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

JANUARY CROSSING 2017

This shot may look as though it was tweaked by photo-shopping, but not so.
Tim Graul took this photo at Northport Saturday, Jan. 7, after several days
of high winds added successive layers of frozen spray to the ferry's bow.

Washington Island, Wisconsin -

During the past month, we've had a mix:   mild weather; high winds and cold temperatures; a good snow cover of nearly a foot; then rain on top of fresh snow, followed a few hours later by plunging temperatures.   A bit of just about everything.

But, it's cold enough that the harbors and the bay have finally frozen over.  In just a week or so, most of upper Green Bay has seen sheets of ice, and this has changed the ferry operations for the better.  Prior to this week, the absence of ice led to freezing spray and icing on decks, enough so that a week ago only the morning ferry trip was made using the AJR.  The crew went to work trying to remove as much ice as possible, and as the wind subsided a bit, trips were resumed the following morning using the Robert Noble.   By afternoon, with the Island channel becoming choked with ice, the Arni J. Richter resumed operations.  It looks as though this will be the ferry for operations for the next several months.

Joel Gunnlaugsson on deck of Arni J. Richter at Northport Pier.
(Graul photo)

The absence of ice makes it easier, but only when there are moderate winds and temperatures.  Joel Gunnlaugsson is shown in on deck holding a long bar used for knocking away ice, but also for prying open the frozen bow ramp.   Those photos were taken by retired naval architect and designer of the Arni J. Richter, Tim Graul, who happened to take an afternoon ride up the peninsula to our Northport dock, where he found the ferry loaded and ready to depart.

This morning I rode the ferry to check on the work progress at the Northport terminal building.  I decided this might also be a good opportunity to take photos and video along the way.  The ice had built up considerably in the days since Saturday's crossing.  A field of 4-to-6 inch ice slid against the tripod legs Tuesday morning and created an ice shove, according to Erik Foss.  A good photographic opportunity, he suggested, after asking why there haven't been new blogs lately.

I used my iPhone camera to obtain video, which worked quite well.  But because the air temperature was only 14 degrees, it shut down on me shortly after passing the entrance light. As we headed into a stretch of open water on the back side of Plum Island, I headed for the engine room to warm and restart my phone.

The second purpose of my trip, to document the work being done at Northport, commenced when I centered the two fiberglass porta potties in my camera lens, in front of the terminal building.  It was a shot I hoped would get the message across for viewers of this blog, that public toilets in the building were no longer in service (in fact, they are no longer there!).  As I was about to snap this photo, the toilet door on the left opened slightly and a woman peeked out to find my camera trained in her direction.

No, I hadn't intended to take her photo as she exited the toilet, I said.  I was concerned she might get entirely the wrong idea.  While I awkwardly stumbled over my words of apology and took the photo of the pair of toilets with the terminal building in the background, as I had planned, another lady opened the door of the second unit.  Too late!

Yes, they said, the facilities lacked heat, and no, I didn't stick around to find out their names or where they were from (their husbands waited near their car, across the driveway.)

So, if anyone should wonder, these outdoor toilets are in working order (filled with anti-freeze, I assume) and they are placed there for use by the construction workers and the general public.  But my recommendation is that if you're traveling to or from Washington Island, then please consider using the toilets on the ferry when the opportunity presents itself.

As for construction progress, the former Northport restaurant kitchen is now framed in and well along to becoming space for the men's and women's toilets. A utility closest is nearby.   The newly enlarged lobby opens to the Visitor Information Center in two wide openings that will have glass doors.   The finished product is rather hard to feature or appreciate at this point, but workmen are actively remodeling this space so that in several months' time it can be reopened for the busier travel season.  In the meantime, your patience is appreciated.

Back on the Island

Several smaller, but important, projects have been taken on by the ferry crew.  In the office area, Con McDonald is refitting overhead flourescent lighting with LED lighting for energy savings.

Rows of many, small LED lights within a clear, plastic housing replaces the old fixture,
 a filament bulb that was screwed into a socket of the former masthead light housing.

On the Eyrarbakki, Joel is engaged with installing new LED navigational lights, along with a new lighting panel.  As required, the new lights, which look dramatically different from the ones they replace, incandescent bulb style-lighting, will also have a back-up feature, both in power source and in the bulbs themselves, should the primary set for some reason fail.

A century ago or less, many vessels had kerosene lamps behind magnification lenses, eventually changing over to electric navigational lights in brass and glass housing.  Moulded plastic housings eventually replaced the brass or steel housings, and so this step is just the latest in improved equipment. A new pilot house lighting control panel with a solid state board is being installed at the same time.

