Sandy's effects felt in Door County

DOOR COUNTY - Folks in Door County felt Sandy's winds Tuesday. But, hardly anyone lost power. The worst was out on the water.

"If you're looking for a bit of adventure, today is the day,” said Hoyt Purinton, after he docked the Washington Island Ferry at Northport.

Choppy surf rocked the ferry as it pulled in around noon.

"This is one of the days when Mother Nature lets you know she's in charge,” said Purinton.

Superstorm Sandy hit the waters around the Door Peninsula hard. Only a handful of passengers took the voyage between Washington Island and the mainland by ferry Tuesday — all seasoned veterans of the bay and lake.

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"In a storm, you don't want to have your boat in Gills Rock so I have my boat out at Washington Island. In fact, I stayed on it last night. It rocked me to sleep,” said Jim Robinson. He operates at 33-foot commercial vessel for lighthouse tours during the tourist season.

With eight to ten foot waves crashing on Northport, ferry operators say it's the biggest storm they've seen this season.

"Hurricanes can really wake up a great sea out here on the Great Lakes, and that's what we're seeing here today,” said Robinson.

"This is about as far as we want to take it. Good thing we have going for us today is air temps are above freezing,” said Purinton.

Purinton said he stopped service Tuesday night after the 5 p.m. route from Northport, heading to the island. Hunkering down at its home port, hoping things don't get any worse.

Door County Emergency Services Director Eric Christensen said his agency warned boaters against going out on the bay or Lake Michigan when waves were as high as they were.

Emergency management personnel say winds and waves are expected to increase throughout Tuesday and into Wednesday morning. They recommend charging cell phones ahead of time in case power is lost.