The most relaxing and affordable travel to Beaver Island!
231-547-2311 Proof that in life, it's about the journey as much as the destination!
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We are the official Facebook site for those of you who love to "Ride The Boat" to Beaver Island.
11/10/2024
SCHEDULE CHANGE: Due to the incoming weather Monday November 11th the Emerald Isle will be departing Beaver Island at 8:20am, and then again Departing Charlevoix at 11:00am. We will be loading as quickly as possible in Charlevoix and move that departure time up to try and stay ahead of the weather. If you plan on traveling on the boat tomorrow, we please ask that you arrive early to ensure that everyone makes the boat in time. Vehicles with reservations will still have the same check in times as posted on the reservation confirmation.
10/31/2024
Weather Update 10/31: There is a small break in the weather this morning, the Emerald Isle will be departing BI at 8:20am and departing again out of Charlevoix at 11am. Please be sure to arrive early if you plan on taking the boat this morning.
10/29/2024
Attention: Wednesday October 30th trips are canceled due to forecasted weather. We will try to run Thursday departing Beaver Island at 8:20 am and Charlevoix at 12:00. If Thursday the weather does not improve we will run two trips on Friday November 1st. Please check in on Facebook for latest updates.
10/16/2024
Help us support the Charlevoix Chamber! To sell the last few tickets we have remaining at BIBCO we are offering a Package at BIBCO only. Purchase a Raffle Ticket at our office and get Two complimentary Round Trip Boat Company Tickets. This offer only available at BIBCO while our raffle tickets last. That's a $130.00 value for $100.00 and a chance to win $10,000. These will go fast. Contact Tim at the Charlevoix office.
10/07/2024
Added departure Tuesday October 8th. 7:00 am departing Beaver Island 10:00 am departing Charlevoix. This will help us clean up the Stand-bys in Charlevoix.
10/06/2024
The years mild September and October weather has made it a great time to visit the island and has allowed a lot of construction projects to continue. Our capacity for vehicles this month is nearly full with quite a few vehicles on Stand-by. We added additional departures on Friday the 11th,18th, and the 25th. We are getting a few stand-by vehicles on each trip, but it is taking a bit longer than normal to move all of the stand-by vehicles. Please review our Stand-by policy on our website if you have questions on how Stand-by works. Unfortunately arguing, cursing, and calling our offices every few hours, although we don’t mind providing you updates on your vehicle, does not mean we can get your vehicle to you any faster. Like many largely seasonal companies, we lose a large chunk of our staff after Labor Day as they return to other jobs, school, or their winter homes. With boats there is always maintenance required and it is really important to keep up on it. Up until this last week the Emerald Isle had been running every day for 125 days in a row and our offices have been open every day since May 1st. We unfortunately can’t close our doors when we have multiple employees out with illness so that makes for a lot of hours of overtime over the summer that has continued in to this fall. We appreciate your business and patience. There are a lot of factors that our customers don’t always know about that determine when we can add departures. We try to factor in possibly weather delays, employee absences and availability, maintenance schedules, and crew fatigue. We will continue to monitor our reservation system and the back log of vehicles and if we able we will add additional departures where we can.
Thank you again for your patience!
Tim
10/02/2024
We wanted to share a song with you written by our friends the Pub Runners and premiered at this years Irish Feile.
The Pubrunners have charmed audiences from Northern Michigan to Florida and most recently on Musical Tours of Ireland with their fun combination of Irish music, folk music and sing alongs. You may have seen them in a concert, or on Beaver Island or at Patrick Doud's Irish Pub, but wherever you saw them, I'm sure you had fun.
For more info and music, Check them out at pubrunners.net
You have to be impressed by the stacking skills. Unfortunately, I don't think this is properly secured for shipment on the Ferry.
08/25/2024
Help us support the Charlevoix Chamber and purchase a raffle ticket for a chance to win $10,000.00. Contact [email protected] if your interested in purchasing a ticket.
08/14/2024
Updated weekend schedule
Thursday August 15, 2024
Departing Beaver Island
11:20 am
5:20 pm
Departing Charlevoix
8:30 am
2:30 pm
8:00 pm
Friday August 16 and Saturday August 17th, 2024
Departing Beaver Island
5:20 am
11:20 am
5:20 pm
Departing Charlevoix
8:30 am
2:30 pm
8:00 pm
Sunday August 18,2024
Departing Beaver Island
5:20 am
11:20 am
5:20 pm
Departing Charlevoix
8:30 am
2:30 pm
08/14/2024
The Beaver Islander trips for Friday the 16th,Saturday the 17th, and Sunday the 18th are canceled. The Emerald Isle will make additional departures. For some this means a 8:00pm departure from Charlevoix and others a 5:20am departure off the Island in order to get everyone's cars where they need to be on their reservation day. If you were on Islander departures you will receive an email and a phone call. We know this is greatly inconvenient and we apologize.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
08/14/2024
Well if you have to be delayed by the bridge, can’t ask for a much better view.
08/13/2024
The Beaver Islander trips for Friday the 16th are canceled. The Emerald Isle will make additional departures. We have added an
8:00pm departure from Charlevoix on Thursday the 15th
5:20am Departure from Beaver Island on Friday the 16th
8:00pm Departure from Charlevoix on Friday the 16th
We have not canceled Saturdays Islander trips as of yet. A decision will be made by tomorrow ASAP and we are contacting everyone with and Islander reservations as quickly as possible.
