Harsens Island Ferry Closing Notice

I just spoke to the Champion's Auto Ferry office so this is the update:

The ice is flowing heavy on the North Channel of Harsens Island.

The plan is for the ferry to stay open until 8pm tonight (IF POSSIBLE) and then close for the night.....it all depends on the ice, so make your plans early and get to the place you want to spend the night...island or mainland.

Closing the ferry for the night allows the ice to set up and freeze together so the ferry can then make a path in the morning.

That is the plan for today.

Check back here for updates.

Harsens Island Ferry

After last nights ferry closing, things are back to normal with occasional delays.

I spoke to Champions Auto Ferry a bit ago, and this is the plan:

Regular scheduled service today.
Switch to every 1/2 hour sometime tonight.
Resume regular service early Thursday morning.

No exact times were given

Ice Jam in the News

Cutters break ice jam Windsor Star, Canada,  Tuesday, March 30, 2010

WINDSOR, Ont. —Massive ice jams that caused shipping traffic bottlenecks over the weekend have finally been cleared from the St. Clair River after round-the-clock work by the Canadian and U.S. coast guards.

"This winter was a very strange event," said Andy Maillet, the superintendent of operations at the Canadian Coast Guard regional operations centre in Sarnia.

"This particular winter has been an anomaly along the whole Eastern Seaboard. The Gulf of St. Lawrence saw record low amounts of ice. I certainly have never seen this in my 34 years."

Maillet said that while Lake St. Clair had the least amount of ice since 1984, it still saw three instances where ice bridges were formed at the mouth of the St. Clair River in January, February and last week.

"They sort of had the perfect storm type of situation where the winds, the temperatures, everything was in proper sync, the planets were aligned, and the ice just pummelled down the river, as it did a couple of months ago," said Maillet of the trouble that began early last week.

"The ice sealed up the river again, the only ice that remained out there was the heavy, thick ice that survived the melt, so it all piled up at the bottom of the St. Clair River and caused an ice jam whereby there was an ice jam both at the top end and the bottom end initially."

Seven ice breakers, the Samuel Risley and Griffon from Canada and five from the U.S., worked 24 hours straight on Thursday and Friday to clear the jam while shipping traffic was brought to a standstill.

"It's probably the first time we've ever had seven icebreakers working at one place on the Great Lakes ever," said Maillet.

There were about 20 commercial vessels waiting to proceed through the river while the icebreaking took place.

Such jams actually impede the flow of water and cause the level of Lake St. Clair to drop and Lake Huron to rise, Maillet said.

Canadian, U.S. coast guards break ice jam Windsor Star, BY CHRIS THOMPsonMARCH 29, 2010 Massive ice jams that caused shipping traffic bottlenecks over the weekend have finally been cleared from the St. Clair River after round-the-clock work by the Canadian and U.S. coast guards. “This winter was a very strange event,” said Andy Maillet, the superintendent of operations at the Canadian Coast Guard regional operations centre in Sarnia. “This particular winter has been an anomaly along the whole Eastern Seaboard. The Gulf of St. Lawrence saw record low amounts of ice. I certainly have never seen this in my 34 years.” Maillet said that while Lake St. Clair had the least amount of ice since 1984, it still saw three instances where ice bridges were formed at the mouth of the St. Clair River in January, February and last week. “They sort of had the perfect storm type of situation where the winds, the temperatures, everything was in proper sync, the planets were aligned, and the ice just pummelled down the river, as it did a couple of months ago,” said Maillet of the trouble that began early last week. “The ice sealed up the river again, the only ice that remained out there was the heavy, thick ice that survived the melt, so it all piled up at the bottom of the St. Clair River and caused an ice jam whereby there was an ice jam both at the top end and the bottom end initially.” Coast Guard clears ice from St. Clair River Toledo On The Move (AP) -- The U.S. Coast Guard and Canadian Coast Guard have wrapped up an effort to clear ice jams on the St. Clair River. Chief Warrant Officer Mark Stauffer says in a statement that a significant amount of ice was flushed out of the St. Clair River during the past week. He says it's the most ice in the river in decades. Delayed traffic also has cleared the river as of Monday. The Coast Guard Cutters Mackinaw, Neah Bay, Bristol Bay and Biscyane Bay and the Canadian Coast Guard ships Griffon and Same Risley conducted icebreaking operations between the St. Clair River and southern Lake Huron. The ice this month forced crews to free freighters that got stuck.

Ferry & Ice Conditions Update

As soon as we posted that the airboat would run I dashed to get across...had to pick up prescriptions.

The ice was moving pretty good in the middle of the North Channel as we went across, but no problems with Bobby's excellent captain skills.

Thanks to the kind gentleman who drove me to the drug store...sorry I'm terrible with names.

I was back to the DNR in a flash, but had to wait there for nearly 2 hours.  The line was long...I immediately calculated I would be on the 6th airboat trip back to the Island.

Not too bad except in my haste to get off the Island, I was only wearing canvas slip on shoes and a light jacket...no gloves, no hat...not too bright for an Island Girl!

