For the week of Friday, December 26, through Saturday, January 3, Arnold Transit Company will be cutting back on round-trip departures between Mackinac Island and St. Ignace, from four round-trips to three.

Departures to the Island from St. Ignace are at 8 a.m., 11 a.m., and 3:45 p.m.

Departures to St. Ignace from the Island are at 8:45 a.m., noon, and 4:30 p.m.

The ferry company will be closed for Christmas Day Thursday, December 25.

For New Year's Day, Thursday, January 1, there will be no 8 a.m. departure to the Island and no 8:45 a.m. departure to the mainland.

There has been no official word of the ferry service company closing for the winter after January 3, however, depending on the amount of ice packed in Moran Bay, it is highly possible, said Bob Brown, the company's general manager.

The captain and crew of the passenger ferry Huron had difficulty departing from St. Ignace already because of the packed ice in the harbor this past week, said Mr. Brown.

Call Arnold Transit Company headquarters at 847-3351 for more information on departures after January 3.