Snow melting, robins chirping, and four additional roundtrips for the Washington Island Ferry are all sure signs that spring is here and even warmer weather is on its way. From January 3rd to March 21st, the ferry between Northport on the mainland and Detroit Harbor on the island tops out at two roundtrips a day. Friday morning marked the beginning of an expanded schedule, and ferry captain Joel Gunnlaugsson says as the trip numbers go up, so does the activity on the docks.
The Washington Island Ferry slowly adds trips throughout the spring before it reaches its peak summer season when it runs approximately every 30-45 minutes. Its next expansion of service will be April 27th when it goes from its current six roundtrips a day to ten.