My daughter, Shannon, was on the Island side at the Boy's Club waiting for me and giving me updates...the airboats were not going over any more...they were sitting at the island.  I called Daryl and got the scoop...the ice was now moving too fast for safe airboat transport and we would have to wait for it to slow down.

The temperature kept dropping as the now approximately 20 people jumped from foot to foot trying to keep warm.

After what seemed an eternity the airboat started running again...then along comes the US Coast Guard cutter heading down the North Channel...we all groaned thinking they would get the ice moving again and delay our frozen bodies return to a warm place once again, but their presence seemed to make no difference in ice movement...thank God!

After waiting 4 trips, (it would have been one, but Middle Channel Mike could not be bribed with the offer of a free T Shirt!) it was my turn to go.  I jumped (not literally) onto the airboat just after the sun had set and the temperatures had plummeted...I could no longer feel my feet...but that was great for my foot injury.  The return trip to the Island was freezing but uneventful.  We could see the USCG still working the ice downriver from the ferry...hope they are successful tonight!

Once I got home and started to thaw I began to notice the severe pain in my recently injured, frozen foot....guess two hours on my feet was too much, but it was the only way to stay warm.  Then my nurse mind started taking over...need to elevate that foot and put some ice on it...oh great!

From the Mailbag

Thanks for this Email and photo from Mike D'Angelo:

This is a picture taken on Thursday around noon of one of the back canals off the South Channel near Death's (More recently Art Cook's before he moved near the ferry). 


The water has gone back up but the ice caused the normally 4 foot canal to run dry.

Animated Lake Huron ice breakup

Thank you to Jan Zboril for Emailing us this link to another great web site dedicated to the Great Lakes:  Great Lakes Echo

Here is a cool animation they created with the satellite images of Lake Huron ice:
Satellite watch: Animated Lake Huron ice breakup

Images processed and provided by UW-M Space Science and Engineering Center and animated by Jeff Gillies.

Ferry Remains Closed

The conditions have not changed so the ferry to Harsen's Island remains closed at this time.

The airboat is running now and will continue until 7pm.

The situation will be assessed as conditions change...remember Champion's wants to run...they don't make any money with the ferries sitting in the docks.

Lot's of rumors and predictions being spouted out there, but unless someone has a crystal ball.....

Please let us know by Email or comment if you have more information...we'll keep our ears open too and will post as events happen...thanks for your help!

Ice News

Don't forget to click on the above tabs "Area News" & "Harsens Island in  the News" for more stories!! St. Clair River jammed again - The Sarnia Observer - Ontario, CA Ice icebreakers were busy Monday clearing thick Lake Huron ice blown into the St. Clair River by north winds. Freighters approaching the river were asked to hold off for 24 hours to allow the U.S. and Canadian icebreakers to do their work, said Andy Maillet, regional supervisor of operations with the Canadian Coast Guard. "It did flush down all night long so the river is basically full of ice again," Maillet said. "The only good thing about that is Lake St. Clair is not frozen, so there's nothing hard that's going to stop the ice from flowing down." That in turn is reducing the risk of flooding, he added. Ice stopped Cross-river service at Sombra's Bluewater Ferry was halted by ice Sunday for the third time this winter. "It's bad today," owner Lowell Dalgety said Monday. "We're jammed up . . . we've got an awful lot of ice coming at us." Recent warm weather has released "some pretty impressive thick ice" that's proving difficult to move down through the river, Maillet said Several freighters became stuck Sunday but were able to move again with the help of icebreakers and a pair of tugboats. "It was a tough slog over the weekend," Maillet said. The latest river troubles coincided with Sunday's opening of the Sault Ste. Marie locks, which marked the official start of the new Great Lakes shipping season. Maillet said Monday it was hard to say when ship traffic on the St. Clair River would return to normal. Ice, extending from 2.5 to seven miles out, stretches 13 miles up the shoreline north of the Blue Water Bridge, he said. "So even if we were able to get an open-water route through that ice it doesn't mean that is going to stay." Nevertheless, the north winds driving the ice into the river are welcome, he added. "Once it flows through we're done with it."

Ferry Closed Today

Due to ice in the North Channel, Champion' Auto Ferry to Harsens Island is closed today.

Bob Bryson will be running the airboat from 4pm to 7pm later toady.

The Coast Guard is working the ice and conditions could change....we'll keep you posted.

All upbound traffic has been halted for 24 hours

Ice halts northbound ships
Port Huron Times Herald

Freighters heading north up the St. Clair River and into Lake Huron have been halted as the Coast Guard works to flush ice out of the area.

Lt. Dixon Whitley with the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Detroit said several ships are working today to break up the piles of slushy ice clogging the shipping channel.

“It’s a very abnormal situation,” he said. “It was kind of the perfect storm of the wind, the current … and just the stage of the ice that was pushed in there – very thick and water-logged ice.”

U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers Mackinaw and Biscayne Bay are working alongside Canadian ship Griffon to clear ice in southern Lake Huron, while the U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker Neah Bay is working in the north and middle channels near Harsens Island.

