Leaders from St. Ignace and Mackinac County welcome leaders from Mackinac Island, who arrive on the mainland after riding on the first boat from the Island of the year Monday morning, March 15. Pictured are (front, from left) St. Ignace Mayor Paul Grondin, Mackinac Island Mayor Margaret Doud, Mackinac Island Mayor Pro-Tem Armand “Smi” Horn; (back) Huron ferry boat Captain Keith Duffton, Mackinac County Commissioner Calvin “Bucky” McPhee, and St. Ignace City Manager Eric Dodson. The Huron, Arnold Transit's steel-hulled ferry, began passenger service between Mackinac Island and St. Ignace Monday, March 15, and will continue daily operations, including Sunday service, weather permitting.

Three trips daily are scheduled leaving St. Ignace at 8 a.m., 11 a.m., and 3:45 p.m. The Huron will depart the Island at 8:45 a.m., noon, and 4:30 p.m.
At right: Arnold Transit's Huron ferry boat charges into the thin, floating ice floes near St. Ignace's Lake Huron shoreline Monday morning, March 15.