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

More Signs of Spring

Snow banks were reduced further in late Sunday's
rain, and in the morning's warmth mist hung over
Lobdell Point Road.

Detroit Harbor -

Always a slow process, the cool weather of the past several weeks slowed up melting of snow banks, and the reduction in bay and harbor ice.   Ever so slowly it disappears and softens, but it was only Saturday, March 30, a little over a week ago, when the bay broke up and fields began moving.  Large pieces headed toward the Door passage with the potential of blocking, or halting, the ferry in its movement. The last scheduled crossing of the afternoon was called off.  Patience proved a good thing as ice piled against the shoreline on the Green Bay side of the Island, providing spectacular shoves in the late afternoon, we were told.  By morning, ice movement had eased, and broken fields lay to the west of the Door Passage.

Otter's unmistakable profile was an early morning surprise.

We've often observed evidence of an otter having passed through the Bayou area, leaving characteristic sliding and tail marks behind in the snow.  Similarly, it often left behind unmistakable piles of excrement loaded with shells, crawfish parts and fish scales.   Two days ago Mary Jo spotted an otter crossing the harbor ice, harassed by three crows as it scampered its way to the nearest hole in the ice.  This morning while having breakfast, grandson Zander saw the otter on the ice south of our home.  I fetched my camera, guessing it might swim for the next opening to the north.  It did.  Quite elusive until now, I think he or she's making a home nearby.  Could be a rough time in store for the small mouth bass that spawn in this general area later in spring.

As dark crept in yesterday afternoon and rain fell, lowering visibility, 37 sandhill cranes made an appearance on the harbor ice.  They landed one pair at a time, in intervals, as if signaled to do so from a control tower.  There, they congregated on the ice for the night.  This morning they were still together, only farther out, across the harbor, closer to Snake Island.  A variety of ducks, Canada geese, eagles and now the first great blue heron are among the visitors making an appearance each day as the openings in the ice enlarge.

In terms of human activity this morning, members of the ferry crew found ideal conditions to prepare the Washington for the season.

This part of the harbor happens to be ice free at the moment, but up in the shallows there's soft ice.  Fields of ice, given the right push by wind, could still cause challenges.  But, for the most part, reductions in ice will increase.  Wind and rain are now the best thing to speed up the process.  A bit of rain tonight is forecast, then snow Wednesday night into Thursday.  Maybe our last significant snow of the season?

Jeff Cornell buffs fiberglass benches on
the Washington passenger deck.

Pete Nikolai touches up with a wire brush while Tully Ellefson steadies the raft, an annual task to keep the hull and exterior bulwarks in good condition.  Above, on the upper deck, Jeff Cornell buffed fiberglass benches.  Soon, more ferries will be in use, underway, as one-by-one each is cleaned, painted and readied for the season.

Pete Nikolai (L) and Tully Ellefson man the painting
raft in this morning's calm.

 -  Dick Purinton

DRIVING MISS DAISY

We drove to Jackson Harbor Saturday afternoon
and found everything in place,
exactly as anticipated.

Washington Island, Wisconsin -

For the past week temperatures have not varied more than a few degrees above or below zero.

Each day seems like a replay of the one before, although its been sunny and bright, and I suppose that alone makes it seem better if you're indoors safe and warm or in a spot outdoors sheltered from the wind.  

Recent ferry trips have gone like clockwork.  Ice to the west of the Door passage dampens the sea,  even when, like the other day, a large bite of ice left the waters in the Door and sailed out to the lake.  The exposed warmer water produced sea smoke or steam against the much colder air.   Because of ice upwind a mile or two from Plum Island, the brisk westerly winds didn't produce much of a sea.   The Potato Dock, loaded up from spray a few weeks back, received another light coating to freshen the glistening ice banks.

Arni J. Richter enroute to Northport, Saturday afternoon, Jan. 10.

We've taken to making short drives in the car to break up the tedium, with Mary Jo chauffeuring and me coiled up in the back seat.  It's an impossibility at this point to bend my knees tightly enough to get in the front passenger seat, and so we're imitating "Driving Miss Daisy" with me in the back seat offering suggestions on when to turn, what to see next.  It's in the grand tradition of Esther Bjarnarson and her green Checker taxi, with Oliver contentedly in the passenger seat, a fixture on the Island for many years.  

"You can dictate to Mary Jo, and she can
type your blog," Erik suggested.   

