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Kevin and Kate Watkins with their daughter Lauren.
This MCP Shipping Report is presented by Great Lakes Boat Blog by Rob Alway. Please consider subscribing to www.greatlakesboatblog.com for an exclusive page about the story of the maritime industry past and present.
By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief
PERE MARQUETTE TOWNSHIP — Every year, Kevin and Kate Watkins ask their daughter, Lauren, a question that most children never have to consider: Would she rather have her dad home for Christmas or for her birthday?
Every year, Lauren chooses her birthday.
For the Watkins family, life revolves around a calendar that is different from most households. Kevin works aboard the articulated tug/barge Undaunted/Pere Marquette 41, a Great Lakes commercial vessel operated by Interlake Logistics Solutions and based out of Ludington. His schedule takes him away from home for 28 days at a time, followed by 28 days at home.
That means a month of school activities, holidays, family dinners and everyday life without Kevin physically present, followed by a month when he can participate in those activities without having to leave for work each morning.
Kate and Kevin live in Pere Marquette Township with Lauren, 12, a seventh-grade student at Ludington Area School District’s O.J. DeJonge Middle School.
While the work of Great Lakes mariners is often visible as vessels travel in and out of ports, the lives of their spouses, children and other family members are less frequently told.
For Kate and Lauren, having a husband and father who works on the Great Lakes is simply a way of life.
A Ludington maritime connection
The Undaunted/Pere Marquette 41 is one of two commercial shipping operations based in Ludington and owned by Interlake Maritime Services, a family-owned maritime transportation company headquartered in Middleburg Heights, Ohio, near Cleveland.
Interlake Logistics Solutions operates the Undaunted/Pere Marquette 41, while Lake Michigan Carferry operates the SS Badger, which carries passengers and vehicles across Lake Michigan between Ludington and Manitowoc, Wisconsin.
Both companies are part of Interlake Maritime Services, which acquired the former Pere Marquette Shipping Co. and Lake Michigan Carferry operations in December 2020.
Interlake Maritime Services also manages the Interlake Steamship Company, which operates a fleet of 10 Great Lakes freighters. Its vessels include the 1,013-foot Paul R. Tregurtha, the longest vessel on the Great Lakes, along with the James R. Barker, Mesabi Miner, Stewart J. Cort, Kaye E. Barker and Mark W. Barker, which entered service in 2022.
The fleet transports approximately 20 million tons of bulk cargo annually, including iron ore, limestone, coal and salt. Interlake also operates a separate tug/barge, Dorothy Ann/Pathfinder.
The Undaunted/Pere Marquette 41 is a smaller and more versatile unit capable of transporting cargo that can be difficult for larger freighters to handle, including stone, scrap metal and other bulk materials.
The 403-foot Pere Marquette 41 has a particularly significant connection to Ludington. Built in 1941 as the railroad carferry City of Midland 41, it operated out of Ludington until 1988. It was converted into a barge in 1997 and is pushed by the 143-foot tug Undaunted, a former U.S. Navy vessel built during World War II.
An articulated tug/barge is different from a traditional tug towing a barge. The tug fits into a specially constructed notch at the stern of the barge and is mechanically connected to it, allowing the two vessels to operate as a single unit.
The combined vessel is approximately 494 feet long and carries cargo throughout the Great Lakes system.
The ATB Undaunted/Pere Marquette 41 traveling down the Manistee River in October 2025.
Working aboard the Undaunted
Kevin is a member of the vessel’s engine department, serving as an engine utility/assistant engineer. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard credential as a qualified member of the engine department (QMED).
His primary responsibilities involve maintaining the mechanical and electrical systems of both the tug and barge.
“My department is the engine department, so I don’t have to deal with all the stuff the deckhands do,” Kevin said. “I take more care of the engines, any electrical issues that might pop up. Little something needs to be welded. If I can do it, I’ll do it.”
The Undaunted typically carries a crew of 12, including the captain, mates, engineers, deckhands, a mechanic and a cook.
There are two people in the engine department, the chief engineer and an assistant. That means someone must be responsible for the vessel’s machinery around the clock.
Kevin works from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m., seven days a week during his 28-day rotation.
His duties include monitoring gauges, checking mechanical systems, performing maintenance and listening for unusual sounds that might indicate equipment problems.
It is a job that requires constant attention. A mechanical problem on the water is much different from a problem at a land-based workplace, where replacement parts and additional personnel may be readily available.
Kevin, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, began working on the Great Lakes around 2013 after returning to Michigan from employment in the western United States.
A high school friend encouraged him to apply for a job with Luedtke Engineering, a Frankfort-based marine construction and dredging company.
He began as a deckhand on a tugboat, spending approximately eight years working on dredging, seawall construction, docks and other marine construction projects.
The work frequently took him away from home for months at a time.
By 2021, Kevin was considering leaving the maritime industry to find a land-based job. But representatives of Interlake were interested in hiring him to work aboard the Undaunted. After initially declining the opportunity, he reconsidered. He has been with the company since.
Kate said the move to Interlake has been a positive change for the family.
When Kevin worked in dredging, he could be away from home for several months. Kate and Lauren sometimes traveled to wherever he was working just to spend time with him. Friends would comment about the opportunity to take vacations to see Kevin.
But their destinations were often industrial ports such as Gary, Indiana; Monroe, Michigan; Green Bay, Wisconsin; Buffalo, New York; and Toledo, Ohio.
The 28-day rotation at Interlake has provided something the family did not always have before: a predictable schedule and more time together.
“He’s gotten to definitely be more active in what Lauren’s doing now, especially since she’s older and can be in more stuff,” Kate said.
But the schedule still comes with sacrifices.
The Undaunted/PM 41 arrives at Grand Haven in June 2025.
Life continues at home
Kate and Kevin were married in 2015. Lauren was born in 2014, so having a father who works on the water has been part of her life from the beginning.
Kate said she was already familiar with the lifestyle when she met Kevin because he was working in marine construction.
“This is just what we’ve known,” she said.
For someone unfamiliar with the maritime industry, the idea of having a spouse gone for a month at a time may seem overwhelming. Kate said that is one of the misconceptions people have about her family’s lifestyle. People sometimes joke that she must have a long list of chores waiting for Kevin when he gets home.
But Kate said maintaining a household while Kevin is away requires independence.
“I’ve taken out the trash. I know how to mow the lawn,” she said. “I just manage everything when he’s gone. It’s just how our life is.”
There are times when she would like Kevin home to help with something or simply to discuss a decision. But the responsibilities of the household do not stop because he is away. She also has family and friends in the area who can help when needed.
When Kevin returns, he doesn’t have to adjust to an entirely different household routine.
“He just steps back into life as usual,” Kate said.
The family has become so accustomed to the schedule that friends and relatives frequently ask the same question when they see Kate or Lauren.
“Kevin out on the boat, or is Kevin home?”
That question helps them know what is happening in the Watkins household.
The schedule also presents some financial considerations.
Kate said the couple has learned to budget around the alternating work rotations, which can mean substantially different amounts of income arriving from one month to another.
She said Interlake provides good compensation and benefits, including family health insurance, and has been accommodating when employees need to adjust schedules for important family events.
But no amount of compensation can replace a parent or spouse being absent from home.
“Does it replace him being gone? Absolutely not,” Kate said.
Missing the important moments
One of the most difficult aspects of Kevin’s work is the number of family events he misses.
There have been years when he has been away for Thanksgiving and Christmas. In one recent holiday season, he was not home for either holiday and did not return until January. Kate recalled spending Christmas with Lauren and their exchange student while Kevin was working aboard the tug.
Even calling him was not always possible because he was sleeping between shifts.
The family has developed its own traditions to accommodate those absences, including gathering with friends for a “Friendsgiving” celebration before Thanksgiving.
Kate said Kevin has missed many of their wedding anniversaries, and there have been years when he was away for Independence Day.
But there is one date that takes priority when the family plans Kevin’s work schedule.
Lauren’s birthday is July 20.
“He’s always here for her birthday,” Kate said.
The family has asked Lauren whether she would rather have her father home for Christmas or her birthday, and her answer has consistently been her birthday.
Kevin and his relief engineer generally coordinate their schedules well in advance, allowing the family to plan around certain events. That flexibility is important as Lauren becomes more involved in school activities, including band and basketball.
Still, Kevin cannot attend everything.
He might miss the first two basketball games but be home for the next three. He may miss a band concert but attend another performance later in the season. The family has learned to focus on the times they will be together rather than only the events Kevin will miss.
That does not mean the absences are always easy.
When Lauren was younger, Kate said, she sometimes struggled emotionally with having her father leave for work. After dropping Kevin off for a crew change, Lauren would often begin crying in the car because she missed her dad.
Kate would call Kevin so the two could talk, sometimes before he had even left the dock.
As Lauren has grown older, the schedule has become more familiar. Kate believes Lauren was around 9 or 10 when she became more comfortable with the arrangement. Now, their conversations are often the same as those between any father and middle school student.
Sometimes Lauren has a lot to say, particularly when something interesting happens at school. Other times, the conversation is brief. But she still gets disappointed when Kevin cannot attend an important school activity or be home for a holiday, Kate said.
Kevin’s workplace, the engine room of the Undaunted.
