CROSSING LAKE ERIE

I know it has been several days since my last posting, but it did not make sense to write every day about each and every small village we stopped at as we boogied across Lake Erie.  Again, as much as I would love to spend a lot more time in the north, winter is on its way and there is nothing we can do about it now.  Perhaps, had we skipped Washington DC, or Philadelphia, or New England, we would have more time to spend in Ohio, but in hindsight, I don't think so.  Crossing Lake Erie is an accomplishment, but it is nothing compared to what we have ahead - Lake St. Clair, Lakr Huron, and then Lake Michigan, before we can duck out of the Great Lakes and back into the river system.  We must do this before winter comes or we will be stuck here until April.  So, as much as I would love to slow down and spend a lot more time exploring the Great Lakes, the bill has come to the table and it has to get paid.  So, off we go.

Our first stop after Buffalo was a splendid garden spot called Dunkirk, New York.  Actually, I am being quite facitious here as there was nothing either splendid nor garden about Dunkirk.  When picking our spots to stop for the night, we consider a number of things.  First and foremost is the fatigue factor.  We have to consider stopping at a point before fatigue sets in.  Fatigue leads to mistakes and we cannot afford any at this point.  So, we typically try to stop after around 6 or so hours of running.  We have pushed up the rpms as of late, so 6 or so hours of running time will get us somewhere between 42 and 50 nm of travel distance.  If we leave early, we still have plenty of time to get things done and to walk around the town and get a little bit of sight seeing in.  Well, Dunkirk fell into that category.  It was at the end of our fatigue limits, so we called in and got a slip for the night.  Note, there really is no place to anchor in Lake Erie so we are compelled to spend money to stay in a marina every night.  This sucks, but it is what it is.  However, when it comes to a place like Dunkirk, any amount of money for the marina is too much.

The marina in Dunkirk was in bad shape.  Here again, the economy is killing folks and towns alike.  The marina had a for sale sign in the window.  The docks were falling apart, were filthy, and nobody who appeared to work there seemed to give a royal hoot that someone was actually coming in to stay there.  The marina office was cluttered and filthy.  The folks who worked there, which seemed like just about everyone in the small town, were completely disinterested.  They all but left it to this moronic 15 year old to run the place.  Poor kid.  If he was any more stupid, he could have got a job at WalMart.  Anyways, we always try to make the best out of whatever situation we are in, so we decided to hit the streets.

This town is completely broken.  There are only a couple stores in the entire town that are still open.  We found a market and a liquor store, both of which had many empty shelves.  Some of the bread in the market had grown mold.  It was really too bad.  There is an historic lighthouse, however, that we visited.  Moreover, we did find that the waterfront was pretty in its destitution.  We laughed as we ate a pint of chocolate-peanut butter ice cream we picked up at a gas station on the walk back from the lighthouse.  Well, we can only hope that someday, economic matters will improve and Dunkirk will experience a rebirth.  For now, however, I have no designs on going back.

We left Dunkirk in the morning and headed for Erie, Pennsylvania.  Interestingly, this was the second time we touched the shores of PA.  You may recall that we spent quite some time running up the Delaware River so we could visit Philadelphia. 

Erie, PA was actually quite cool.  The marina we stayed in was fine.  The folks who ran the place were quite nice and helpful.  The location was pretty good as well.  It was only a short walk to the main road.  We were shown a map, and the person who was telling us where to go and what to do warned us to stay in the green area on the map.  He smiled and explained that, like all places, Erie has its problems as well. 

Now, this was the second time we had heard such a warning. We recalled receiving a similar warning when we were in Morgan City, Louisiana.  Then, we did not head the warning, walked into parts of the city we had no business going to, and ended up stalked and followed back to the boat by some less than warm and fuzzy characters who seemed interested in staking out the boat.  We did call the police that time, and everything worked out ok.  This time, however, we decided we would heed the warning without question, and take the word of one who would ultimately have more information about the subject than we would.  We were fine.

