Tag Archives: Lake Michigan

How to stay safe when caught by a rip current

3-bottom, Citizen Journalism, Community Health, Environment, Great Lakes, Health, How-To's, Recreation, , , ,

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org


It is finally nice in West Michigan, which means lots of beach time, but as the recent scare this week at Grand Haven beach reminded many knowing how to handle a rip current is key to water safety.

Grand Haven State Park does not have lifeguards but does utilize a flag system to let beachgoers know conditions.

Under a new land use order that allows the Department of Natural Resources shutdown the Grand Haven State Park on Tuesday, June 21, after water conditions prompted several rescues. Under the new order, the DNR can prevent or fine a person who enters waters under their jurisdiction when certain conditions are present such as harmful bacteria, dangerous weather conditions or rough waves, as was such the case on June 21.

According to the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project, there has been 46 possible great lakes drownings so far in 2022, of which 19 have been in Lake Michigan. Lake Michigan is considered the deadliest lake of all the Great Lakes and one of the deadliest lakes in the United States due to the number of drownings.

One of the leading causes of those drownings are rip currents, channelized currents of water flowing away form shore at surf beaches.

To help raise awareness about rip currents, WKTV will be again airing the special “Respect the Power,” on June 28 at 9:30 a.m. and June 30 at 5 p.m. on Comcast Channel 25. 

If caught in a rip current, relax and don’t swim against the current. Rip currents do not pull people under the water.

The video was produced by the Great Lakes Beach & Pier Safety Task Force and was created in memory of Andrew Burton Fox and Daniel Reiss, both who were swept off the Grand Haven pier and drowned in Lake Michigan.

According to Grand Haven officials, rip currents and powerful breaking waves are common in the area of the pier. But education, including recognizing what a riptide looks like and what to do if you are caught in one, can increase the chances of a happy outcome.

From the “Respect the Power” website, it states that the Great Lakes are better understood as inland seas rather than lakes. Storms, not the lakes, can easily generate waves up to 30 feet in the most sever weather. However, even smaller waves can be dangerous.

When waves break, water is pushed up the slope of the shore. Gravity pulls this water back toward the lake. When the water converges in a narrow, river-like current moving away from the shore, it forms what is know as a rip current. Rip currents can be 50 feet to 50 yards or more wide. They can flow to a point just past the breaking waves or hundreds of yards offshore. You can sometimes identify a rip current by its foamy and choppy surface. The water in a rip current may be dirty from the sand being turned up by the current. The water may be colder than the surrounding water. Waves usually do not break as readily in a rip current as in adjacent water.

Moving at one to two feet a second, sometimes up to eight feet which is faster than any Olympic swimmer, a rip current can sweep even the strongest swimmer away from the shore.

According to both the “Respect the Power” and the National Weather Service websites, if caught in a rip current, try to relax. A rip current is not an “undertow” and will not pull you under. Do not try to swim against the current as this is very difficult, even for an experience swimmer. If you can, swim parallel to the shore until you are out of the current, then swim directly toward shore. If you are tired, tread water and float and call and wave for assistance. The current will carry you to the end or head of the current, where once rested you can swim back to shore.

Some other water safety tips:

1. Learn to swim.

2. Check with a lifeguard or with the park’s current conditions board before entering water.

3. Never swim alone.

4. Never dive headfirst into unknown waters or shallow breaking waves.

5. Piers are navigational structures and not designed as walkways, proceed at your own risk.

6. Do not jump or dive off pier structures.

7. Avoid piers when waves begin to spill over the pier surface.

8. To avoid rip currents, avoid swimming in areas that are discolored with sand and has a choppy or foamy surface.

9. If caught in a rip current, swim parallel to shore (about 30-50 yards) to get out of the rip current before swimming to shore.

10. Protect yourself from the sun. Use sun screen.

It’s here! The WMTA’s annual Lighthouse map

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The Grand Haven lighthouse. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

By WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

Looking for a a trip that would follow social distancing guideline but also provide you a chance to explore the state of Michigan?

The West Michigan Tourist Association (WMTA) has released its 2020 Lake Michigan Lighthouse Map and Circle tour. This is a free poster-sized publication which details all of the lighthouses located on the shores of Lake Michigan, as well as the Circle Tour driving route to guide motorists around the lake.