-  Dick Purinton

DREDGING DANCE WORKED!

Long underwear and patience were the order of the day 
back in early March when Mike Kahr's barge returned to Detroit Harbor to 
dredge near the island docks.   Hoyt Purinton will be in short sleeves, and smiling, 
when he sees the Roen Company construction barge
enter port later this summer.

Detroit Harbor, Washington Island -

There was never a certainty, but quiet optimism prevailed until the moment when the Wisconsin Legislature's Joint Finance Committee approved a measure yesterday in the state's budget bill for $5.2 million to dredge the Detroit Harbor channel.  This is believed to be the most difficult hurdle to funding the channel dredging project.

Rep. Garey Bies said, “This is great news for the residents of Washington Island.   I’m thankful to the members of the committee who listened to my concerns and prioritized funding for the project."

Bies also commented on the potential economic loss should the channel impede regular ferry transit:

"While the safety of the residents of the Island is the biggest concern, I was also worried about the significant economic impact a loss of ferry access would mean to the Island and our district as a whole. Year-round access generates more than $16 million in annual economic activity through the transportation of passengers, vehicles and cargo." 

This is about the best news we've had in this corner of Lake Michigan since an effort was begun in August of 2007 to gain the attention of government officials. At that time, beginning with an historic, in-person visit by then sitting Senator Russel Feingold, the project was posed but water levels weren't as extreme as they soon became during late 2012.   Several meetings attended by local, state and federal officials brought sympathy for our situation, and behind-the-scenes conversations took place, but the effort didn't seem to be of a serious nature until work with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation's Harbor Assistance Program (HAP) began in 2011.

Last June, as you may recall, Washington Island's 2012 HAP grant was turned down, and for several good reasons.  Efforts were made to provide better engineering data, and this was augmented by a Wisconsin HAP grant for approximately $150,000 late in 2012.  Bottom core samples, exacting yardage fignure - in short, a project ready for bids, resulted from that grant, and it culminated in three contractor bids for the actual project last month.  While no official selection has been made, the Roen Salvage Company of Sturgeon Bay was low bidder and is expected to be awarded the contract once the HAP funds are officially secured.   The $5.2 million figure represented the combined total of the Roen bid, plus engineering fees, plus contingency, plus anticipated island road repair costs from heavy truck traffic.

The Joint Finance Committee's vote (12 to 4) won't be the final hurdle.   Action is still needed in the State Senate and Assembly, with the governor's signature after that.    The earliest possible formal, final approval would take place in late June as the state's two-year budget is approved.

The significance of this recent action, put forward by our State Senator Frank Lasee and his staff members, and Garey Bies and his staff on behalf of Washington Island, is that the money is marked for Detroit Harbor.   Other ports will have a chance to apply for other available money in the HAP grant pool, but Washington Island's project has been underscored as being essential and not to be upstaged by other needed commercial port work.

Thanks through email, phone call or letter is due Senator Lasee, Rep. Bies for their legislative work, and to members of the Town of Washington Board who stuck with the HAP program application process through a second round.   
Contact information for Rep. Garey Bies:  
         Toll free phone:   888482-0001     or email:       Rep.Bies@legis.state.wi.us
                     P.O. Box 8952    Madison, Wisconsin   53718-8952
State Senator Frank Lasee's contact information:  
         Phone:   608-266-3512                       email:      Sen.Lasee@legis.wisconsin.gov        
                       State Capitol Rm. 3165, P.O. Box 7882, Madison, Wisconsin  53708

Town Chairman Joel Gunnlaugsson took
the call with the good news from Rep. Garey Bies at the Northport
pier late Tuesday afternoon.

Other good news coupled with this extraordinary legislative action for Washington Island is that Lake Michigan's level continues to rise slightly each week.   In yesterday's brisk, southerly breeze, water levels were at their highest since sometime in early August of 2012.

-   Dick Purinton

CHANGES IN THE WEATHER

DETROIT HARBOR -

First a photo of a bright crisp morning taken last Sunday, following three days of nearly non-stop snow.

Washington Island, for some reason, maybe lake effect, received 8.5 inches of rather wet snow.  It was a strange time, with pavement and patches of ground that remained totally bare because they'd been warmed during the previous week.

Sunshine and warmer temperatures melted nearly all snow, then more precipitation fell today, this time rain.

The overall change in lake level has been positive, an 8 or 9 inch increase since early January and higher during the gale force NE winds of last Thursday.  That afternoon, because of lake swells and not much ice to dampen their motion, the Arni J. Richter landed in the afternoon at Gills Rock, the first time in several years.   By Friday morning it was back again at Northport where, thanks to wind-driven lake levels that ferry was able to back in to the pier for the first time since October.  

