By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
LUDINGTON — I have had the opportunity to ride along with the Mason County Sheriff’s Office Marine Patrol the last few days, over the Labor Day weekend. My focus was to cover the heavy vessel traffic in the harbor and the sheriff’s office’s efforts to keep boaters safe, especially when larger vessels are traversing the port. Personnel from Coast Guard Station Manistee assisted for a few days, a rather rare, but welcome, site the last few years since the Ludington station is no longer staffed. On Friday morning, when new Coast Guard channel rules went into effect (see related story here), Coast Guard personnel initially rode with the sheriff’s office patrol, but by evening a boat was sent down to assist keeping the channel clear for the S.S. Badger.
On Saturday, the 630-foot-long MV Manitowoc was at port. On Sunday, Canadian-flagged MV Northern Venture, 508-feet-long, was in port. Both ships were unloading road aggregate at the Reith-Riley Construction Dock, located on Interlake Maritime Service’s property adjacent to Lake Michigan Carferry’s docks.
Deputies Mike Fort, who is in charge of the marine patrol, and Mark Willis, were on patrol the entire weekend. They began their shifts about 5 a.m. and worked until about 10 p.m. each day. Not only did they patrol Ludington harbor and the Lake Michigan shoreline (which included two rescues at the Nordhouse Dunes lakeshore), they also patrolled inland lakes and rivers throughout the county each day.
Despite the heavy fishing boat traffic, neither the sheriff’s marine patrol or the Coast Guard encountered major issues with boats violating the new order.
Thom Hawley, spokesman for Lake Michigan Carferry, said the Badger’s captains and crew have noticed the increased enforcement and are grateful for it.
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