Northport Pier News

Washington Island Ferry Line signed an agreement with Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding of Sturgeon Bay to construct the Madonna, a year-round boat transporting passengers and vehicles across Death’s Door Passage, the waters between the island and Northport Pier — the tip of the Door peninsula.The new ferry will be named Madonna, measuring 124 feet in length with a 40-foot beam and 10-foot, 8-inch draft. It will have capacity for as many as 28 vehicles and 150 passengers.The new ferry will be the largest in the ferry line fleet. It is scheduled for delivery in late May 2020.“We are pleased to build what is our third ferry for Washington Island…

A Coast Guard Dolphin helicopter that was on Washington Island after the crew made an emergency landing on Sunday was recovered Monday and is being transported back to Air Station Traverse City, Mich., to undergo necessary repairs. A six-member recovery team from the air station arrived on Washington Island on Monday morning to begin the process of recovering the helicopter. At about 5 p.m. CST, the crew loaded the trailered aircraft onto the Washington Island Ferry, Arni Richter, for a 30-minute transit back to Northport Pier in Door County, Wis.