Lake Erie Love

Ohio Loves Lake Erie and We Loved Lake Erie in Ohio (except that nasty bit between Vermilion and Put in Bay

As I write, it's a rainy Saturday morning in Wyandotte, Michigan after a bright and busy week on Lake Erie. We spent last weekend at the Lakeside Yacht Club in Cleveland -- a lively friendly spot in a well protected location. While in town we toured the Great Lakes Brewing Company and had a great dinner of pierogi and sausages on the patio of their brew pub.  There were lots of locals and visitors out and about enjoying the perfect weather, and celebrating LeBron's return and the city's selection as the site of the 2016 Republican National Convention. LeBron was not in town to celebrate-- he was in Las Vegas playing in a charity basketball before heading to Brazil for the World Cup finals. When he does get there he will be greeted by a season of sold out games and a city full of optimism.

 We spent Sunday afternoon touring the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum.  That was lots of fun. It was a great mix of things to see, hear and interact with. Music, of course, was everywhere. I favored the exhibits tracing the history of rock and roll from early American music sung in country hollers and porches in the south to the top 40 hits on American Bandstand. Memorabilia was everywhere: from Michael Jackson's glove to Janis Joplin's personalized porsche, and lots of handwritten lyrics by Bruce Springsteen, John Lennon, Billy Joel, etc.

Janis' Porsche

Bruuuuce!

The Glove

A little bit of history

From Cleveland we continued to hug the lake shore as we headed west to Vermilon, This proved to be one of our favorite stops so far on the Loop. The Vermilion Yacht Club is nestled on a triangular piece of land, well protected but within sight of the lake, in an area called Vermilion Lagoons ( the Venice of the Great Lakes).  Our spot along the wall was perfect for watching the fishing boats and the sailing classes come and go. No foot traffic passing the boat meant we could pull up the blinds and not feel like animals in the zoo, as we do at many docks.

Favorite comment we heard from a passing boat: "I wonder how they get the dinghy off the roof?" "Maybe they just wait for the boat to sink and they drive it off."

We spent two nights in Vermilion, chatting with other boaters at the club, eating dinner on the deck of the well known restaurant Chez Francois, taking a bike ride to pick up some provisions, and steering the dinghy through the lagoons to admire the beautiful homes and flowers that line them ( it reminded us of the ICW in south Florida -- just with white clapboard not coral colored stucco),

The Bridge to Vermilion Lagoons. Love that old boat, they are everywhere on the Great Lakes -- no salt.

FREEDOM at the dock in Vermilion

We could have spent a few more days there, and perhaps should have. Our ride across the lake from Vermilion to Put in Bay was alarming for Ham, nauseating for the Admiral and lonely for the Cap'n as he sat alone in the pilot house negotiating the nasty winds and waves for which Lake Erie is known.

Okay, let's see a show of hands: Who has ever heard of the Ohio Islands in Lake Erie?  The Caribbean of the Great Lakes?  Not this born-and-raised-on-the-other-end-of-the-lake-girl.  North of the ports of Huron and Sandusky sit this string of islands: Kelley's, South, Middle and North Bass Islands, Gibraltar Island ( owned by the U of Ohio for research purposes) and Rattlesnake Island on the US side, and Pelee Island across the border in Canada. Put in Bay is the most popular location for visitors arriving by private vessels and ferry boats.  Summer weekends are known for their sun and rum drenched days and large rafts of boats at the docks and anchorages.

The Cap'n in the "other Keys"

Places we've been and places we're going ( and a bad angle)

Long before it was a summer destination, the Ohio Islands served a key role in the War of 1812. On September 10, 1813 27 year old Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry and his men were in position on South Bass Island to spot the British Fleet. When asked what to do with the fleet after their capture the Commodore replied "Put 'em in the Bay".
Perry's International Victory and Peace Memorial stands 352 feet above the island.  It is the tallest Doric column in the world and offers visitors an impressive view from the top. The memorial not only pays tribute to Perry's victory but to the lasting peace between the US, Canada and Great Britain.
We never did make it to the top of the memorial, but we did rent a golf cart and drive around the island. We also met fellow Seleners and Loopers Bart and Beth aboard Seanna.

We are seeing more big, deep draft boats as we head west and north, and that means more marinas that can accommodate us.  But, we do miss anchoring. Lake Erie, because of  winds and depths, did not offer many protected anchorages. Hopefully we will find at least a few spots along Lake Huron to drop the hook and enjoy the serenity that comes from a night away from the dock. Our budget will also be relieved......

Meanwhile, we are off to the Henry Ford museum in Dearborn: a nine acre single floor space that "brings American ideas and innovations to life."  Details ( and pictures from our past week) to follow....