This Wild, Windy Mackinac Island Ferry Ride Will Give You All the Seasickness

Taking the ferry from Mackinac Island to either Mackinaw City or St. Ignace will be less than a 'three-hour tour,' but you may think the shipwrecked future that befell Gilligan and his mates may have been what was in store for those who rode one of the ferries from the island on a windy June day in 2021.

A line of strong storms has passed the previous day and evening and clearly, the winds at the Straits were still blowing strong. The video, shared to the Michigan Weather Facebook group, demonstrates being tossed around on the deck. (And because the video is in a Facebook group, I can't embed it for you, grr.) Check out the video here.

The uploader describes:

Today coming back from Mackinac Island..we had 10 to 14 waves..People were flying out of there (sic) seats..Crazy ride

Whoa. After seeing the video, you'll agree it must have indeed been a wild ride.

Others who saw the video commented:

Those boats can take on bigger waves than those little guys. Makes for a fun ride instead of the usually boring one.
That’s the experience!
Woohoo!!!
I’m sure the crew knows what their boat can handle! What a ride!

So, yes, certainly the ferries will operate safely and have experienced crews. So enjoy the ride, and see if you can find some Dramamine when you get back to land.

Others have documented wild rides on the Straits over the years. Here are two found on YouTube.

The boat pretty much disappears in this one.

Explore more Mackinac

The Straits of Mackinac, the bridge and the region are endlessly facinating and picturesque. Check out more from the area:

And because those boat captains and crew are out in all kinds of weather, maybe there are superstitions they hold to. Here are some common ones: