would have another opportunity in the coming hour to do it again, this time bringing FedEx and UPS packages back home, but probably not much else.

School closed on the Island Monday, as they did in most of northeastern Wisconsin, but the Island school reopened for one day, Tuesday. This turned out to be a brief back-to-normal school day, while road crews and shovelers worked to clean up the previous day's mess.

However, Wednesday's forecast for below zero temperatures closed schools once again, and it discouraged travelers.  The same held for this Thursday morning, when our thermometer read -18 F.



This turned out to be our coldest morning so far, and as of noon the temperature was still in the minus column.  Social and community activities cancelled once again.  Some Door County schools remained closed during the entire week.

Despite this cold air, we anticipate mid-30s by the weekend, even rain, perhaps, in some locations.  That would be a shame, since there's decent snow cover now, and winter outdoor enthusiasts have earned the opportunity to enjoy the outdoors after withstanding days of harsh weather to reach this point.

While I waited for the 1:00 p.m. ferry to depart, I noted the ingenuity of Kenny Koyen who moors his gill net tug Seediver in the adjacent ferry slip.  Winter mooring lines become frozen, and knots are almost impossible to untie.  But with this clever arrangement, the dock line is spared chaffing, and the line can be cast off by slipping the stick from the loop.

  - Dick Purinton

Large white pine and table in the field to the north of home.

Washington Island, Wisconsin -

(Note:   I've added an additional comment to the foot of this posting...1.28.16)

Readers curious to know about the changing conditions on Washington Island, and who look in frequently at the Ferry Line's webcams, will know that the photo above wasn't taken today.

I took this one while on skis - that's right, cross country skis - several weeks back when I was feeling quite frisky.   I skied modestly, or so I thought, two days in a row, and also fell a couple of times when just standing, talking with my daughter, Evy.  My skis slipped out from under me in quick order.  The result of that outing was further aggravation of my Achilles tendons, both legs, putting me pretty much out of such continued activity since then.  During that hiatus, the snow melted and skiing conditions deteriorated, anyway.

But this morning we awoke to a pleasing cover of about 5 inches of wet snow, delicately blanketing tree branches, power lines and roofs.  Peanuts, when compared to the storm out east, but it's much more pleasant to observe and be outdoors in this kind of a snowfall.  Today's temperatures of 30+ have already melted some of the snow, opening up patches on the drives and lawn.

Skiing partners on this day were daughter
Evy with her dog, Ozzie.  Unfortunately,
those conditions didn't last for long.

A week of cold weather, single digits most mornings, finally stiffened up the ice in Detroit Harbor, so that just one week ago we saw Jeffrey Andersen walking out on the ice, towing his pop-up shanty.  Must have caught a few perch, too, because he stayed until dark.  The following morning Mack Gunnlaugsson towed his ice shanty down Main Road to the shore, and morning after that he pulled it out into the open harbor with his three-wheeler.

Since then others joined in, and now there are half a dozen shanties, and more with pop-up fishing shelters adding to the scene.  Almost all fishermen still use lighter ATVs, as the report I received indicated only about 6 inches of ice on the outermost areas, and not enough to safely drive a pickup truck over the ice.

Digging out in a different setting

We recently added insulation to the attic over our home and attached garage by placing fiberglass batts over blown-in insulation.  Although this space is quite open, and I hadn't known anything was stored up there, a few interesting items were uncovered.

First were two large, framed photos, and we have no idea who the subjects are.  Mary Jo guesses they are relatives, maybe connecting with the Kalmbach side of her family.  The photos and frames are quite bulky, and evidently the once-popular jumbo portraits of those now long gone were of no particular interest to Arni and Mary when they lived in this home.  Partially covered by the blown-in insulation, we guessed they were placed up there many years ago.

One item I quickly recognized was the stainless "destroyer-style" wheel from the helm of the Washington, built and outfitted at Peterson Builders, Inc. in the spring of 1989.  PBI completed outfitting with parts and pieces left over from U. S. Navy contracts that PBI was awarded over several decades.

