Overnight trips are back on the Badger
LUDINGTON, MI – The crew of the S.S. Badger is bringing back overnight voyages. Lake Michigan Carferry, which owns and operates the 70-year-old vessel on Lake Michigan, announced Monday that its overnight sailings known as doubles will return after a three-year absence on July 6.
The overnight sailings offer passengers a unique opportunity to travel and view the night sky, stars, and sunsets as a part of the route to their destination. The S.S. Badger travels between Ludington and Manitowoc, Wisconsin. It wisas the last coal-powered passenger steamer operating in the United States.
“We have seen a continued increase in traffic and demand for the additional crossing. Many passengers have expressed how much they missed being able to sail at night and we are ecstatic to service our passengers in this capacity again,” said Shelby Soberalski, Director of Marketing and Sales for Lake Michigan Carferry.
The overnight trips will continue through August 6, but will only be available on evenings Thursday through Sunday. In addition to the scheduled day crossings, a second trip will leave Ludington at 8:45 p.m. eastern time and depart Manitowoc at 1:30 a.m. central time.
On the 8:45 p.m. departure, passengers can expect the same amenities as they do during the day, such as Badger Bingo and dining and bar service.
Passengers with tickets for a day crossing who wish to change to an evening crossing can call 800-841-4243 to request a change at no additional fee.
Viking cruise ships pair science with adventure
ALPENA, MI – This is one radical partnership. Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris, named for the southern and northern stars, are touring the Great Lakes this year, with stops in Alpena and in various other ports along the way. These are a different kind of cruise ship, with multiple goals, including scientific research and education.
Last Wednesday, Viking Head of Science and Sustainability, Dr. Damon Stanwell-Smith, talked about the vision and purpose of Viking’s research, which aligns with its goal of providing an educational, unique Great Lakes cruise experience for its guests.
Viking is a Norwegian company owned by Torstein Hagen and his daughter, Karine Hagen. They wanted to create a different type of expedition-style cruise targeted toward the curious traveler seeking knowledge and adventure.
“The market we aim for is what we refer to as ‘the intellectually curious,’” Stanwell-Smith noted. “People who are interested in culture, and history, and geography, and destination, and place.”
He said over the past 25 years, the company has grown, and continues to grow and expand its offerings. The first Great Lakes cruise launched in May 2022, with a stop in Alpena. This summer, the two ships will take turns touring Alpena.
“We have over 100 ships,” Stanwell-Smith explained. “Most of them are river ships. We take a lot of Americans to Europe and around the world, on rivers. We have a fleet of ocean ships, they’re what is described as small ocean ships – they still have 900 guests on board.”
The Polaris and Octantis each carry 378 guests for the Great Lakes cruises, with 260 crew members. “A subset of that crew are a team of expedition specialists and scientists,” Stanwell-Smith said. “We also have two submarines on each ship, so we have a submarine team.”
While the guests are cruising, scientists are conducting research at the same time on the ship. “Four years ago, Viking decided that we should build expedition vessels,” Stanwell-Smith said. “But the market that we’re looking at is to do sincere, credible, rigorous science while guests are on board. So, we built, during the pandemic lockdown, two expedition ships.”
He said the partnership is mutually beneficial, not just to NOAA and Viking, but to advancing Great Lakes research at a faster pace while also providing an expedition-style cruise experience to guests, many of whom have never visited the Great Lakes.
“We are very well aligned,” Stanwell-Smith said. “We can mutually help one another. The vessels are great platforms for science.”
Read more here: https://www.thealpenanews.com/news/local-news/2023/06/viking-cruise-ships-pair-science-with-adventure/?fbclid=IwAR3aKI4KrvlOd0ziUXH0-44H5_UKtgNLgloSyuFSTKMElJEV4pp5-gt9MoQ
Obituary: Boatnerd George Robert Zock
Passed in peace at the age of 92. Predeceased by his parents Elsa (nee Cameron) and George Sr. Zock, brother William Zock, sisters Eleanor Moore and Audrey St. Pierre. Loving father of Tina Robitaille. He will be missed by his son-in-law Andrew Robitaille, grandchildren Connor Ball and Caleb Robitaille, nephew Gordon Zock (Kim), and Bill Peterkin (Tanis). Dad was forever on the road. He loved to travel all over Canada in the summer and enjoyed his winters in Texas. He had daily “meetings” with all his friends at McDonalds and enjoyed watching people coming and going. He loved big ships and belonged to a group called Boatnerds. He would frequently go on trips to Michigan to meet up with the other enthusiasts. He will be missed by his friends, especially Phil Nash, a fellow Boatnerd. Special thanks to all the wonderful staff at the Villa Care Centre. Their loving and exceptional care kept dad very happy and healthy for the last few years. There will be no funeral.