The full circle tour driving route around Lake Michigan is available online, and website visitors may also download a PDF of this year’s Lighthouse Map, or request that a free copy be mailed to them here: www.wmta.org/lake-michigan-lighthouse-map-circle-tour/

White River Lighthouse is located near Whitehall. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma

Vacationers have been looping the lake for generations, but the official “Lake Michigan Circle Tour” route was not established until the 1980s when the Michigan Department of Transportation teamed up with West Michigan Tourist Association to create the route and its official guidebook. Along the way, travelers will find more than 100 lighthouses, countless islands, unique attractions, parks and natural areas, miles of glorious beaches, quaint harbor towns, and one “modern marvel” – the Mackinac Bridge.

While a loosely-organized “circle route” around Lake Superior was promoted by local tourist organizations as early as the 1960s, the first official (and signed) Great Lakes Circle Tour was the Lake Michigan Circle Tour. The only single-nation Circle Tour (Lake Michigan being the only Great Lake completely within the US), the Lake Michigan Circle Tour also has the most mileage of any Circle Tour in the state.

Old Mackinac Point Lighthouse in Mackinaw City. (WKTV/Joanne Bailey-Boorsma)

Working in conjunction with the Michigan Department of Transportation, the West Michigan Tourist Association helped to make the first of the official Great Lakes Circle Tours a reality and the first publication was released in 1988 as a 52-page guide book. The guide book was transformed into a map in 2007, and the Circle Tour driving route can now be found online.

Lake Michigan Lighthouse Map & Circle Tour publications are also available in bulk quantities; please contact Travel@WMTA.org for more information.

Wreak from an 1800s ship found in Ludington

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By Rebecca Berringer
Port of Ludington Maritime Museum

Port of Ludington Maritime Museum Site Manager Eric Harmsen looks over the wreckage found on Friday. (Port of Ludington Maritime Museum Instagram)

On the evening of Friday, the 24th, we received a call from our friends at the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association that new shipwreck remains had just been reported on the beach north of Ludington, near the entrance to the State Park. The next morning, Eric Harmsen, the site manager of the maritime museum, was out surveying and recording the wreckage, taking measurements and photographs that can be used to work on a possible identification.

High water tends to reveal long-buried shipwrecks, and several around Lake Michigan have recently become visible. The waters between Big and Little Sable Points are notoriously dangerous. Dozens of ships have become total losses between the points, some in deep water offshore, but many more grounding near shore. Some were salvaged if not too badly damaged, others were left to break up in the surf. As shown in the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum’s current shipwreck exhibit, more than 300 ships have grounded on the west coast of Michigan over the last 170 years, at least 20 of those between the two Point Sables.

Shortly after the discovery was announced, MSRA was contacted by the Epworth Historical Society, who let us know that in the 1980s a large wooden rudder had come ashore at Epworth, just to the south of the wreckage we surveyed. Also, a few years ago, workers at the Ludington State Park recovered a large wooden windlass that had washed up on the beach. It is possible that those items and the recently uncovered wreckage may be related.

The wreckage as seen off of Lake Michigan. (Port of Ludington Maritime Museum Instagram)

The wreckage is a hull fragment from a wooden vessel. At the time of the survey the wreckage was approximately 32 feet long by 8 feet wide. The hull fragment consists of 15 double frames (the “ribs” of a vessel) with planking on both sides. The planking is quite large, with widths measuring between 8 and 11 inches, joined to the frames with metal fasteners. These remains are just a fragment of a vessel. Unfortunately, there are no centerline timbers such as the keel, keelson, or centerboard trunk, (the backbone of the vessel) which could give us a much better idea of the size and type of the vessel. The construction and measurements are consistent with schooners built between the 1850s and 1880s.

Working with our partners at MSRA, comparing the wreckage with historical records we have identified several possible vessels that the wreckage could be from: The J.B. Skinner built in 1841, the George F. Foster built in 1852, the J.O. Moss built in 1863, the Eclipse built in 1852, and the Orphan Boy built in 1862. We also know of a wooden hulled tug, the Frank Canfield, built in 1875, that sank off Big Sable Point, which is another possibility.

Our Lakes are Great: Lakeshore Museum Center wraps up color series with discussion on Lakes

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Participants of the Collection by Color speaker series on March 27 will take a look at the impacts of Lake Michigan (pictured above) and Muskegon Lake. (Pexels)

WKTV Staff
joanne@wktv.org

Community members are invited to the third and final lecture in Lakeshore Museum Center’s Collection by Color speaker series, this time with a focus on the blue waters of Muskegon Lake and Lake Michigan.

