MUSKEGON, MI — In its 20th season, the Lake Express is expected to have a banner year.

Designed to bypass Chicago area traffic, the high-speed catamaran car ferry that connects Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Muskegon, Michigan, has officially left the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic in its wake, officials say.

“Been through a lot with COVID and the other things going on but what we saw starting last year, and continuing this year, is a real appetite for travel,” said Aaron Schultz, senior vice president for the Lake Express. “We’re having what we think will be our best year ever.”

The 192-foot ferry has a top speed of 34 knots, about 39 miles per hour, carrying up to 250 passengers. The high-speed car and passenger ferry boasts the fastest ferry service on Lake Michigan, crossing the around 80 miles in about 2.5 hours. Drive time from Muskegon to Milwaukee is about 4.5 hours.

“We’re meant to go fast,” Schultz said.

“We’ve got full car decks, people coming from all over,” Schultz said. “About 50 different countries have come through, all 50 states, and everyday we’re seeing people from dozens of states – even into the fall months here, we’re going strong.”

Built in Alabama in 2003, it was the first American-made ship of its kind. The Lake Express began relinking Milwaukee and Muskegon via cross-lake ferry in the spring of 2004, resuming the route left behind by the S.S. Milwaukee Clipper, which was discontinued in 1970.

The Lake Express is currently the only car ferry crossing Lake Michigan after the historic S.S. Badger, connecting Ludington, Michigan, to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, – a four hour journey – ended the 2023 sailing season early after damage to its ramp system in July.

“We saw a significant boost of travelers in the days after the Badger dock failure as we worked hard to assist passengers stranded by the cancellations,” Schultz responded to MLive/Muskegon Chronicle in an email.

“We were already experiencing increased traveler volumes in spring and summer prior to the SS Badger closure and continue to see added ridership as former Badger customers continue to choose the Lake Express to avoid the long drive around Lake Michigan and Chicago traffic hassles and congestion.”

The Lake Express crosses Lake Michigan four times daily during the spring (May 5 – June 29) and fall (August 21 – October 22), starting with a 6 a.m. CST departure from Milwaukee and a 9:30 a.m. EST arrival in Muskegon. The schedule has Muskegon departures at 10:15 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. while Milwaukee departures are 6 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Departure and arrival times for spring, summer and fall are on the ferry’s website.

Depending on weather, early Muskegon-bound travelers are able to witness stunning sunrises over the lake or sunsets for the evening westbound Milwaukee-bound passengers. For adventurous travelers, seats are available on the sun deck, giving passengers an open and windy view of Lake Michigan. There are also outdoor seats in the more protected upper stern (rear of the ship).

Some days, the Great Lake is so calm it can be difficult to make out the horizon as the still water and sky appear to merge. Conditions on Lake Michigan can also get dangerous in a hurry, but cancellations are “extremely rare,” Schultz said.

Captain John Rogers, one of four rotating captains, says the Lake Express is well equipped for Lake Michigan, “above and beyond” U.S. Coast Guard regulations.

“We have the top of the line radars and electronic navigation systems,” Rogers said. “We have a double-redundant monitoring system for all of our machinery – multiple compasses, multiple GPSs, multiple modes of communication.”

In August, the Lake Express helped in the rescue of seven people after a 27-foot boat sank beneath the surface of Muskegon Lake. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, the crew spotted the boat as it was going down. The ferry raised an alarm, alerted authorities, and while waiting for help to arrive helped people out of the water along with fishermen.

“We did our job quite well that day and had some good help as well from a local fisherman who responded very quickly,” said Schultz.

Schultz said the Lake Express staff is proud to be both serving and showcasing the Muskegon and Milwaukee communities.

“Obviously, we’re big fans of Muskegon, we’ve been going there for 20 years,” he said. “We go for business trips and say ‘I want to move there sometime.’ Summer is terrific, the beaches, Muskegon State Park, certainly the downtown, the breweries, the farmers market, I could spend the rest of the day listing those things.”

The same is true for Milwaukee.

