Had a fun experience today I thought I'd share. I decided to drive up to Ludington and take the ferry across Lake Michigan. On foot, no car. Obviously gonna be a problem to carry, right? Actually no!
The FAQ section on the website states:
"Passengers are allowed to travel with weapons, however they are strictly not allowed in passenger areas and must stay on the cardeck. We ask that they stay in a locked case in your vehicle. If you are not traveling with a vehicle, we do have a secure locker that it can be stored in during the duration of your sailing. Please see a crew member for more details."
Well I have to try this, right? I park the car, unload the 442, drop it in a zipper case in my backpack, and get in line.
Security is honestly pretty rudimentary. They have bomb dogs sniffing cars, and one guy doing cursory bag checks. No metal detectors. I could have walked right on. But, I played the game to see what would happen, and requested to check a weapon. Bag check guy pulls me aside and radios a lovely young woman to come help me out.
She walks me in and shows me a simple padlocked steel cabinet on the car deck. Drop the cased gun in, and fill out a simple ledger sheet showing who has checked what. I'm the only entry for the last few days. Average is less than one declared firearm per trip. I assume most people with guns aren't on foot, and just leave it in the car. Fun fact: There's a "type" section on the ledger. 50% of entries are P365. One Keltec (weirdo). No 1911s.
Random umbrellas in the gun locker for reasons.
Retreival at the end of the trip is simple. They instructed me to flag down "the mate" (!) and ask for access to the locker. I do, get my stuff, sign it out, and get on my way.
I recommend the whole Badger experience highly. It's the last operational coal fired passenger steamer basically anywhere, doesn't cost much to ride, and is still full of legit 1950s tech and fittings. Several years ago they had to figure out how to stop dumping the coal ash in Lake Michigan to placate the EPA. They figured it out and are now a registered National Historic Landmark. I think I saw them forklifting out bins of coal ash early in the morning. They won't let me ride Great Lakes steamers and haulers for fun (boooo lame) so this is about as close as I can get. Don't miss it if you're a ship nerd.
The FAQ section on the website states:
"Passengers are allowed to travel with weapons, however they are strictly not allowed in passenger areas and must stay on the cardeck. We ask that they stay in a locked case in your vehicle. If you are not traveling with a vehicle, we do have a secure locker that it can be stored in during the duration of your sailing. Please see a crew member for more details."
Well I have to try this, right? I park the car, unload the 442, drop it in a zipper case in my backpack, and get in line.
Security is honestly pretty rudimentary. They have bomb dogs sniffing cars, and one guy doing cursory bag checks. No metal detectors. I could have walked right on. But, I played the game to see what would happen, and requested to check a weapon. Bag check guy pulls me aside and radios a lovely young woman to come help me out.
She walks me in and shows me a simple padlocked steel cabinet on the car deck. Drop the cased gun in, and fill out a simple ledger sheet showing who has checked what. I'm the only entry for the last few days. Average is less than one declared firearm per trip. I assume most people with guns aren't on foot, and just leave it in the car. Fun fact: There's a "type" section on the ledger. 50% of entries are P365. One Keltec (weirdo). No 1911s.
Random umbrellas in the gun locker for reasons.
Retreival at the end of the trip is simple. They instructed me to flag down "the mate" (!) and ask for access to the locker. I do, get my stuff, sign it out, and get on my way.
I recommend the whole Badger experience highly. It's the last operational coal fired passenger steamer basically anywhere, doesn't cost much to ride, and is still full of legit 1950s tech and fittings. Several years ago they had to figure out how to stop dumping the coal ash in Lake Michigan to placate the EPA. They figured it out and are now a registered National Historic Landmark. I think I saw them forklifting out bins of coal ash early in the morning. They won't let me ride Great Lakes steamers and haulers for fun (boooo lame) so this is about as close as I can get. Don't miss it if you're a ship nerd.
