STURGEON BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – There’s a new addition to the Washington Island Ferry Line. The 124-foot-long Madonna was christened Monday at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay.
The new ship is the biggest of five vessels in the Washington Island Ferry Line.
Company President Hoyt Purinton tells FOX 11 the Island economy is growing, and a second all-season boat is needed.
“An ice breaking season that can last anywhere from five weeks to five months. With one horse in the barn so to speak, that can be operationally challenging. Having that ability, or some kind of redundancy is incredibly important for us.”
Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding vice president and general manager Todd Thayse tells FOX COVID-19 concerns had an impact.
“We didn’t shut down. We kept going. We had to obviously put some measures in place to keep our people safe. By all means it’s something that was difficult to deal with, but I’m really proud of our people, and the response that they had and the respect that they had for each other through this thing.”
From the wooden steering wheel in the pilot house, to the lower deck with room for about 28 vehicles, the Madonna mixes form and function needed for the four-and-a-half mile trip to Washington Island.
“They’ll ride it, their kids, their grand kids will ride it, and going into the future. That means a whole lot to us,” said Purinton.
The Madonna is still waiting on a couple of parts before it is completely finished. Company officials say it could be a couple weeks before the new ferry will be ready to set sail.