Thank you for your patience and understanding.
08/11/2024
Due to mechanical issues on the Beaver Islander the 2:20pm departure from Beaver Island and the 5:30 pm departure from Charlevoix will be cancelled 8/11/2024. Anyone who has a vehicle reservation will be contacted by BIBCO.
08/02/2024
Attention ferry passengers!
We have added additional departures to our schedule in August.
August 27/28/29 will now all be two boat days.
-Departing Charlevoix: 8:30AM & 2:30PM
-Departing Beaver Island: 11:20AM & 5:20PM
Call soon to schedule your vehicle and soak up the last few weeks of summer!
231-547-2311
07/28/2024
Early Morning ride on the Emerald Isle.
07/19/2024
The Flywheelers have an important mission and help keep history alive. Bibco is proud to be a sponsor of the spark show. Check them out in Walloon lake the last weekend in July on your way to or from the Island.
07/18/2024
Please keep this in mind when traveling to and from the Ferry.
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Videos
Back in the water. Thank you North shore Marine.
Back in the water.
Back in the Water.
That’s a wrap on our 2023 season! ⛴️☘️🦫
That’s a wrap on our 2023 season! ⛴️☘️🦫
The last ferry boat has set sail marking the end of a spectacular season filled with island adventures and beautiful memories!
To all the passengers who rode the boat this year, thank you for making the 2023 season extraordinary. We look forward to welcoming you back for more adventures in the seasons to come!
Best wishes and safe travels home to everyone who visited during this amazing weekend!
Students Expierience Lake Charlevoix- Spring 2023
This week BIBCO had the opportunity to partner with Tipp of the Mitt Watershed and the Lake Charlevoix Association to bring back the Students Expierience Lake Charlevoix (SELC) program. After a break due to COVID-19 the program was back up and running Tuesday-Wednesday. 6th grade students were able to participate in expieriments to learn about water quality and watershed protection, all while being aboard the Beaver Islander!
Check out the video!
The sun is shining and our 2023 season has officially begun! #ridetheboat
Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Beaver Island Boat Company!
Did you know that Beaver Island has a strong Irish heritage? During the mid 19th century Irish settlers from Árainn Mhór came to Beaver Island after fleeing the potato famine. Beaver Island became a haven for these settlers and they were able to continue a similar lifestyle to the one they had in Ireland. In fact, at one point Gaelic was the main language spoken on the island. Descendants of the Irish settlers still make up a majority of the island’s population today. St. Patrick’s day is a day to celebrate these Irish roots, and take part in some fun traditions such as the fish toss! 🦫☘️🌈
Happy with BIBCO
How we feel about summer season being in full swing 😏 🍀
Preparing to depart Charlevoix for Sr Captain Mike Green’s last trip before retirement! Congrats Mike!
Bike Beaver Island June 18th through the 20th and your Bike travels free with the purchase of a round trip Ticket.
Unfortunately, the official Beaver Island Bike Fest has been postponed until 2022. However, we still think this is a great time to visit and bike the Island. Purchase a round trip ticket and we will send your bike for free.
Tickets must be purchased and used during June 18th to the 20th.
Bikes and E-bikes are also available for rent on Beaver Island. Just visit www.beaverisland.org for more information on bike rentals.
The Beaver Island Boat Company in its present form was established in 1984. The company was formed to return control of the ferry service back to those who lived or owned property on the island.
The Emerald Isle, was designed by Timothy Graul Marine Design in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin and was built in 1997 by Washburn & Doughty Associates, Inc. in East Boothbay, Maine. She is 130 feet in length, 39 feet wide, and draws 8.5 feet with a top speed of 14.5 knots and maximum capacity of 298 passengers, 20 vehicles and one heavy truck and up to 95 tons of freight.
Our other vessel is the “Beaver Islander”. She was built in 1962 by Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. out of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin and purchased new by the Beaver Island Boat Co. She is 95 feet in length, 27 feet wide, and draws 8 feet with a top speed of 13.5 knots and maximum capacity of 200 passengers, 10 vehicles and 40 tons of freight. You can still ride the historic Beaver Islander on most weekends in the summer.
Over the years, the Beaver Island Boat Company has made substantial improvements to our facilities in Charlevoix and on Beaver Island in an effort to make your journey to the Island as effortless as possible.
Each year our ferries make approximately 375 round trips to the island, travel over 24,000 miles, transport over 40,000 passengers, carries around 6,500 vehicles and approximately 10,000 tons of freight.
The Beaver Island Boat Company has been fortunate over its years of operation to have a well-qualified and dedicated crew available. This is one of the reasons that the company operation for many years has been a safe and efficient one. All of us at the Beaver Island Boat Company are committed to our company’s further growth, which will be based on sound business principles and continued profitability.
MISSION STATEMENT
To provide passengers and freight shippers with transportation that is safe, convenient, comfortable, reasonably priced, and courteously rendered; To provide employees with a safe and comfortable work environment, fair wages, advancement opportunity, and competitive job benefits; To provide reasonable return-on-investment to the Company’s Shareholders, consistent with other obligations spelled out in this statement.
