Lake Erie 

7/10/08

Today started the Great Lakes part of the trip. We are going from Buffalo, NY (picture on right) to Erie PA. It is about 80 miles so that took us about 11 hours. It was the sort of wild ride we thought it might be. Last week I was thinking how fun it would be to be out of the canals and rivers and into some open waters. Well, I got my wish, and more. NOAA forecasted 6 to 10 kts and less than 3 foot seas and diminishing. Well phoey to that. Our wind instruments were not working but we guessed it was closer to 15 or so and waves at least 5 feet. Of course the wind was on the nose so we had to tack up the coast the last 30 miles or so. With all the slamming and waves and bouncing around we had our old Lake Michigan leaks back and were busy mopping up when we got in. But, if you want to know the real truth, it felt just like home waters and that felt good. My assessment of days like that falls into the category of “Too lumpy to read”.

The Wolverine Park Marina at Erie was fine except you had to enter between the Sheraton Hotel and the convention center. Naturally there is a pedestrian bridge so we had to be sure about bridge heights before entering. We thought we were done with that stuff. Presque Isle Bay is “one of the best natural harbors on the Great Lakes”.

7/13/08

To Ashtabula, OH on Saturday. We thought we would have the same weather but stayed closer to the coast and the waves were minimal. We had a nice off-shore breeze, warm and gusty and were again able to tack upwind to get there. Since we were weathered in here and it was Sunday we decided to go to church. We found a little ELCA church up the street yesterday that was an OK walk. It is a tiny, tiny church, very different that way from ours. So small that during the greeting everyone in church said hi to everyone else, not just the people next to them (not kidding). Right in the middle of the service everyone got up and milled around finally going back to their seats for the benediction. The minister came to say hi and it turns out she is from Neenah, WI. Also she was calling Rolf, Chris instead of Rolf. After a while she said he looked just like a member named Chris who only comes to church twice a year. As we were leaving other people would shake Rolf’s hand and say, “Hi Chris”. After we got back to the boat it dawned on me that they might also be wondering if Chris has a new girl friend. Also, they might be wondering why Chris came to church one extra time.

Since this was a small town we thought that would probably be the big excitement for the day but no, these small towns are hotbeds of excitement. We were just sitting around in the afternoon waiting for supper to cook when a boat came down the river under jib only, no main and no engine. It was an old racer, about 40 ft. long, so going quite fast. As they were trying to do some quick tacks to get out to the lake, the wind caught the jib and slammed the bow into the concrete wall very close to where we were tied up. They took a big chunk out of the boat and part of the piling off the dock. We saw it coming but could only watch it unfold. There was no time to move anything, other then get a few fenders out and hope for the best. But the drama wasn’t over in that they got off that wall and proceeded to do the exact same thing on the other side of the river. You could tell they were thinking of coming back to our side when Rolf started yelling at them to take their jib down which they eventually did. Then they headed out to the lake under power. In the mean time a couple of guys from over by the power boats came running over to help us if we needed it. They were from the Ashtabula Yacht Club and said that we were their guests and wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to us. Very nice gesture. They also said the skipper of the boat has quite a reputation of drinking heavily. I guess that explains the lack of thinking. We watched for them on their way back later but they were all pretty quiet with duct tape covering the new hole.

7/14/08

We were thinking of going to Cleveland today but the wind was still on the nose and the seas were 4-6 feet. So we just went the 20 miles to Fairport, OH. Tomorrow the weather is supposed to finally calm down a little so the last 40 miles to Cleveland should be calmer.

The big thing about Fairport is that it is on the Grand River and that is the home of Tartan Yachts (the motherhouse).  So as soon as we landed Rolf arranged a tour of the factory for us. It was exciting for us to see all the boats in production. Art Averell showed us around and we were able to go anywhere and see anything we wanted. We have a little water damage in our shower wall that Rolf will have to fix this winter and he was able to crawl around and see how everything was put together to give him some ideas of how to fix it. I took lots of pictures because it was just fascinating to me. I was impressed that so much of it is done by hand, especially in the woodworking and sewing shops. Art showed us around for about an hour and then drove us back to the boat. He then came aboard and looked at the things Rolf had changed. Then he took us over to Brennan’s, which is the hang out for the employees, and we had a beer. He also recommended that we go to the Tartan rendezvous this weekend near here in the town of Huron. So we signed up for that even though it will slow us down for a day or so but should be lots of fun. He also said he would link this site up with the Tartan website. So now I am under pressure to be witty and entertaining for a larger audience.

This is a deck being vacuum bagged. They lay out the glass dry, vacuum bag the mold and then infuse the resin. The resin has a color added so they can see if it flows everywhere.

7/15/08

“All the little chicks with their crimson lips go, Cleveland Rocks, Cleveland Rocks!”

The weather actually did quiet down and we had a smooth power to Cleveland. We got here early enough to get a car and spend the afternoon at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There was so much to see and hear, we spent about 3 hours, which is a record for us to stay in one place that long. It was of course very entertaining. We spent less time at the punk and grunge exhibits and more time with the Beatles. The section about Les Paul, the Waukesha Wizard, was extensive showing both his musical talent and guitar innovations. The acoustics in the Hall of Fame allowed the music to fade from one area and come in clearly at the next area.

Since we had a car, we found some stores and provisioned the boat for the anchorages this week after the rendezvous.

