The 665-foot cruise ship canceled its first stop in the Keweenaw this morning due to forecasted high winds. The ship was scheduled to anchor this morning in Dollar Bay. Viking was worried about the safety of passengers, who would sail the rest of the way to Houghton in tender boats, said Brad Barnett, executive director of the Keweenaw Convention & Visitors Bureau, which was working with the companies organizing the trip.

A National Weather Service small craft advisory is in effect for the Keweenaw Waterway until 2 p.m. today. As of Tuesday afternoon, the forecast for this morning showed gusts of 25 knots or more.

“For us as a community, I know we were all really jazzed up to see the Octantis go through the Keweenaw waterway,” Barnett said. “But I understand you’ve got to put the passengers’ safety first and foremost.”

Passengers had been set to disembark at Bridgeview Park. Being on an international cruise, they must undergo heightened screening.

A security checkpoint for the ship is pictured. Daily Mining Gazette photo)

The Houghton Police Department was supervising security at Bridgeview Park in consultation with the U.S. Coast Guard. The security barriers were being left up Tuesday so the Coast Guard could inspect them, said Houghton Police Chief John Donnelly.

“It’s kind of a bummer,” he said. “We worked really hard on this.”

The Keweenaw Convention & Visitors Bureau had been working closely with Great Lakes Excursion, which had planned trips around the Keweenaw. Some of the pasties and other local foods that had been prepared for the passengers will be donated back to the community, Barnett said.

“The folks who are helping plan this, they’re disappointed just like we are,” he said. “They were excited to share and showcase the Keweenaw Peninsula.”

Today is the fifth day for the Undiscovered Great Lakes cruise from Thunder Bay, Ontario, to Milwaukee, with stops including Duluth, Minnesota, and Mackinac Island.

A security checkpoint for the ship is pictured. Daily Mining Gazette photo)

The Octantis is scheduled to visit the Keweenaw six more times this summer, the next coming June 29. Barnett said the ship will likely follow the same plan of arriving via the South Entry and anchoring near Dollar Bay.

“We’re going to see the boat,” Barnett said. “We’re just going to have to wait before we get to do it.”