Jacob Richter married a Kalmbach daughter.  Perhaps
these are relations?

"It don't look or feel right," was a comment I seem to remember hearing the first time Arni stepped foot in the new ferry's wheelhouse on sea trials.  Naval Architect Tim Graul set it right by substituting one of walnut, custom-turned by Dan Austad in his woodshop.

But, just what happened to the stainless wheel was a question I occasionally wondered, and apparently Arni preferred it up in his attic rather than on someone else's wall.

Hoyt Purinton holds the stainless wheel in the adjacent photo.  He and others recall that when  the Washington was ready for delivery to the Island (in mid-June of 1989), a new, wooden wheel was in place.

Of course, with the Washington's power steering, even a wheel could be considered unnecessary, and it is sometimes dispensed with on vessels today in favor of a short stick or jogging lever connected to hydraulics.

Nothing quite like the feel and look of a wooden wheel, however, comfortable in the palm of your hand, as you mentally track the spokes while changing the rudder angle at night.

-  Dick Purinton

Note:  I received an email from Chuck Sena last night, who operated the C. G. Richter when still a college student, and he recalled this wheel - or one just like it - having been used on the C. G. when trips were made in summer to Gills Rock (perhaps very early 90s?)  A phone conversation with Erik Foss, who makes it a point to remember such detail, verified that this might have been the case.  If so, I had completely forgotten about this, so thanks for the correction, Chuck.

The C. G. was retrofitted with power steering at Peterson Builders about 1991, as I recall, when plating was also replaced above the chine at the water line.  This change from cable steering followed what was received by Captains as an improved feature when the Washington was built.  A similar power steering arrangement was engineered by Tim Graul, and it underwent a couple of versions.  The first steering pump didn't hold up as it should, and maybe this first trial was when a stainless wheel was substituted for the original, large maple wheel.   

In any case, the wooden wheel eventually was reinstalled, and it stayed on the boat through the sale to a Florida operator.  The C. G., last I've heard, is operating from St. Martins Island, Caribbean.  

Another feature of the photo I ran above, of Evy and her dog Ozzie on our ski outing, was that a second dog, Roxie, was further down the trail.  Sharp eyes, Erik!  - DP

ALMOST CHRISTMAS, BALMY, BLIMEY!

A Christmas-time scene at the Ferry Dock, 1994.  L to R:
Arni Foss (who now sails as a Captain for the Interlake Fleet on the
Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder); Jon Gunnlaugson (deceased);  Mark Dewey
(Scottsdale, AZ);  Dave Johnson (retired); Erik Foss (Ferry Captain, active);
Bill Schutz (Office Manager, active); and Al Thiele (retired).

WASHINGTON ISLAND, WISCONSIN -

After pestering from Erik Foss to put out another blog, and then another, it so happens we've featured him several times in recent posts, and now once again.

The crew that posed that day by the old Ferry Line office had their photo taken in a setting of fresh snow covering the roof, garland and ground.

Arni and Erik are two of four Island brothers.   Dave (not shown) sails as an Engineer for Interlake.  With the dumping of foreign steel and lessened demand by U. S. mills, a number of Great Lakes freighters are tying up early this season, rather than running into January or early February as has become customary in recent decades.   Arni and Dave are home now, enjoying the Christmas holidays with their families.  Kirby, the fourth and oldest brother, who is retired from his career with the Wisconsin DNR in park management, is a Town of Washington Supervisor and farmer.