We are still hopeful that all ferries will be able to transit the Detroit Harbor channel - if water levels continue to rise to allow business "nearly usual" - by late May.  The shallower draft Eyrarbakki, at approximately 8.5 ft., should be able to begin service sometime next week, after Coast Guard approvals on the installation for rebuilt equipment is granted, and final maintenance details have been completed.

Mike Kahr continued to dredge at Northport, completing work left undone there in early February.  That dredging permit, and the job of breaking and digging rock off the end of the Northport Pier, is finished, for now.  His next project will be for the State Park in Jackson Harbor.  It will impact where the Karfi can land.  He's also been contracted by the State to dredge loose cobblestone accumulated near the pier at Rock Island.

This has been a long winter, but we're starting to emerge from our hole.

April 11, 12 and 13 we received snowfall.  But now when the
days warm, it often reaches close to 50 degrees.

Good news of a different sort

Tuesday night the Town of Washington Board of Supervisors opened bids from three contractors for the job to dredge the Detroit Harbor channel.  The requirements were for three separate funding scenarios, so each bid package contained three different proposal figures.

There is more review to be done by the Town, assisted by their consulting firm Foth Environmental, before a contractor is named.   But, good news at this point is that each of the bids came in lower than we had anticipated, and it appears the bids might allow for doing the entire project in one, continuous effort.  They range from approximately $3 million (low bid) to $4.7 million (high bid).  Added to the contractor fees will be costs to repair Town roads, engineering and construction oversight fees, and a 15% project contingency.

East Side Road, Sunday morning April 14..

No official award has yet been made by the Town, but that should be forthcoming once finer details of the bids have been vetted.

State officials ought to find this basic set of bids well within their acceptable, affordable range, and Washington Island's citizens would be very surprised - and disappointed - if given these figures the State won't follow with project approval, then funding, over the next several months.

-  Dick Purinton

  

HAVE AN ICE TIME!

Traffic boarded the Arni J. Richter from
the Potato Dock for the 8 a.m. departure.

Detroit Harbor, Washington Island -

This Monday morning was the first trip of the winter for the Arni J. Richter, and the first official loading at the newly dredged Potato Dock.  Pete Nikolai met traffic waiting to board and worked with components of a new, portable ticketing system.  Crews prepared the decks for possible freezing spray as the engines warmed at the pier.

Pete Nikolai met customers at the upland staging
 area, using a new portable ticketing system.

Traffic included the typical load of autos and passengers, with a pumper unit belong to the Washington Island Volunteer Fire Department being the first truck to load on a scheduled run from that location.  Joel Gunnlaugsson was driving the truck to a facility in the Fox Valley for maintenance.   One standard item not loaded on board due to observance of Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday was the U. S. Mail.

Joel Gunnlaugsson, who also wears hats of
ferry captain and Town Board Chairman, drove the pumper
truck off the island for maintenance,
also on his way to attend a meeting
as a County Board Supervisor.

It was that time of year for beginning a new, anticipated routine.  Morning air temperatures hovered at +2 degrees F with a sharp NW wind.  New ice, some made overnight, the rest blown in from the north, covered approximately 80% of waters between Washington Island and the Door Peninsula.  Steam rose from patches of open water to the east where the bay opens to the lake itself.  After toying with us for the past month, winter seemed finally to settle in.

The Island's two remaining commercial fishermen brought their tugs C & R (Jeff McDonald) and Sea Diver (Kenny Koyen) around the island from Jackson Harbor Saturday, in advance of the predicted cold spell and ice that would lock them in at Jackson.

The Detroit Harbor channel with ice now formed to the entrance buoy and beyond will not be navigable for the ferry Washington.  That ferry, with less draft than the AJR, made all ferry trips in early winter, given the lack of ice during that time.

Crews began the winter layup process immediately after the AJR's departure, starting with the draining of engine room water lines and pumps, necessary before turning off electric heaters.  We're now beyond the middle of January, and given what may be a shortened ice season (no certainty, of course), within a few months a non-ice breaking ferry could once again operate from our main docks near the Island Ferry Terminal.

Until then, crews and passengers will have time to adjust to the new routine of operating from the Potato Dock using the ice breaker Arni J. Richter.

