The Badger Ferry has published its 2012 schedule. 10/9/2011 is last run for this year?

I wonder what it is like to take the Badger during the month of October, when the water is cold and the air is brisk, during a season when a 27 foot wave raised a beacon bouy that high? October is a risky month for ships. One has to wonder if our Badger will be retrofitted this winter, setup to burn natural gas. That would be worth my waiting to take a spring time crossing to Manitowoc, knowing my favorite Great Lakes ship was  transforming for the Twenty-First Century, ready to run as green as possible.