With unexpected warm weather, the past two days having been an exception, there is hardly any ice in the shallows of the harbors, and none to speak of around the bay of Green Bay.   Three days ago the NOAA water temperature map for Lake Michigan reported a large section of warm water that extended from mid-lake to the shoreline near Traverse City, Michigan, a substantial warm pool of water with water temps between 46 and 48 degrees F.  This wasn't only a warm topmost layer, but apparently a consistent temperature top-to-bottom.  (Hoyt noted this wasn't too far off summertime temperatures.)   Quite extraordinary to see such temperatures in early winter, and its a sure sign that even if the lake temperatures cooled dramatically starting tomorrow (which isn't in the forecast), we should not see floating or solid ice for several more weeks, at minimum.  Such a warm winter start would have made for relatively easy, late season sailing for the lakers, especially those occasions when they transit the narrows, shallows,  and sometimes ice-choked currents of the St. Mary's River while on their typical upper lake runs.

See more detail and additional Lake Michigan information
at:   GLERL.noaa.gov

Generally speaking, mild December weather doesn't mean a lack of wind altogether, and so we still anticipate weather patterns with strong winds, such as Christmas Eve may bring a few days from now.   Best advice to Christmas ferry travelers?  Plan ahead and travel early to avoid possible difficulties with sailing delays or cancellations.    Ferry reservations become effective tomorrow, Monday, Dec. 21st.

Another Foss photo

On Thursday, I greeted Rev. James Reiff as he stepped off the ferry Washington for a brief Island visit.  Jim was Trinity Lutheran Church pastor from 1981 to 1985, and this was one of only a couple of Island visits since his tenure here decades ago.  My invitation for this visit had to do with the Stavkirke 20th anniversary year since its dedication, and with the instrumental involvement Jim had in getting that idea off the ground.

We drove to the Stavkirke where I took several photos and Jim refreshed his memories.  While we visited, Erik Foss dropped in.  Erik was one of Jim Reiff's confirmands back in the early 1980s.   When details came reluctantly to mind for Jim Reiff, Erik was able to complete a name or date quite easily, prompting further memories of the project.  This sort of recall isn't surprising for one who frequently displays the Foss family trait of a steel trap mind where local or maritime history is concerned.

Erik Foss with former Trinity Pastor Jim Reiff.

Needing to warm up from the chilly air, we walked over to the church itself and met Trinity's current Pastor Alan Schaffmeyer, Church Secretary Joan Hansen, and other familiar faces, before making a quick swing through the nave.   Hanging above the pews there is a beautiful model of the Island freighting schooner, Madonna, hailing port of Detroit Harbor on its transom.

This model was dedicated as a memorial to the young Kelly Jess, son of Karen and Butch Jess, and Jim Reiff was instrumental in obtaining the model, a symbol very typical in Scandinavian churches, Jim said, and something often positively commented about by visitors.

Some years later another sailing ship model, a Mackinac schooner made by carpenter John Herschberger as a memorial to his wife Patty's sister, Deborah, was hung in the knave of the Stavkirke.

With background information from Jim Reiff, and with details provided by others closely associated with the planning, construction and use of the Island Stavkirke, my goal is to assemble photos and supporting information into booklet form, to be available for the 2016 summer tourism season.

-  Dick Purinton

YEARS GO BY QUICKLY

Erik Foss turns 50 today!

Washington Island, Wisconsin -

The years go by quickly, especially when you're busy.

Erik Foss turns 50 today, a fact I had overlooked until his son, Christian, told me.  Where was his dad?  He was at work.  "He likes to work on his birthday," according to Christian.  Maybe working is intended to help this day pass more quickly, and not be reminded of the additional year.

During a "survival exercise" on the Arni J. Richter in 2004,
Erik helped adjust life vests on sons Doug and Christian.
Both boys have worked as crew during their summers in
recent years.

When looking at today's Ferry Line crew, there are many faces familiar to the public since their mid-teens.  Erik is one of those who rode in the pilot house and threw the mooring line to the spile as well as anyone, when he was still in junior high.  Official records kept for continuous employment show that Erik comes in a close second to Capt. Bill Jorgensen, who (like Erik) worked for the Ferry Line several summers before joining permanently in April of 1987.   There are many trips under the belt of these two captains, with Bill holding the unofficial record of having the most crossings of the Door, of anyone, with his long work record and many trips on the ferries each year.

