Tourism on Middle Bass Island took a blow when Lonz Winery closed, but so did the ferry business that depended on traffic the winery generated.

"We lost three quarters of our business when the winery closed," said John Schneider, captain and owner of the Sonny-S, the ferry boat that makes the quick run between Put-in-Bay and Middle Bass Island.

"It definitely impacted our business," said Julene Market, who handles marketing for the Miller Boat Line, the only ferry that has a direct connection between Middle Bass Island and the mainland.

Just as they are today, the two ferry services were the main way to the island 10 years ago for people who don't fly, and those who don't own boats.

Schneider, 42, has owned the Sonny-S for about three years.

"It was previously my father's boat," he said. "His father had the boat built in 1948."

The boat, certified for 70 passengers, ran every 15 minutes between the two islands when Lonz was open, Schneider said.

The routes had to be trimmed when the winery closed.

Under its current Saturday schedule, the Sonny-S leaves each island every hour. For example, it leaves Put-in-Bay at 7 p.m., then leaves Middle Bass Island to return to Put-in-Bay at 7:30 p.m.

This year, the Boardwalk in Put-in-Bay leases the boat, and the ferry is known as the Middle Bass Ferry. The arrangement allows for cross-marketing and package offers, Schneider said.

There's a special offer that includes a round trip, a bicycle rental on either island and a $5 coupon for either St. Hazards or J.F. Walleyes on Middle Bass, or for the Boardwalk at Put-in-Bay, Schneider said.

The Miller Boat Line's ferry service to Middle Bass, which runs between the island and its dock on Catawba Island, carries both vehicles and passengers and carries on a long tradition.

The business is descended from Miller Boat Livery, which began in 1905 and harvested ice from the Put-in-Bay harbor.

In the 1940s, the service began buying auto and passenger ferries to run a regular ferry service from Catawba Island to the other islands.

Miller Boat Line transports about 30,000 people a year to Middle Bass Island. That's probably less than 10 percent of the passengers the ferry transports to Put-in-Bay, co-owner Julene Market said.

"Lonz Winery was a major destination, a huge draw," she said. "Middle Bass Island remains a lovely island."

The people who live there year-round "take great pride in it being a little more of a relaxed feel," she said. "It's a bit more removed."