STRAITS OF MACKINAC — As the sun sinks below Lake Michigan's icy waters, Lt. Michael Patterson of the U.S. Coast Guard likens the view to the lunar surface.

The wind-driven snow sweeps over the uninviting landscape and gives the air a biting feel, but the Coast Guard Cutter Katmai Bay tugs on regardless of the conditions. Patterson is helping lead a crew of 17 members Friday night, breaking through ice 8 miles west of the Lansing Shoals Light Station in northern Lake Michigan.

"It's the phrase that pops up now and again, this is the surface of the moon," Patterson said. "You get these rubble fields that go into just endless stretches of white horizon."

Coast Guard officials say crews have logged operational hours almost four times the five-year average during the first quarter of fiscal year 2014, October through December 2013. In essence, crews have spent more time breaking ice and keeping shipping lanes clear this year on the Great Lakes than in years past.

As of Thursday, Lake Michigan was 51 percent covered with ice with its northern extent and the Straits of Mackinac nearly all frozen over. This makes the job of Coast Guard ice-breaking crews even more essential.

Patterson's cutter, a 140-foot icebreaking tug normally based in Sault Ste. Marie, has been carving a watery trail through ice for the Canadian-based Algowood during the day Friday. It's something the large cargo ship wouldn't be able to do without assistance, Patterson said.

Ice on Lake Michigan has been measured in feet from the surface — as high as an impressive 5 feet in some spots, he said, laughing that it's been enough ice for the crew disembark and stand on it.

The cutter has traversed the region all winter at the first glimpse of dawn, helping larger ships reach port in places including Milwaukee, Wis., and Escanaba, Mich.

Ice-breaking on the Great Lakes is Patterson's first go, but it's certainly not his first mission. He has experience on two previous cutters and helped lead the way for ships off the coasts of Alaska and the Eastern Seaboard.

The Great Lakes, however, is unique.

"It's been a great winter to learn, considering the amount of ice out here," Patterson said. "The guys tell me, 'This is not normal,' though.

"I'm kind of coming in as the new guy, and they assure me this is a much earlier start (of the ice's formation) and much more challenging."

Andrew Krietz covers breaking and general police/fire news for MLive | The Grand Rapids Press. Email him at akrietz@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter.