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Valerie van Heest stands with the wheel of the SS Nevada, located at the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum. The Nevada was owned at one time by Sand Products, which also owns the Aquastar.
By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
MUSKEGON — Maritime historian, shipwreck diver, museum exhibit designer and author Valerie van Heest, whose work through her Holland-based firm, Lafferty van Heest & Associates, has helped shape the visitor experience at all three Mason County Historical Society museums, will present a narrated shipwreck cruise aboard the Aquastar excursion boat later this month.
Van Heest is principal of Lafferty van Heest & Associates, a museum planning, exhibit design and historical consulting firm that has created exhibits and interpretive experiences for museums and cultural institutions throughout the Great Lakes region. Through the firm, she led the exhibit design of the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum and the Rose Hawley Archives. Her most recent Mason County Historical Society project included the new wayfinding and interpretive signs that make up the Heritage Trail at Historic White Pine Village, unveiled during the village’s 50th anniversary celebration July 3. She also designed the Mason County Sports Hall of Fame Museum at Historic White Pine Village, creating the award-winning “Beyond the Game: The Value of Sports” exhibit.
The Aquastar.
Van Heest will present “Deep Secrets: Shipwrecks of Muskegon” aboard the Aquastar on Sunday, July 26. The specialty cruise will take place from 1 to 3 p.m., traveling onto Muskegon Lake onto Lake Michigan while exploring the stories behind four historic shipwrecks that span more than a century of Muskegon’s maritime heritage.
A co-founder and president of the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association, van Heest is one of Michigan’s foremost maritime historians and shipwreck explorers. She has helped discover approximately 20 shipwrecks off Michigan’s west coast and has directed or participated in archaeological investigations of more than 50 shipwreck sites throughout the Great Lakes. Her work combines archival research with side-scan sonar surveys, remotely operated vehicles and underwater documentation to preserve Michigan’s maritime history.
Her research has extended beyond shipwrecks to one of the Great Lakes’ greatest aviation mysteries. Alongside her husband, Jack van Heest, and explorer Clive Cussler’s National Underwater Marine Agency, she has spent years searching for Northwest Airlines Flight 2501, which disappeared over Lake Michigan in 1950 with 58 people aboard.
Van Heest is also an award-winning author whose books have become standard references on Great Lakes maritime history. Her publications include “Icebound! The Adventures of Young George Sheldon and the SS Michigan,” “Buckets and Belts: Evolution of the Great Lakes Self-Unloader,” “Lost on the Lady Elgin,” “Unsolved Mysteries: The Shipwreck Thomas Hume,” “Lost & Found: Legendary Lake Michigan Shipwrecks,” “Fatal Crossing: The Mysterious Disappearance of NWA Flight 2501,” and “Big Red: The Illustrated History of Holland Michigan’s Famous Lighthouse.”
In addition to her writing and exploration, van Heest is a nationally recognized lecturer, presenting programs for museums, historical societies, libraries, schools and conferences throughout the Great Lakes region. She also leads workshops and serves as a featured speaker at maritime history conferences and symposiums, sharing the results of decades of historical research and underwater exploration.
The Aquastar navigates the Muskegon channel
The cruise will depart from the historic Mart Dock, 560 Mart St., on Muskegon Lake. The dock has long served as a gateway to Muskegon’s working waterfront and today is home to the Aquastar, a 61-foot excursion vessel that began service as a Mackinac Island ferry before operating for three decades in Muskegon as the Port City Princess. Sand Products Corp. purchased the vessel in 2018 to keep it in Muskegon, extensively renovated it and rechristened it Aquastar, a name that pays tribute to the famed passenger ship Aquarama. Today, the vessel offers sightseeing cruises, specialty history programs, themed excursions and private charters on Muskegon Lake and Lake Michigan.
The Mart Dock, owned and operated by Sand Products Corp., has been part of Muskegon’s waterfront for more than a century. Founded in 1908, Sand Products has long been associated with the region’s construction materials industry and Great Lakes shipping. In recent years, the company has transformed the historic dock into a public destination that celebrates Muskegon’s maritime heritage while maintaining its connection to the city’s working waterfront.
During the July 26 cruise, van Heest will discuss four significant Muskegon-area shipwrecks and explain how their stories reflect the industries, commerce and people that built the city’s bustling waterfront. The narrated program combines historical research with photographs, maps and firsthand knowledge gained through years of shipwreck exploration while allowing passengers to experience the same waters where much of that history unfolded.
Tickets are $41 for adults and $21 for children ages 10 and younger. Additional information and ticket reservations are available at AquastarCruises.com.
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