PETOSKEY — The last two years have no doubt been hard on businesses across the board. However, this summer is expected to be a busy one for a budding Petoskey-based business.

The Little Traverse Bay Ferry Co. got its start during the pandemic in 2020 but, even against the odds it faced, still had upwards of 7,200 passengers over the course of the summer season. Last year's numbers dipped a bit but are expected to be well over 7,000 this summer.

"There has definitely been a need over the years for a form of recreation or transportation on Little Traverse Bay," said travel advisor and Little Traverse Bay Ferry Co. manager Ami Klykken.

"Before we started, it had been decades since the last ferry and, looking at the number of riders back then, it's astounding really if you think about it. We aren't looking to hold records but we are looking to give everyone an equal opportunity to enjoy the bay," she said.

Beth Wemigwase, the Harbor Springs Area Historical Society's program coordinator, told the News-Review in a previous interview that upwards of 5,000 people were traveling by ferry each day in the past when ferries were prominent in the bay.

Ferry patrons of the past were also a mix of people simply enjoying the ride, commuting to and from work or tourists wanting to check out views of their favorite vacation destinations from the water.

"Our customers are really a culmination of everyone," said Klykken.

"It's seemed that every year we kind of have a trend of who is riding but this year looks, at least right now, to be mostly locals booking a ride to entertain their guests or friends for a few hours. It's something unique to do," she said.

Klykken added that she thinks this trend is becoming more of the norm for a few reasons. People may already have a boat but can't fit everyone on it, people may be fighting for dock space, which "is a real headache right now," or that they simply want to do something fun with family and friends on a night off.

"Just looking at the schedule as of now we are also seeing a lot of people that ride the boat from one spot to another and then bike back to their car on the bike path," she said.

The Little Traverse Bay Ferry Co. is ready for the summer season and is hoping for both good weather and some new offerings.

The lull the company faced in 2021 can mostly be blamed on the weather. Klykken noted that last year's weather forced them to close for the day or cancel already booked rides.

"We had more weather events last year than we expected with a lot of bigger waves and lightning at times. We would start up for the day and have to stop halfway through so we are really hoping for great weather this summer," she said.

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New this year, the company has also set up shop in what had previously been the visitor's room at the Marina Resource Center as a long-term office space. This will be used to help customers get tickets and have any questions answered in real time.

The ferry company is also planning to add another boat to its fleet to do sunset cruises and other special events around the bay.

The Little Traverse Bay Ferry Co. is currently running on weekends only but is expected to be up and running full-time for the upcoming summer season shortly.

More information about ticket prices, rides, schedules, ports and more can be found on the company's website at www.littletraversebayferry.org.

Contact reporter Sean Miller at smiller@petoskeynews.com. Follow him on Twitter, @seanmillerpnr, and Instagram, @sean_everest.

This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: Little Traverse Bay Ferry Co. is gearing up for a busy summer