Staying connected across the lakes
Technology has made life considerably easier for maritime families.
The Undaunted is equipped with Starlink satellite internet service, allowing crew members to communicate with family even when the vessel is far from shore.
Kevin said that before satellite internet was installed, communication often depended on cellular service, which meant the vessel needed to be within range of towers along the shoreline.
For the Watkins family, having reliable communication has made a significant difference. Kate said Kevin’s overnight work schedule actually helps them stay connected. When Kate and Lauren get up in the morning, Kevin is nearing the end of his shift. That gives them an opportunity to talk before Lauren goes to school.
When Kevin wakes up in the afternoon, Lauren is often home from school, providing another opportunity for conversation.
Video calls through FaceTime allow them to see each other, even when Kevin is hundreds of miles away.
“Thank goodness for FaceTime because we can see him,” Kate said.
The conversations are not always about major family matters.
Sometimes they discuss what happened at school, what everyone had for dinner or what needs to be done around the house. Kate said one of the unexpected challenges is finding things to talk about when they are living in separate places for so much of the month.
Kevin may spend days working the same schedule aboard the tug, while Kate and Lauren continue their routines at home. But even a short conversation helps maintain the connection.
There are also lighter moments.
Kate laughed about packages occasionally arriving at the house containing items Kevin ordered online while aboard the tug. He has a fondness for products advertised on television and sometimes orders things during his downtime.
Other times, the packages contain gifts he has purchased for Lauren. One was an astronaut-shaped projector that displayed stars, something he thought Lauren would enjoy when she was younger.
Even while away, Kevin finds ways to participate in family life.
Undaunted’s engine room.
A different kind of workplace
Kate said another misconception about maritime employment is that crew members get to visit the cities where their vessels stop. While the Undaunted/Pere Marquette 41 travels to ports throughout the Great Lakes, its crew members are there to work, not to sightsee.
The vessel may arrive in a port, load or unload cargo and depart as soon as the operation is completed. Crew members generally remain aboard.
Even when the tug/barge is in Ludington, Kevin may only have a short opportunity to see his family.
Kate said there have been times when she and Lauren have been able to meet him briefly when the vessel is docked.
Lauren has become familiar with many of the crew members, some of whom are from the Ludington area. Kate said the crew members enjoy seeing Lauren when she visits. She joked that Lauren sometimes returns from a visit aboard the vessel with an impressive supply of ice cream sandwiches.
But much of the time, the family must follow Kevin’s travels from a distance.
The weather can also create uncertainty.
Unlike larger Great Lakes freighters, the Undaunted/Pere Marquette 41 has limitations in heavy seas because of its size and design.
Kevin said the captain must carefully evaluate weather conditions and wave heights. Sometimes the safest option is to seek shelter in a harbor or anchorage until conditions improve. That can mean remaining in one location for several days, occasionally as long as a week. The crew still lives aboard the vessel during those delays.
For family members at home, the weather can affect schedules and plans, including the timing of crew changes.
The Undaunted/Pere Marquette 41 leaving Ludington.
The sacrifices of maritime life
Kevin said maritime work is not suited to everyone. The long hours, demanding weather conditions, physical work and extended periods away from family can be difficult, particularly for people entering the industry for the first time.
Living aboard a vessel also means spending weeks with the same small group of people, often without an opportunity to leave. Kevin said some new employees quickly discover that the lifestyle is not what they expected.
He also believes more young people should be made aware of maritime employment opportunities.
Many students are introduced to colleges, the military and land-based trades during career fairs, but they may have little exposure to Great Lakes maritime careers.
Kevin said the industry offers opportunities for people with mechanical skills and those willing to pursue the credentials and training needed to work aboard commercial vessels. But those interested in the work must understand what it means for their personal lives.
Maritime employment does not involve simply getting on a ship and traveling from one place to another. It requires a willingness to accept difficult working conditions and time away from loved ones.
For Kevin, those sacrifices are part of providing for his family. For Kate, they mean maintaining the household and helping Lauren navigate the times when her father cannot be physically present. And for Lauren, it means growing up with a father who may be working hundreds of miles away on Lake Michigan, Lake Huron or Lake Erie while she is attending school in Ludington.
The Watkins family has adapted to those circumstances over the years.
There are missed holidays and school events, but there are also extended periods when Kevin is home and able to spend time with his family. There are long-distance conversations, changing schedules and the occasional surprise package arriving in the mail.
And each year, when Kevin and Kate plan around his work rotation, one date remains a priority: Lauren’s birthday.
For Lauren, having her dad home for that date is worth planning the calendar around.
For the Watkins family, that is simply part of life on the Great Lakes.
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