Marquette II Arrives at Straits

The Marquette II, Star Line Mackinac Island Ferry’s new passenger boat, arrived in St. Ignace from Louisiana Monday, May 16. The seventh boat constructed for Star Line by Gulf Craft, Inc. of Patterson, Louisiana, it completed an eight-day, 1,200-mile journey up the Mississippi River system, into Lake Michigan, and through the Straits of Mackinac. The boat is 80 feet long, 24 feet wide, and has a draw of about 6.5 feet. Its third deck, removed for passage under a bridge on the Illinois River, must be reattached and the boat is expected to be ready to carry up to 330 passengers per trip for Memorial Day weekend. The Marquette II replaces the first Marquette , which was built in 1979 and was sold to Davis Park Marine on Long Island, New York, last year. It was the company’s first hydroplane-style ferry.