This coming week may prove too cold to accomplish any dredging at Northport, due to icing of the spuds in their wells on his barge, but Mike Kahr had begun work there with his machines.  He switches back and forth between two excavators on board the barge. One is fitted with a breaker point to loosen the bedrock before scooping it up with the second machine's bucket.  When the temperatures rise once again, he will continue deepening the maneuvering area off the end of Northport Pier. Then, if ice allows, he'll return with his barge to Detroit Harbor where more dredging and dock work awaits.

Mike Kahr broke up rock ledge to deepen
waters near the end of Northport Pier.
Photo taken Friday afternoon, Jan. 18.

Monday morning ferry departure from Potato Dock.

LATE NOVEMBER

EYRARBAKKI headed toward Northport Friday afternoon, Nov. 23rd,
with lake freighter on the horizon.
Jim Rose photo.

Washington Island, Wisconsin -

We received our first snowfall of the season Saturday night, a couple of inches.  It was the first measurable snowfall since early last March, according to the Channel 5 meteorologist.   A cold air mass followed on the low pressure cell that produced strong westerly winds Friday and Saturday.

Friday's trips became more difficult as seas in the Door approached 8-10 feet, short and steep.  The day's last round trip was cancelled as a result.  Shown above is a photo taken by ticket seller Jim Rose from the Northport dock, around 3 pm.   This is what Jim wrote:

     The gales of November are not just part of the lyrics to a song, but were a real occurrence on Friday, November 23rd.  The Washington Island Ferry Line provided service all day, but was forced to cancel just the last trip of the day.  Winds at Northport were recorded as high as 32 knots, with 44 knot gusts, on that day.  In terms of miles per hour, that is about 35 and 50 mph.  Info from the Northport NOAA weather station may be accessed on line at:
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=npdw3
Photos show the spray over the breakwall, and the Eyrarbakki heading toward Northport, with Pilot Island in the background, and a lake freighter off in the distance. 

The high winds depleted water from the shallows of Detroit Harbor once again, with a measurement Saturday morning indicating we reached a new low, even if it is temporary record.   Water levels in Detroit Harbor are now at their lowest point, with several weeks before the time in early January when the annual low is often recorded.

This puts the channel depth now at something like 13 feet, or only two feet of water beneath the Arni J. Richter's keel in a loaded condition.  This is one reason the Arni J. Richter won't be used until ice enroute makes it our only choice.   This morning our crew made a dry run using the side ramp of the AJR at the Potato Dock to determine if levels will work for autos and short trucks.  A shoal area about 50 feet north of and parallel to the pier must be dredged before we dare place the ferry bow-in to shore. (And the stern ramp is already too low for loading.)  Dredging arrangements are being made, and the WDNR expedited our permit application for this project.   We hope to have our marine contractor here within a few weeks to begin work.

Crew members made adjustments to the Potato Dock pier following
a trial run using the side ramp.   In foreground Rich Ellefson
smooths gravel.  At midships, Jim Hanson cuts a piece of steel.
Near the stern, Ken Berggren and Con McDonald adjust the
height of a tire.  (Purinton photo)

 As long as its feasible we'll use the Eyrarbakki, which draws less water.  But this ferry can't tolerate ice navigation.   It could well be that side loading, the only way to load the former winter ferry, C. G. Richter, will once again become a regular winter feature.  Both numbers and size of vehicles that can be carried would be affected.

Among the impacts to be realized by shifting to the Potato Dock and the use of side loading:  Trucks over 30 feet in length could not be carried due to their length.   There would be no possibility, with side loading, to load or unload a vehicle such as long as a semi.

In preparation for the very real prospect that ferry operations could well shift to the Potato Dock for part, or most, of this coming winter, operating guidelines are being developed to meet passenger, vehicle and freight logistics from that location.

In the final photos (also by Jim Rose) heavy and oversize equipment is featured.  We transported the Gersek Construction gravel crushing equipment from the island days prior to the opening weekend of hunting (approximately Nov. 15-16).  The crusher represents one of the heaviest, most concentrated loads we carry, at approximately 100,000 lbs.  

Crusher/screening plant backing from the AJR foredeck.  (Jim Rose photo)

The only way this unit could be loaded was to drive the tractor beneath the Arni J. Richter's wheelhouse, entering over the bow, where the greatest freeboard, or height above water, is found.  At Northport, the rig was then backed from the foredeck to the dock.  This ramp that was installed a few years ago at the end of the Northport pier has a lower height and an incline more gradual than any of the others.   A long conveyor was also ferried to Northport on the Eyrarbakki deck.

These loads represented two extremes of concentrated weight and dimension.   Their transport was at the limits of what is currently possible, given water levels.

Elevator takes up deck space, and then some.
(Jim Rose photo)

-  Dick Purinton