7/16/08

Since we didn’t have to have the car back till afternoon, we went to the Great Lakes Science Center. We didn’t know it ahead of time but a lot of the place is geared for kids. We still had a little fun playing with the science toys. But in the basement they had a full exhibit on Albert Einstein showing his transition from physicist to humanitarian to anti war activist.  They even had letters to and from FDR about the possibility of Germany developing the atomic bomb.

We spent quite a bit of time there and then headed over for lunch to Slymans Deli. It is known for the best corned beef sandwiches in Cleveland. It has been visited, to name a few, by both President George W Bush and the Three Stooges. There was a line out the door but we got in quickly and it lived up to the hype. It is one of those old time places that have been around forever and does their specialty to perfection.

Since it was so hot today we just laid low and will push on tomorrow to points west and hope for something besides a west wind.

This is the Cleveland skyline with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on the left and the Cleveland Browns Stadium on the right.

7/18-7/20/08

We got to Huron, Ohio on Friday the 18^th for the Tartan Rendezvous. It is in a comfortable marina with a pretty nice town that we didn’t get to see much of as there was too much partying going on. The marina area had a covered picnic area that we sort of took over and had a steak fry. In Ohio I think they call it a “steak roast”. In Sheboygan it is a “fry out”. There also was a contest to see who could make the best boat drinks. There were about 26 boats at the rendezvous, so quite a nice sized group. This is Tim Jackett (designer of Norske) greeting us. He even mentioned us and our trip. Very friendly.

On Saturday they also had Pilates, then breakfast, then boat tours from 11:00 to 2:30. Happy hour at 4:00, Dinner at 5:00, concert in the park at 7:00 and a desert contest at 9:00. We didn’t get to bed till 11 or so. So you see why I didn’t get to see much of the town. We got to know quite a few people. It was especially fun to see the Tartan 34’s which are the same as our boat, Aquila. Those boats are holding up well. The people that have them still love the way they sail. Some of them made some fun improvements. One couple took the head doors out and made a forward suite. We were the only Tartan 3700 there so there was quite a bit of curiosity and we had a lot of visitors. It also was running close to 100 degrees so there were a few people quite interested in the air conditioning. Our dinner was a buffet at the Yacht Club next door. They have a fun thing at the lower bar. The bar is a combination outdoor and indoor with a garage type door that can go up or down depending on the weather. Speaking of the weather, it has been really hot since we got to Lake Erie. We have been out on the lake for a while and I have never had to put a jacket or sweater on, even going upwind. So I was trying to figure out if this was normal or just an unusual warm spell. I asked a lot of people about it and they all said that it was their normal weather. Well, I just have to say it was very nice for me although a lot of people would think it was too hot.

This is a ceremony to rechristen two boats that had a name change.

We all had breakfast together on Sunday morning at the Huron Yacht Club then we headed out to Put-in-Bay. We got to sail for an hour or so before the wind died. We were advised by the locals to be sure to spend time there because that is THE happening place on Lake Erie. It has a great natural harbor and they have set up a mooring field and a water taxi (see below) that takes you to land anytime you want from 7 am to midnight. I think this is the Door County of Lake Erie. It has more bars and less shopping so it has more of a Key West sort of vibe which you know we like.

7/21/08

We traveled around the island. There are cars allowed on the island but there are not too many. Most people just rent a golf cart if they need to go anywhere, so that’s what we did. Their big sightseeing thing is the Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial. It is a Doric column rising 352 feet over the lake. It was built between 1912 and 1915. We could see it from quite a ways out on the water.

History Lesson:

“While monuments to peace are rarely associated with military victories, Oliver Hazard Perry’s victory over a British fleet in the War of 1812 so contributed to a lasting peace with Canada that the Perry’s Victory and International Peace Memorial is a fitting tribute to both. “ The agreements that were signed following the war paved the way for the permanent disarmament of the 4,000 mile border between the U.S. and Canada. This memorial honors the principle of settling differences between nations by negotiation. The battle also allowed the Northwest Territory to remain part of the USA."

Okay, enough of a history lesson. We have the comedy channel on our satellite radio. There is a joke we have heard a few times and both thought of it when we were visiting this site. I will try to tell it even though I am terribly bad at it. Here goes. “Admiral Perry had 20 warships in Lake Erie ready for battle. They were ready for the attack from the English. In the morning the lookout in the crows nest shouted. ’10 English warships on the horizon, sir.’ So Admiral Perry said to his first mate, Bring my red shirt! He wore his red shirt into battle. They fought valiantly and won the battle. After, the first mate asked why he wanted the red shirt. Admiral Perry said that he did not want his men to know if he was wounded or not. He did not want them tending to him instead of fighting their best. The first mate said that was very smart. Well, the next day the lookout in the crows nest shouted. ‘100 English warships on the horizon, sir. ‘  Immediately Admiral Perry said to his first mate. Bring my brown pants!”  Anyway, we think it is funny. I am sure people were wondering why we were wandering around giggling.

Of course in the afternoon a group of Tartans showed up in the mooring field too. So we just had to go out to supper together. It was great fun and we just called it the rendezvous that wouldn’t end.

See if you can pick out Norske.

7/23/08

We left Put-in-Bay at 5:45. Yes, that is am. We out-ran a squall crossing Lake Erie on the way to the Detroit River. It was a windy and rolly day. We looked back to see Put-in-Bay shrouded in storm clouds. So we are out of Lake Erie and on our way to Lake Huron and Canada. Now the challenge is river current and avoiding large ships.