“Going to Milwaukee, you have all the things you have in a lot of big cities – art galleries, interesting neighborhoods, food and festivals – but in a more user-friendly manner,” he said. “We like hosting people from Michigan, who maybe come from the smaller towns and we like leaving Milwaukee to slow down. I think both sides benefit.”

The last crossings of the year are scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 22.

Two different types of passenger cabins are available: Classic and Premier. Classic Cabin fares for and adult is $108.50 for a one-way ticket or $187 for roundtrip tickets, while the Premier Cabin costs $130 or $233.00 roundtrip. For the complete listing of the variousrates and details about the cabins, click here.

“We’re going quick but you’re not in a rush,” Schultz said. “There’s a lot of room to move around. People will take a nap, people will play some games.”

Complimentary pet kennels for cats and dogs are available on a first-come, first-served basis and must be indicated during the reservation process. Passengers traveling with a vehicle are instructed to keep all luggage inside the vehicle except items they may need while on board.

Automobiles are charged $118 one-way or $224 roundtrip. Motorcycles are charged $66 one-way or $132 roundtrip. More details can be found here.

The common configuration is 44 vehicles and 12 motorcycles, but depending on space, the staff tries to fit a few more. Every inch counts. For large motorcycle events, the car ferry can book to carry up to 125 motorcycles.

The ferry’s Muskegon terminal is located at 1918 Lake Drive, and the Milwaukee terminal is at 2330 S. Lincoln Memorial Drive. Both terminals provide fast and easy connections to area attractions and major interstates. Passengers can begin checking-in an hour and-a-half before each scheduled departure and are encouraged to arrive at least 45 minutes prior.

The boarding process closes 15 minutes prior to each scheduled departure. One government-issued valid form of photo identification is required at the time of check-in and ticketing.

MLive was on the ship Monday, Sept. 25 to document the trip from Muskegon to Milwaukee and back. Check out some of our favorite photos below or view the entire gallery here of 80 images.

More from MLive:

Farmers market holding Fall Harvest Festival in Muskegon

5 fun things to do in Muskegon this weekend (Sept. 29 – Oct. 1)

Nearly 2,000 living units at Windward Pointe part of developer’s plans that include marina, public parks

Not one, but two Frank Lloyd Wright homes land on market for $4.5M

MILWAUKEE — Christopher Morel folded his arms and leaned on the dugout railing, taking in the Milwaukee Brewers’ raucous celebration across the field.

Morel stayed locked in on the scene as Chicago Cubs coaches and teammates grabbed their stuff to head into the clubhouse. The Brewers, with the division title wrapped up and nothing to play for this weekend, poured onto the field and mobbed walk-off hero Carlos Santana, who helped serve the Cubs another one-run heartbreaker Friday in a 4-3 loss in 10 innings.

[ [Don’t miss] Column: The Chicago Cubs’ playoff fate could be decided Saturday after a gut-wrenching loss to the Milwaukee Brewers ]

The same game has played out far too often over the last three weeks. Sporadic offensive production. Defensive miscues. Close games that don’t go in their favor. The Cubs (82-78) have lost four straight, and their season is down to survival mode — and even that is a generous description of their nearly nonexistent playoff hopes.

They are on the brink of elimination. Everything must go the Cubs’ way to close out the season, the byproduct of going 6-14 since completing a sweep of the San Francisco Giants on Sept. 6 at Wrigley Field. That stretch includes Friday’s loss in which the offense had nothing going until the eighth inning.

“The one bounce here or there that you need in those situations, we’re just obviously not taking advantage of or getting or making happen so at the end of the day we’ve got to play better,” shortstop Dansby Swanson said. “This last little bit I need to play better, come through in bigger moments and haven’t. Just frustrating, especially being in every game against good teams and really grinding our way but just not making it happen.”

Following the Miami Marlins’ comeback victory against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday, the Cubs must win their last two games at American Family Field while the Marlins lose their next two at PNC Park — and then must squander the resumption of their suspended game Monday against the New York Mets. The Marlins hold a 2-1 lead with two outs in the top of the ninth in that game.

Making matters even more difficult for the Cubs is the fact the Cincinnati Reds pulled even with them in the wild-card races. They both are 1 1/2 games behind the Marlins, but the Reds also own the tiebreaker on the Cubs.

“We’ve got to win every game,” manager David Ross said. “It’s been that way for a while now. I know the score.”

The Brewers played more like the team trying to stay alive in the wild-card race. The Cubs, who are 21-24 in one-run games, managed just three hits through seven innings.

Morel had two extra-base hits and made something happen in the eighth when he followed Jeimer Candelario’s leadoff homer with an aggressive triple, advancing around second when Brewers shortstop Willy Adames had the ball near the edge of the grass — Adames’ back was turned to the infield. Yan Gomes drove Morel in on a groundout to cut the deficit lead to 3-2.

Ian Happ’s first-pitch, game-tying homer to begin the ninth gave the Cubs life. But the offense again came up short in the 10th. Gomes struck out against Caleb Boushley, who was making his big-league debut, and an intentional walk to Mike Tauchman to load the bases set up a big spot for Patrick Wisdom. He went down swinging on four pitches.

Santana sliced a José Cuas sinker into left field to score the winning run without a throw in the bottom of the 10th.

Two great defensive plays by Swanson in the ninth forced extras. He showed off his athleticism turning a 6-3 double play and then snagged a deflection off Cuas’ mitt for a barehanded throw to get William Contreras at first. Swanson’s glove work doesn’t make up for his offensive struggles the last two months, which have become particularly noticeable amid the Cubs’ collective problems down the stretch. He struck out twice Friday and grounded into a double play.

“Just playing bad, which I own,” Swanson said. “Obviously come to work every day with the expectation of playing well and just haven’t performed in moments recently. It sucks and definitely something I’m frickin’ working on but just not happening. We’ve got two more chances. I know (it) just sounds cliché, but another opportunity to come to work tomorrow and put together a good performance and give ourselves a chance.”

Originally Published: Sep 30, 2023 at 12:27 am

MILWAUKEE — The Cubs had all the makings for a special comeback with their backs against the wall.

They just fell one big hit away.

And the Brewers had one big knock left in them.

After rallying from a 3-run deficit in the final two frames, the Cubs failed to score a run in the extra innings and fell to the Brewers 4-3 on a walk-off single from Carlos Santana. It leaves the Cubs 1.5 games behind the Marlins for the final Wild Card spot with 2 to play, leaving their playoff hopes in a very precarious situation.

The Cubs had two late home runs — a Jeimer Candelario solo shot in the 8th and then an Ian Happ solo blast in the 9th to tie the game.

But the Cubs couldn’t mount any offense in the 10th against Caleb Boushley, who was making his major-league debut. The Cubs had loaded the bases in the extra frame, but Patrick Wisdom struck out to kill the threat.

The Brewers got to starter Kyle Hendricks, scoring 3 runs off the veteran in the 5th and chasing him from the game en route to a 3-2 win and Miami scored 4 times in the 8th to rally and see their magic number dwindle to just 1. The Cubs’ playoff hopes, as promising as they looked just a few weeks ago, could be over in less than 24 hours.

Brewers’ starter Colin Rea, who had a 4.74 ERA this season and hadn’t started since Sept. 8, stymied the Cubs. The former Cub pitched 5 innings of shutout ball, striking out 6 and allowing just 2 hits.

In the 3rd, Morel had a hustle double to left field with one out, but the Cubs failed to advance him. Two innings later, after a leadoff single from Seiya Suzuki, Swanson followed with a double play grounder to kill the threat.

To make things worse for the Cubs, they lost Nico Hoerner in the 7th inning. The second baseman fouled a ball off his left kneecap in his 6th inning at-bat. He was checked out by manager David Ross and trainer Nick Frangella but stayed in the game. He grounded out to shortstop and played defense in the bottom of the 6th.

He was taken out one frame later, replaced by Miles Mastrobuoni at second.