Whitley said all upbound traffic has been halted for 24 hours.

Whitley said the ships will likely continue efforts to clear the ice Tuesday.

“We’re going to continue until it’s gone, which hopefully is sooner rather than later,” he said.

Ferry Shutting Down in Next 30 - 45 Minutes

The Harsens Island Ferry will be shutting down within the next 30-45 minutes. 


This will be for the rest of the day. 

Middle Channel is now JAMMED

Nancy just posted a comment that the Middle Channel has jammed and there is still lots of ice coming down the St. Clair River from the Blue Water Bridge.

Check the LIVE web cam at :http://www.boatnerd.com/livecam/porthuron/

Satellite View

Click on phtos for larger image:

Today's image...thanks to Kathy Engelhart for this Email:

This satellite view is from Friday, more recent images are cloud covered.

Ferry & Ice Conditions Update

So far,  so good.

We saw a Coast Guard Cuter downriver from the ferry earlier today, working the ice.

Although conditions can change at any time, David Bryson, Owner of Champion's Auto Ferry to Harsen's Island, says he does not EXPECT problems due to the large amount of ice floes passing down the North Channel.  He expects to be able to keep to a regular schedule tonight and tomorrow....time will tell, so check back here often for changes and updates.

---

Lake Huron ice no longer a concern

Port Huron Times Herald

With warm temperature and sunshine dominating the forecast in recent days, the concern over an ice bridge in Lake Huron is melting away as quickly as the ice. U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Matt Merriman said ice is moving into the St. Clair River in large floes. But, he said, the ice is broken up and basically “melted.” Officials don’t expect the ice will cause navigation problems or flooding. The U.S. Coast Guard sent a ship to the lower St. Clair River Tuesday to break up some thin ice gathering near Harsens Island. Ice on Lake St. Clair has melted, Merriman said

Ice Watch in Effect for Harsen's Island

I just heard on the scanner that the Canadian Ice Office told Sarnia Coast Guard that there was a "significant" amount of ice coming into the river from Lake Huron. As I write this Sarnia is contacting the various ferry operators to alert them.

I DO NOT KNOW HOW MUCH ICE AND I DO NOT KNOW WHETHER IT WILL CAUSE OUR FERRY ANY TROUBLE. However, it is enough to have Sarnia Traffic Control sending out warnings to the downstream ferries.


Charles Miller
President
Harsens Island St. Clair Flats Association
cmiller79@comcast.net

Large Chunks of Ice Headed Our Way

Thanks to Chuck Miller for this Email update from 9:39am:


Folks:

I just heard the Sarnia Coast Guard people notify the ferries that the ice dam has broken and large chunks are headed down the river.


Charles Miller
President
Harsens Island St. Clair Flats Association
cmiller79@comcast.net

Today's Satellite Photo

Big thank you to Chuck Miller for staying on top of things....it's like having another blogger here for Harsen's Island News!!!!

Coast Guard has been busy!

River is open, AND they've opened up tracks in the lake!

Click on photo for larger image!

What Now?

Email from Chuck Miller...thanks!

Yesterday's readings:

Two feet of difference between Algonac and the Middle Channel??

Charles Miller

President

Harsens Island St. Clair Flats Association

cmiller79@comcast.net

Seems to contradict the reports that the ice problems are over!

Progress on ice jams
Royal Oak Daily Tribune

Michigan U.S. Congresswoman Candice Miller received a status report on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutters' mission to break up a 9-mile ice jam in the St. Clair River.

The ice jam is affecting the water levels north of the jam which is causing the water to rise and some flooding, and the water levels south in Lake St. Clair dropping by at least 2 feet.

The mission started Monday.

"The U.S. Coast Guard reported that the ice bridge in the St. Clair River, near Marysville, broke off and is now flowing down the river towards Lake St. Clair," Miller said in a release. "There is still a large amount of ice; however, the water is beginning to flow south. The area is already seeing the results: there is a decreased water level north of the ice jam in the St. Clair River, and the water level has increased by almost four inches in Lake St. Clair."

The U.S. Coast Guard were joined by the USCGC Mobile Bay on Tuesday.

The mission was expected to continue through Wednesday.

The mission's operations are being preformed by the USCGC Mackinaw from Cheboygan, the USCGC Mobile Bay from Sturgeon Bay, Wis., the USCGC Neah Bay from Cleveland, Ohio, and the Canadian CCGS Samuel Risley from Parry Sound, Ontario.

Ferry Running - All is Clear

My husband, Steve, took a ride all around the Island....

North Channel - Clear
South Channel - Clear, with scatter ice floes

The small black USCG Cutter went down the North Channel around 9:30 this morning.  Hopefully it is working the ice downriver.

The Island roads are much better than last evening when we had extremely icy roads!  The salt trucks came over last night.

Ferry & Ice Conditions Update

Noon Report on Champion's announcement machine:

Look for the ferry to Harsens Island to open around 2pm.

The Coast Guard has come and has the ice moving in the North Channel.  We expect to be back in operation sometime around 2pm.

There should be no problems after that.