On Wednesday, March 27, from 6 to 7 p.m., Muskegon’s Blue Economy Panel will be gathered in the museum’s auditorium where attendees can dive into a deep discussion about the impact these lakes have had, and continue to have, on Muskegon’s economy.

“Hundreds of years ago our lakes were used for lumbering which was a huge part of our history, but just because that era ended, doesn’t mean the lakes no longer play an important role in our economy,” said Jackie Huss, Program Manager at the museum. She added, “In fact, our lakes are a big part of Muskegon’s rebirth!”

A panel of experts representing various sectors of the community will be sharing how Muskegon’s most valuable resource — water — impacts their industries, and the Muskegon area as a whole, in numerous ways. Known as Muskegon’s Blue Economy Panel, the group includes Dr. Al Steinman of Grand Valley State University, Bob Lukens of the Muskegon County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Dave Alexander of Downtown Muskegon Now and Chuck Canestraight of Sand Products Corp.

“We are honored to have this prestigious collection of speakers come together for such an important and intriguing discussion,” stated Huss. “What better way to wrap up our color-focused lecture series?”

Muskegon’s Blue Economy Panel discussion takes place on Wednesday, March 27, starting at 6 pm. Doors open at 5:30 pm and attendees are encouraged to explore the museum’s Collection by Color exhibit before the program begins.

This event is free for Muskegon County residents and museum members. Cost for non-residents is just $3. You can reserve your seat by calling 231-722-0278 or by emailing Jackie Huss at jackie@lakeshoremuseum.org. Look for the Lakeshore Museum Center event calendar online at lakeshoremuseum.org to learn about other, upcoming activities.

Michigan native Erin McCahan presents young adult novel ‘The Lake Effect’

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Grand Haven native Erin McCahan presents her critically acclaimed young adult novel ‘The Lake Effect’ Tuesday, July 18 at 7 p.m. at Schuler Books & Music, 2660 28th St. SW.

 

A funny, bracing, poignant young adult romance and coming-of-age for fans of Huntley Fitzpatrick, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and The Beginning of Everything.

 

When eighteen-year-old Briggs Henry decides to work for an eighty-four-year-old widow at her house on Lake Michigan the summer before college, he assumes he’ll take her to doctor appointments and help her with house work. Wrong. Briggs tries to leave behind his family and school troubles for a relaxing summer on the lake and instead encounters an eccentric elderly woman, tight-knit locals, and an enigmatic girl all of which gives a new meaning to “lake effect.”

 

McCahan grew up on the beaches of Grand Haven and Macatawa. Now a resident of landlocked New Albany, Ohio, she and her husband return every summer to North Beach in South Have, not he shores of Lake Michigan.

 

For more about the book reading and discussion, visit www.schulerbooks.com.

Learn about rip currents before heading to Lake Michigan through WKTV program

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With Lake Michigan only being about an hour away, it is easy during a hot summer day to pack up the family and head to the beach to enjoy the sand and waves.

 

Those waves also contribute to Lake Michigan being the deadliest of the Great Lakes. In fact, Grand Haven has one of the highest current related incidents, 109 from 2002 to the present according to the National Weather Service. Of those incidents, eight have resulted in deaths.

 

The major cause of those incidents have been rip currents. To help increase awareness about riptides the National Weather Service has designated the first week in June as National Rip Current Awareness Week. In honor of that, WKTV will air “Respect the Power,” on Channel 25 June 5 at 9:30 a.m.; June 6 at 6:30 p.m.; June 7 at 11:30 a.m. and June 9 at 7:30 p.m.

 

The video was produced by the Great Lakes Beach & Pier Safety Task Force and was created in memory of Andrew Burton Fox and Daniel Reiss, both who were swept off the Grand Haven pier and drowned in Lake Michigan.

 

According to Grand Haven officials, rip currents and powerful breaking waves are common in the area of the pier. But education, including recognizing what a riptide looks like and what to do if you are caught in one, can increase the chances of a happy outcome.

 

From the “Respect the Power” website, it states that the Great Lakes are better understood as inland seas rather than lakes. Storms not he lakes can easily generate waves up to 30 feet in the most sever storms. However, even smaller waves can be dangerous.

