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MARINE NEWS 2. In the May issue, we mentioned that the new Pelee Island passenger and auto ferry was to be named JIIMAAN. In fact, this name was officially given to her in christening ceremonies held on Thursday, May 7th, at Port Weller, her sponsor being Suzanne Pouliot, wife of Ontario Transportation Minister Gilles Pouliot. The name JIIMAAN, an Ojibwa word for "canoe", was chosen in a contest amongst school children on Pelee Island and in Leamington and Kingsville. (The winner was Kristen Hooper, age 12, of the I s l a n d . ) On Sat urday, May 9, the Port Weller shipyard was opened to the public and some 3, 000 people toured the new ferry in advance of her completion and sea trials. Her entry into service was somewhat delayed as docking facilities for the end-loading boat were not yet ready. Pelee Island Transportation Services, operator of the ship, ran a day cruise on JIIMAAN's delivery voy age, Wednesday, July 1st. She sailed from Port Colborne at 7: 00 a. m., and arrived at Kingsville about 10: 45 p. m. Fares for the special trip were $50. 00 for the boat trip only, or $125. 00 for a two-day trip which included bus transportation down from Kingsville and an overnight stay in Port Col borne. JIIMAAN was open for inspection at Pelee Island North Dock on July 2, at Leamington on the morning of the 3rd, and at Kingsville that afternoon. On July 4th, she ran an inaugural cruise from Kingsville to the Island and on to Sandusky, Ohio, and on the 5th, she began regularly scheduled service, although dock problems limited her to carrying passengers only, and no cars. The Lake Michigan Carferry Service, as scheduled, began passenger and auto service across Lake Michigan between Ludington and Manitowoc on May 15th, using the refitted carferry BADGER. Since then, the service has been regular and dependable, and has proven very popular amongst the travelling public, reservations being a "must" for anyone wishing to take an auto on the cros sing. The schedule originally called for one round trip each day, but this was expanded to two round trips during the summer and, as well, the season closing of September 14 has been extended by about a month into October. BADGER features sixty private staterooms, and expanded and refurbished pub lic spaces, including the addition of a small on-board marine museum (one of the exhibits being the builder's plate from her long-idle and heavily-canni balized near-sister SPARTAN, which remains in lay-up at Ludington and is u n likely ever to see further service). The word is that the third ferry purchased by the new operator, CITY OF MIDLAND 41, may be reactivated for service next season or in the future, and that excursion service around the Lake Michigan area may be contemplated. Meanwhile, the would-be museum carferry steamer CITY OF MILWAUKEE remains at Elberta, Michigan. Development of the ship and the surrounding dock, rail road yard and station area as a museum still is stalled as a result of con tinuing municipal objection to the project. One of our members recently observed CITY OF MILWAUKEE, however, and reports that she has been freshly painted and looks very smart. She even has been given Ann Arbor Railroad stack colours - black with a wide silver band and a large red letter 'A'. Interestingly, however, although the ferry was owned by the Grand Trunk throughout her operating life, latterly running under charter to the Ann Arbor, she never ran with "A. A . " markings on her two funnels, which were all black. CITY OF MILWAUKEE, built at Manitowoc in 1931, is the last extant example of an unaltered carferry built to the traditional design of marine architect Robert Logan. After years of suggestion that a renewed cross-Lake Erie ferry service would be re-introduced shortly, nothing viable has come to fruition yet. Neverthe less, two London-area businessmen are promising that a service between Cle veland and Port Stanley will be operating by June 1, 1993. A ferry capable of handling cars, tractor-trailers, buses, and up to 500 passengers report edly will be obtained to run the cross-lake route; if a suitable vessel (cost estimated at $14, 000, 000) cannot be built via the issuance of public shares, then a ferry would be leased to provide service during the first year of operation. We shall see...