There was not too much going on in Erie.  But Erie is interesting for a couple things.  First, Erie is where the first US Navy iron warship was built.  Second, during the 1920's Erie was a major summer resort.  Third, Erie was once the largest fresh water fishing port in the world.  Fourth, Erie was once known as the boiler and engine capitol of the world.  Fifth, Erie continues to be the largest manufacturer of locomotives in the U.S.   Finally, Erie is where the ships that won the battle of Lake Erie in 1813 were built.

The main downtown area is basically restaurants and bars, the city center, some government buildings, and a lot of stores and shops, many of which were boarded up and out of business.  However, we had a blast at a AAA baseball game.  We enjoyed watching the Erie Sea Wolves (Detroit Tigers) play the Bayside Boueys (Baltimore Oriels).  It was a perfect evening and we had great seats.  The game was followed by a cool fireworks show.  That was a lot of fun.

The next day, we stayed put.  This was the day Hurricane Irene made serious landfall in New York.  While we did not have weather to compare to those on the other side of the state, we did experience some pretty significant wind and some rather heavy rain.  Much of New York took a beating, and especially the Erie Canal.  As you know, we just finished transiting the entire Erie Canal from Waterford to Tonawanda.  The Erie Canal suffered severe flooding and devestating damage as a result of flooding.  Now, the Erie Canal is closed indefinitely.  Several of the dams were completely destroyed.  Several of the locks were knocked out of kilter.  The buildings on the lock premises were washed away.  It is too bad.  I have seen photos of the devastation posted by some of my friends who are currently stuck in the Erie Canal.  Some of these friends were at Waterford when the storm floods hit.  The NYCC ordered them into the locks for safety.  With the devastation happening all around them, they were safe inside the locks.  However, it will likely be some time before they can get out of the lock.  The town of Waterford took a beating.  We hope all of our friends at the Angry Penguin made it through all right. 

Cruisers are a resiliant bunch.  This notwithstanding, resiliance isn't going to get them to other climes before winter caves in.  They cannot go west, because the canal is closed.  There are alternate routes, but they are very long and will add substantial distance to their efforts, not to mention the cost and the time wasted.  I actually heard of one sailor who his boat's mast stepped in Buffalo and then shipped to a yard on the other side of the Erie Canal - to a yard between Albany and Kingston.  Well, this boat is completely unable to make it to the other side of the canal, and unfortunately, its owner cannot get ahold of the folks to whom he shipped the mast.  What a nightmare.  So, there are apparently 7 or 8 boats still stuck in the locks at the Waterford Flight.  Rumor has it, they have formed their own yacht club and are partying regularly.  What else can they do?  Our best wishes and hopes go out to them and theirs.  They are definitely in a "pickle", but, from what I understand, they are being very well cared for by the NYCC folks who have made a monumental effort to make them comfortable and to keep them safe.

In that regard, our family in Rhode Island is doing just fine.  The went without power for a long time.  However, my cousin Sophie just became a big sister.  That's right, Jason and Carrie have another little one I get to call cousin.  She's beautiful. 

Additionally, even though Connecticut got hit pretty good, our friends John and Sue made it through unscathed.  Moreover, their boat, "Mach Turtle", made it through the storm without so much as a scratch.  It's a good thing.  We were worried about the possibility that the boat naming ceremony may not have been perfect and the vessel would have been left unprotected.  I don't have insurance against claims that my boat renaming ceremonies did not go as planned.

We have a friend we met in Hampton who spent a lot of the last several months gungholing in the Chesapeake.  He saw the storm coming and he and his cat high tailed it for a lock canal south of Norfolk.  He was there with several other boats.  They were in deep enough that the wind was not so bad, and they were protected from the storm surge.  His dink had 15" of water in it, but that was the worst of it.  I can understand now why he described the whole event as somewhat of a "Fizzle."

We have other friends who were in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina at the time the storm made landfall.  Fortunately, the storm bounced north before it hit them, and they experienced nothing more than a lot of rain and some wind, but nothing like it could have been had they remained in the direct path.  We are very glad they did so well and wish them continuing luck. 

As some of you know, there is another hurricane, possibly a bigger one, presently taking aim at North Carolina, not to mention some otherwise ferocious tropical storms beating on Lake Charles and the rest of Southwestern Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.  We wish all of our friends there good health and good luck.

This is a rather huge Great Lakes Iron Boat.  Very unique in design and function.

So, after the storm passed, we left Erie for our next day's travel.  This time, we made it to the town of Geneva, Ohio.  What a pleasant suprise this place was.  The Geneva State Park Marina was splendid.  The staff were interested and very helpful.  The price was unbeatable, too.  So, of course, once we got settled, we took a hike.  We learned that this town is actually in the heart of Pennsylvania/Ohio wine country.  Walking, we discovered beautiful walking trails and parks that were absolutely wonderfully done. 

The trails lead us to a winery with a deck/patio right at the water front.  We stopped in for some wine and antipasto.  Then, we walked back and watched a  gorgeous sunset.  If we were not on a mission, we would have loved to stay a couple days here.  This was a great place.

After leaving Geneva, we headed straight for Cleveland.  Neither of us had ever been there before.  Here is another example of going to a place with certain preconceived notions based on the experiences of other.  Well, I cannot say these notions were all wrong. 

Cleveland has a beautiful skyline and its downtown area is pretty nice.  From a mile out in front of the city, it looks really nice.  However, when you get up close and personal, you can start to see the zits.  There's probably a reason you probably have never heard anyone say, "Hey guess what......we're moving to Cleveland!"  Well, we went there for one reason, and that was to visit the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame Museum.  That did not disappoint.

CHOLOLATE THUNDER!

In the morning, we hopped on our bikes and rode the 3 miles to the downtown waterfront cultural center - the situs of Browns Stadium, the Science Center, the Rock 'N' Roll Hall of Fame, as well as a huge Iron Boat on display and which serves as a maritime museum.  While we did not get to see all, we had a great time in the Hall of Fame.  We also saw several planes practicing for the upcoming Cleveland Air Show. 

FOLKS USED TO PRAY OZZIE MISSED THE PLANE.

The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame is this great museum that houses memorabilia from all of our favorate musical groups and performers. The museum opened in 1985 and has inducted between 5 and 10 musical acts per year since then.  Not only the performers get inducted, but also the back acts, the producers, and the folks who made it all possible.  Of course, and much to Brenda's distinct satisfaction, her favorite performer, Elvis, was the first inductee, and has been unanimously crowned the ultimate King of Rock 'n' Roll.  We spent almost an entire day in the museum.  There were six floors of exhibits and films.  We especially enjoyed watching a longer film that went through, year by year, all of the inductions.  I was interested in knowing the criterea to be inducted insofar as so many of the great rock 'n' roll bands I have known during my life time were not represented.  Well, it would appear that there is a nominating committee made up of industry professionals and insiders.  They make up a list of proposed inductees and this list is then forwarded to approximately 600 industry insiders and professionals who then vote.  I am not sure this is meaningful, but it is the way it is done.  Needless to say, whether or not a song or performer's work could be construed as "timeless" is certainly evident as an essential consideration.  For as long as there is a hall of fame for rock 'n' roll, there will continue to be inductees.  So, if you have a favorite group whose work you consider timeless, then there is a good probability that, if they are not there now, they will be soon or someday.  Unfortuantely, photography inside the museum is prohibited so I could not take photos of Jimmy Page's guitar, or Michael Jackson's glove, or any of the thousands of other bits of music memorabilia.  It was fantastic.

THE ROCK 'N' ROLL HALL OF FAME

While in Cleveland, we stayed as guests of the Edgewater Yacht Club.  They could not have been better hosts.  They have a really nice clubhouse.  The same afternoon as we arrived, we took our bikes off the boat, repaired flat tires, and went for a long ride in the adjacent park.  We found a nice sandy beach and an ice cream stand.  The ice cream here was some of the best ever.  Nice way to end a long day.

So, after two nights in Cleveland, we were off and running again.  This time, we headed for Sandusky, Ohio for a quick stop to do a little grocery shopping.  Actually, in addition to the need for groceries, Sandusky, Ohio was mentioned in one of my favorite movies, so we had to see it.  On the way there, we managed to drive right through the middle of a rather vicious thunderstorm.  While this one did not produce a whole lot of blinding rain, we did witness sky to surface lightning strikes all around us.  It was somewhat disconcerting, but then again, there was no place to go to hide, so we just kept on going. 

There wasn't much to do or see in Sandusky, but we did find the local market where we stocked up on some needed supplies.  Our plan was to leave first thing in the morning to what some have described as the island paradise of Put-In-Bay, a resort area in the hook of South Bass Island, approximately 18 miles from Sandusky.

CEDAR POINT - ROLLER COASTER CAPITOL OF THE WORLD.

MARBLEHEAD LIGHT - ONE OF THE MORE NOTEWORTHY LIGHTS ON LAKE ERIE.

The trip to Put-In-Bay was pretty quick - from Sandusky, it was only 18 miles.  So, we got there early, got a mooring (no anchorig there), and went in to town and walked up and down, back and forth, and then got some lunch.  Folks have been telling me the thing to eat is the Lake Erie Perch and Walleye.  So, we found a place where this was on the specialty menu and went on in.  I guess it is safe to say that I prefer ocean fish to lake fish.  To me, lake fish has a strange taste and smell.  It's not nearly as clean and sweet as ocean fish.  I guess the name of the game when it comes to lake fish is to have the perfect breading and the ideal tartar sauce.  This way, you don't taste or smell the fish.  So, I am not going to say I was unimpressed, but I am not going to say I am a believer either.  I hope all the perch live long and happy lives, and the walleye, too.

Put In Bay was a nice place.  However, it is all completely set up for tourists.  I guess I should have known this in advance, but I did not quite pay that close attention.  I was more interested in the history behind the place.  Put-in-Bay has several theories as to the origin of its name. According to an 1879 journal, the Harbor on South Bass Island was "shaped like a pudding bag with a soft bottom". However, the origin most likely came around because the excellent refuge the bay provided in its protected harbor, and according to history, "put in the bay" is what sailors would do when it was too rough to sail on the lake's waters.

We started picking up bits and pieces of interesting information concerning the War of 1812 and the role Lake Erie played in all of that.  The only time a British fleet had ever been defeated in history was Oliver Hazard Perry's victory against the British on September 10, 1813.  Perry had a fleet of American ships that cruised Lake Erie.  In or about 1813, they boxed in the British fleet in Lake Erie well into the western end of the lake.  Put in Bay is where Perry staged his fleet.  Well, they ultimately blockaded the Brits for so long that they were left with no choice but to come out and fight or starve.  The American fleet was out numbered in terms of ships, and seriously out gunned.  However, they fought a valiant battle.  At a point in the battle, the ship Perry was on had suffered such serious damage and loss of life that it could no longer fight.  Perry then left this ship and got onto another called the Niagara.  Once he got on the Niagara, the weather gage shifted and all of a sudden, Perry took Niagara right through the middle of the British fleet firing his guns on both sides at the same time, thus inflicting devastating damage on the British ships.  Ultimately, the British lowered their colors.  Perry grabbed a scap of paper and a writing instrument and scribbled a note to his commander, "We have met our enemy, and they are ours."  Some of you may also remember Perry for his burgie which now hangs ceremoniously at the Naval Academy at Anapolis - "Don't Give Up the Ship." 

Where did this saying come from?  Well, I'll tell you. Through the first year of the War of 1812, the infant United States Navy won a number of stunning victories in ship-to-ship engagements over Royal Navy vessels, including the capture of three British frigates. While this string of successes may not have surprised the American people, it startled, confounded, and angered the British.  One American officer who contributed to these early triumphs over the Royal Navy was James Lawrence. 

On February 24, 1813, Lawrence’s sloop of war, Hornet, reduced a British brig called Peacock to a sinking state in the space of fifteen minutes.  In recognition of this win, Lawrence was promoted to Captain and given command of the frigate Chesapeake.  When Lawrence arrived in Boston to assume command of Chesapeake he found his ship short of men and still in need of refitting.  He also discovered two British frigates cruising in the waters off Boston Harbor.  Within a couple days, only the ship British frigate Shannon remained. Lured by the prospect of laurels in another single-ship combat with the enemy, and anxious to engage Shannon before that ship was reinforced, Lawrence hastened to ready Chesapeake for battle. Between the two ships, they were rather even.  However, Shannon had the edge in terms of training and experience.  This disparity in experience and service gave the well-trained Shannons the edge in the battle. 

After a hard-fought, bloody action lasting only a quarter of an hour, the American frigate struck her colors to Shannon.  The captain of the Shannon earned a knighthood, while poor Captain Lawrence earned fame and honor as a fallen naval hero. The words of Lawrence’s last spoken command soon became a battle cry throughout the American fleet, most famously as the motto emblazoning Oliver Hazard Perry’s battle flag at the Battle of Lake Erie: “Don’t Give Up The Ship.”

THIS IS A REPLICA OF "NIAGARA" THAT SAILS DAILY FROM THE MARITIME MUSEUM AT ERIE, PA.

THIS IS A CAROUSEL AT PUT-IN-BAY THAT WAS BUILT BY THE HERSCHELL
COMPANY IN NORTH TONAWANDA, NY.  WE WERE THERE.

So, we have been to Anapolis and saw the burgie, and we have seen a replica of the Niagara.  It is now clear that the Battle of Lake Erie was absolutely pivotal in the War of 1812.  As a result of Perry's victory, America took over control of the Great Lakes, and this meant the Brits were not going to be coming to Canada for supplies or equipment via the St. Lawrence anymore. 

THIS IS THE PERRY PEACE MEMORIAL.  IT'S ACTUALLY QUITE A BIT TALLER THAN IT LOOKS IN THIS PHOTO.

We had originally planned to spend two nights in Put In Bay; sort of a treat ouselves weekend, and a time to relax.  Well, there is often something to be said about the best laid plans.  I had been watching the weather for the last few days, as I usually do, and I expected some serious weather to be coming in on Sunday night.  So, we planned to leave Put In Bay on Sunday early morning and be in the Detroit area in the early afternoon on Sunday, well before the stormy weather.  Well, I awoke early on Saturday morning and checked the weather.  What I saw was devestating.  Translated, it all meant we had to put it all together and get the hell out NOW (early Saturday morning) because if we did not, we might not get out until the following Wednesday.  So, we got a refund of the mooring fees paid for Saturday night, and headed out.  We had a very nice ride all the way to the town of Wyandotte, Michigan, several miles up the Detroit River, but still about 10 miles south of Detroit proper.  We are at the Wyandotte Yacht Club.  As I am sitting here writing this, there is a tremendous thunderstorm, complete with lightning, and heavy rain, all of which has been going on for the last several hours and which shows no sign of relenting any time soon.  So, if we have to be stuck somewhere, it is better here than at Put in Bay.  One thing is always true when it comes to the weather, and that is that, no matter how bad it gets, it will always get better.  It's just a matter of time.  In that regard, we were watching the Michigan v. Michigan football game this afternoon in the yacht club and the game was postponed during the third period due to lightning.  Within 30 minutes, the same weather conditions moved over our position.  We can expect up to 60 knot gusts tonight.  Fortunately, we are up a river and not subject to the 5-7 foot waves in Lake Erie stirred up by this passing monster.  Good thing we left Put In Bay early.

In the next few days, we'll be making our way north to fuel and to Lake St. Clair where we will stop for a day or so to visit with Brenda's friend, Jeanne and her two kids, Rudy and Tom (I am not even sure I know their real names).  Anyways, more later.

A VERY COOL HOUSE ON SOUTH BASS ISLAND AROUND THE CORNER FROM PUT-IN-BAY.

Thunder, thunder, lightning, lightning and more of the same........all night long.