It's fun to look back on the years as told in photos, so here are a selection of photos showing Erik, Bill, Joel Gunnlaugsson, Jeff Cornell and Rich Ellefson.  

I'm sorry I'm not able to date each photo with accuracy.  Time has a way of wiping out memory of the year without a date having been recorded.  Perhaps the people in the photos remember.

- Dick Purinton

Bill Jorgensen at helm of Voyageur,
around 1980-81.

Bill with son, Dale, in
wheelhouse of C.G. Richter.
(Year unknown)

Captain Rich Ellefson (year unknown),
now Ferry Line vice president and operations manager.

Captain Joel Gunnlaugsson (then summer crew 1993).   

Krista and Joel, before marriage, children, Town
government, County Board, etc. (1996)

Captain Jeff Cornell (year unknown) who operates
both Karfi to Rock Island and ferries to
Northport.

REMINDERS

Fall weather at its best, with wind gusts topping 40 mph,
Thursday, Nov. 19.     Eric Foss guided the Robert Noble
through 6-8 ft. swells.   A rare cancellation was made
for the last trip of the day, with darkness adding to
operational challenges.  

Washington Island, Wisconsin -

Erik Foss reminded me a week or two ago, as I drove onboard the Washington for a trip down the peninsula, that my last blog was posted in late September, the equivalent of internet eons ago.  Such a deterioration in communications.

So I'd better get with the program.

If you happened to watch Channel 5 weather at the 6:00 pm and 10:00 pm on Nov. 12th, you may have seen the ferry Washington lurching through seas in the Door.  Erik Foss happened to be at the wheel, and he was comfortable enough on camera to crack a joke with the reporter, a reference I was unable to hear.    Nearly all ferry trips are made without television crews along for the ride.  Their film, however, showed a more realistic look at ferry travel to and from Washington Island, at least in the fall.  And, in more recent days the conditions were far windier.

But overall the 2015 Fall season was mild with moderate wind conditions, and the fall colors held on well into October with plenty of unexpected, bonus days that enabled us to accomplish outdoor activities.   In addition to picking up fallen leaves, many of my outdoor hours were spent glazing windows and touching up the paint on old buildings.   Unless it warms up again, I'll move on to brushing and woodcutting for a few weeks, before the snow and consistently colder temperatures stay with us.

This morning, following a light rain most of Thanksgiving day, we awoke to a light cover of snow on the ground.   The thermometer hasn't budged off the 30-degree mark.
  *     *     *     *     *

Jim Rose sent along photos of an improvement for the Percy Johnson County Park (formerly, Eastside Park.)   The transportation of this modern day outhouse to the Island was shipped on two separate semi trucks, along with a large, portable crane to lift and set each section.

This dandy crapper came in ready-to-assemble sections:   the upper structure for above-ground, walk-in patrons, and the vault for below ground waste storage.   Wonder what Percy would think about the improvement, in particular the cost?

In the interest of a more complete story, I need to take a photo of the finished product, learn where it was manufactured, approximate cost, and its success as a public improvement.


      *      *     *     *

Thanksgiving blessings

With Thanksgiving leftovers still on hand, and appreciation for the bounty so many of us enjoy in terms of food, shelter and the essentials of life, I'm also reminded of the different approaches individuals choose to take.

Back in mid-September (while waiting in line for an order at the Albatross) I had a conversation about the seemingly late turn of colors, and of the eventual coming of winter.

"It might be warm now, but just wait," the man said. "If you watch squirrel activity,  they've been quite busy lately, and that's a sign it's going to be a hard winter."

I've heard it said before by old timers (Jack Hagen, among others) that squirrel activity is an indicator of the severity of winter to come.   (It could also have to do with the abundance of acorns produced in a particular year that spurs such activity, not unlike shoppers scurrying after bargains on the day following Thanksgiving.)   The gist of the old adage is,  we can learn from observing squirrels, that they sense things we don't.

Earlier this fall, we observed squirrel-like human activity, too, the storing away of tons of canned food, dry goods, and essentials tools and equipment.

Was this storing of "nuts" the conscious preparation for an impending disaster that regionally and nationally might cripple communications, supply lines, transportation routes and electric grids?  

Almost everything we use depends upon electronics that are susceptible to hacking and interruption, whether by villainous perpetrators or natural causes.  A major disaster would make such private storehouses of goods an essential element for survival of the few who have the foresight, wealth and gumption to see into and prepare for the future, so the logic goes.

This way of thinking - to my mind negative, and almost nutty -  me wonder if the rest of us are just naive to forces beyond our shores?    Those who properly prepare, as I understand it, are people who act on knowledge and a healthy fear of things to come by laying in supplies for the impending disaster.

As I was about to dismiss the notion to follow the lead of squirrels, I read a short piece in an AARP magazine (that's right, my undisputed source of information!) where television journalist Ted Koppel was interviewed regarding his theories of what might happen if the nation's electric grid goes down.  Less than a week later, I listened to Koppel on the CBS Sunday Morning program as he elaborated on his investigations.  As he sees it, a major electrical grid failure is inevitable, just a matter of when, a belief he outlines in his book, Lights Out!   No one in government is prepared, or looking out for our interests in such a scenario, according to Koppel.     

Then, I read a piece in the October 26 issue of The Waterways Journal, a weekly magazine of maritime trade and transportation on North America's inland waterways:

   Navy To Reinstate Celestial Navigation
After an absence of nine years from the curriculum of the Unites States Naval Academy at Annapolis and a 15-year absence from Naval ROTC programs, U.S. naval officers are once again learning to navigate by the stars, the Navy announced.   
The class of 2017 will be the first in many years to graduate with a basic knowledge of celestial navigation.   

This article went on to announce that the U. S. Navy was reintroducing sextant skills to its cadets, due to the increased concerns about the vulnerability to errors and possible hacking of government high-tech instruments and satellites.   It was also possible, it was noted, that during a national emergency our government might elect to shut down the GPS system, because it might be used to advantage by potential enemies.

This information was, again, something I hadn't considered.  I agree there are real benefits for teaching celestial navigation as a back-up to electronics (as was the practice for a number of decades), and I hadn't even realized that celestial navigational had been dropped from the curriculum for future Naval officers.

When adding these various things up, a conscientious squirrel begins to wonder if we're far enough out of the mainstream of life to ignore the signs?   Will our household  in a disaster fail to provide health and happiness?  Should we continue in belief in the American system, as we've known it?

Surely there are thousands of brilliant people who. through their concern for prosperity and survival, have given a great deal of thought to the consequences?   If so, we're in good company continuing along our path of "productive citizenship."   Projects, contracts, planning and financing for the future …  continues apace in all manner of scale, nationally and globally.   Preparing for an eventuality that may never come is a risk analysis of the highest order.   It can seem silly, like the practice of ducking beneath classroom desks in the late 50s to avoid nuclear annihilation.

It's been suggested to me that what others do is none of my business, that one can spend hard-earned income however he or she wishes, even if that wish is to stockpile the goods of this earth to extend our days.  Maybe they're right.   I shouldn't puzzle over the lives and decisions of those I can't understand.

But, another question bothers me:   How will those individuals during a major disaster - the ones with foresight and capital to cache food and supplies:   a) Hold off friends, neighbors and relatives at gunpoint when desperation sets in;  or,  b) Share food and supplies equitably with those same neighbors, friends or relatives, thereby limiting their own longevity?

We might take action from another observation in nature.  Every so often squirrels are observed jumping into the lake and swimming away from shore, perhaps when populations exceed nut supply.

Should we follow one another, like squirrels over the edge of the bluff, or continue to stand on firm ground, building on the foundations laid before us?    Do we allow squirrel observations to rule our lives?


-  Dick Purinton