Boblo Island ferry back in service after being down for 4 days

Residents of Bois Blanc Island, commonly referred to as Boblo Island, have ferry service again after the boat that transports passengers and vehicles onto and off of the island was out of service for repairs for approximately four days.

The vessel suffered damage due to heavy ice flows in the Detroit River, its owner said in an email to CBC.

"The damage has been repaired, and the ferry was put back in regular [service] last evening," said Cindy Prince, the vice president of Amico Affiliates.

Ferry service ceased early Thursday morning and was restored at around 10 p.m. Sunday night, according to the Amherstburg Fire Department.

Fire crews were not called to any emergencies on the island during that time, Deputy Fire Chief Dan Monk said Monday.

Once the home of a popular amusement park, the island, situated about five minutes by ferry from the mainland, is now the site of luxury homes and condos. 

Amico was still able to operate the vessel for emergency vehicles on Thursday and early Friday if necessary, Amherstburg Fire Chief Michael Mio told CBC on Thursday.

But that changed at around 1 p.m. Friday, he said, when the owners realized they would need to take it out of the water.

The fire department has a vehicle on Boblo Island equipped with a hose and pump, Mio said.

In case of emergency, he said the fire department "would utilize the Amherstburg Ferry Company's tug to get our personnel over to get to our fire vehicle, and then … we'd be able to respond to the address accordingly."

Essex-Windsor Emergency Medical Services were also prepared to use the tug to get to the island if necessary, he added, and they would rely on the province's Ornge Air Ambulance service to transfer patients to hospital if necessary. 

The lack of a functioning ferry "definitely elevates the level of danger," Mio said.

"But if there was a weather event where there was heavy ice flow, we could [be] in a similar situation. If a snow storm hit us, we would have to put contingency plans in place no different than what we're doing today."

Amherstburg Mayor Michael Prue lives on the island. On Friday evening, he said he and his family had a well-stocked freezer and pantry and a few bottles of wine set aside in case they ever got stranded for a long time, he said. 

But he was cold when he spoke to CBC on Friday, he said, because his wife had turned down the heat to conserve propane.

The town's emergency response plan for the island notes that it is a unique place because regular access is only provided by the ferry service.