 

When waves break, water is pushed up the slope of the shore. Gravity pulls this water back toward the lake. When the water converges in a narrow, river-like current moving away from the shore, it forms what is know as a rip current. Rip currents can be 50 feet to 50 yards or more wide. They can flow to a point just past the breaking waves or hundreds of yards offshore. You can sometimes identify a rip current by its foamy and choppy surface. The water in a rip current may be dirty from the sand being turned up by the current. The water may be colder than the surrounding water. Waves usually do not break as readily in a rip current as in adjacent water.

 

According to both the “Respect the Power” and the National Weather Service websites, if caught in a rip current, try to relax. A rip current is not an “undertow” and will not pull you under. Do not try to swim against the current as this is very difficult, even for an experience swimmer. If you can, swim parallel to the shore until you are out of the current, then swim directly toward shore. If you are tired, tread water and float and call and wave for assistance. The current will carry you to the end or head of the current, where once rested you can swim back to shore.

 

Some other water safety tips:

 

1. Learn to swim.

 

2. Check with a lifeguard or with the park’s current conditions board before entering water.

 

3. Never swim alone.

 

4. Never dive headfirst into unknown waters or shallow breaking waves.

 

5. Piers are navigational structures and not designed as walkways, proceed at your own risk.

 

6. Do not jump or dive off pier structures.

 

7. Avoid piers when waves begin to spill over the pier surface.

 

8. To avoid rip currents, avoid swimming in areas that are discolored with sand and has a choppy or foamy surface.

 

9. If caught in a rip current, swim parallel to shore (about 30-50 yards) to get out of the rip current before swimming to shore.

 

10. Protect yourself from the sun. Use sun screen.

All aboard: Amtrak’s dome car rides the rails between Grand Rapids, Chicago

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Amtrak's Great Dome car 100391 "Ocean View" will be available on the Pere Marquette through July.
Amtrak’s Great Dome car 10031 “Ocean View” will be available on the Pere Marquette through July.

By Joanne Bailey-Boorsma
joanne@wktv.org

 

There is a rare treat running on Amtrak’s Pere Marquette line starting this weekend – the “Great Dome” car.

 

The “Great Dome” car, officially known as car 10031 “Ocean View” will be running from Grand Rapids to Chicago over four weekends in July: June 30 – July 4, July 7 – 11, 14 – 18 and 21- 24. The car will head eastbound on Thursday evenings with round-trips through the weekend, returning to Chicago on Monday mornings. There is no extra charge to ride in this car, but it is first-come, first served.

 

“When the dome car is not assigned to a charter or a special train, we look for opportunities to use it in regular service,” said Marc Magliari, who os with Amtrak Government Affairs and Corporate Communications. “The natural beauty of the Pere Marquette route is a natural match for that railcar.”

 

A sneak peek inside Amtrak's Great Dome car.
A sneak peek inside Amtrak’s Great Dome car.

Incorporated in 1899 as the Pere Marquette Railroad, today the Pere Marquette route travels the coast of Lake Michigan running from Grand Rapids to Chicago with stops in Holland, Bangor and St. Joseph-Benton Harbor providing scenic views of Lake Michigan during the 176-mile trip.

 

Dome cars are designed to provide passengers with an opportunity of a “penthouse view” according to a 1945 advertisement. Dome cars, as the name implies, have a glass dome on the top of the car where passengers can ride and see in all directions around the train. The first such car was built in 1882, but the dome cars were not really popular until the 1940s and 1950s.

 

The 10031 “Ocean View” is the only dome car in the Amtrak fleet. It was built in 1955 and used for the Chicago – Seattle Empire Builder route and then later on the Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad by the Great Northern Railway. Amtrak acquired the car in 1971 and it has been featured on several routes including the Amtrak Auto Train to and from Washington, D.C. and Orlando, Flordia.

 

Today the dome train is used on various Amtrak routes that offer scenic views such as the Pere Marquette line, where passengers will see the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, the carousel and beach of St. Joseph, and the massive pickling tanks in Bangor.

 

The Great Dome car is only available on select departures. To learn more, visit amtrak.com or call 800-872-7245. The Vernon J. Ehlers Station is located at 440 Century Ave. SW, Grand Rapids. There is no ticket office, but there is a Quik-Trak kiosk.