After several tries with my camera, I got a shot of the elusive Erik Foss who nearly always manages to duck, weave or otherwise put himself out of camera range.  Erik wondered why I hadn't done a new blog.  

"I posted one yesterday," I said.  "What'll I write about, anyway?  Any news you can give me?"

They spotted a snowy owl on the ice, and then an eagle, Erik said, but his curiosity soon switched to the topic of my knees and why I was sprawled in the back passenger seat.  My explanation included a display of the 9-inch scar over my right knee.

Bill Jorgenson and Pete Nikolai, who together with Erik were the Arni J's crew, nearing 1 p.m. rolled the UPS cart aboard, then pulled up the stern ramp and applied power to the screws.  The wash thrown up by the propellers was mixed with ground ice as the ferry started for Northport on its afternoon run.

How good it would feel to be to be able to join them, I thought, but slippery decks, multiple sets of stairs and weather elements presented barriers I'd never before considered obstacles.  I'm thankful the daily job of operating in winter is in the hands of such capable men.

We've taken to watching the ferry load up and then leave the island pier while parked along the side of the old office - an activity I'd never expected I'd be doing, or something that would give me such pleasure.  We were reminded of Arni's daily routine of parking his car at the ferry dock while in his nineties, observing the ferries come and go and reminiscing on how things had changed from the old days.

From Mary Jo's perspective - and she's been a saint - our current routine might seem more like, "You're driving me crazy," rather than "Driving Miss Daisy."  

At home, indoors, we're on our seventh jig-saw puzzle (tough ones with 1000 pieces).  WPR provides background music throughout the day.   Mary Jo helps me with physical therapy and fills the woodbox, stokes the fireplace, and fixes meals.    Her world has shrunken in scope along with my own these past weeks.  Visits from grandsons become highlights of our day, along with a leisurely spin in the Toyota along snowy Island roads.  It's become one way to relieve January's tedium.

The big football game - Packers vs. Cowboys at Lambeau field - begins at noon today.  This is the day for which many fans have waited, and it becomes the high point of not only their season of football, but of the winter itself.   We could say there might be disappointment on the part of some fans that the game time temperature time won't be colder than +17 degrees, when we've just experienced much colder days.   Talking about the weather and describing the effects of cold temperatures seems to describe best where we live and how we've chosen to live, even though most of us are content to watch such football games from the comfort and warmth of our living room recliners.

With Jackson Harbor frozen solid, the old
Welcome's mooring lines become window dressing.

  

-  Dick Purinton

LP TANKERS, COLD WEATHER

Shore crew waited in wind, cold and drifting snow
as the sun rose over Detroit Island.

Detroit Harbor, Washington Island -

My purpose for driving to the Potato Dock this morning was to photograph the LP tankers that would unload when the special, early morning ferry arrived.  This was a ferry just for tanker trucks carrying the liquid propane fuel.  This was also the first official occasion using this docking point for unloading two semi trucks.  Truckers from Kaukauna's Schuh Transport typically load product the day before so that they can be on the highway no later than 5 a.m., to arrive at Northport before 7:15 a.m.

The ferry trip went smoothly, with little-to-no ice encountered.  The previous day's winds and the blizzard on Wednesday had blown heavy ice from the Door into the lake, but new ice was already forming in near-zero temperatures.  Within two days the passage will be ice covered once again. Heavier, jumbled ice lies to the west of Plum Island.

A primary concern was if the Potato Dock facility would serve its purpose without hitch, the ramp levels, the available dock surface for turning trucks, and so forth.  Everything worked well, as it turned out.  Lined up on shore where the woods began were vehicles and passengers waiting to be directed to the ferry, just as soon as the trucks cleared the causeway.  The two smaller trucks shown at the end of the pier in the top photo were Ferry Line trucks used to transport freight between the Potato Dock and Terminal building - package freight, food products and such.

It generally takes 2-3 hours for the tankers to unload, time enough for the ferry to run its regularly scheduled morning round trip.  Then, after the ferry once more unloads vehicles, passengers and freight, the empty tankers are loaded for another unscheduled run to Northport.  -  Dick Purinton

Joel Gunnlaugsson secured lines.

Crew waiting for ferry:  Rich Ellefson,
Pete Nikolai, Con McDonald.

Propane, most of it used for heating, is stored at the Hansen
LP facility on Town Line Road, and from there it is
distributed to tanks at island customer locations.

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.