Taking a Break and Waves on the Wild Side

People enjoy Lake Erie for different reasons.  A lovely afternoon on the lake yesterday rejuvenated my soul, and reminded me how I came to be here.  We toured the sandbar party, also known as the barge party. Then, thanks to the only trustworthy boatman, other than Uncle Bill, good friend Scott took us on a fantastic tour. 

The luxury pontoon boat is to the left of the dock.

I’d never been on a pontoon boat, though I’d always wanted to.  I always thought they were charming and homey.  I liked them when they were big flat decks set upon floating, air filled runners.  (please excuse the lay terminology.)  They weren’t fast water vehicles, but they looked like they were comfortable places to set out lawn furniture and lounge around, or have barbeques.  My husband and I joined Scott and his wife Allison for an afternoon boating tour on a luxury pontoon boat.  It was sleek and fast, yet it had plenty of stability.  The huge motor was very quiet. 

Since Scott's boss was nice enough to take the pontoon for a tour,
I thought it would be nice to post his sign along with this pontoon boat   for sale

When idling, the motor was nearly impossible to hear. Though not as large as most of the pontoons I’d seen, it was luxuriously comfortable.

View from the front inside

The breeze was fantastic as we set out from Sandusky Bay on a dog day’s afternoon.  The Lake is unpredictable, and we didn’t know whether to expect oppressive heat or what.  A lovely breeze permeated all.  It was beautiful, peaceful and relaxing.

The tour began at Clemens marina.  We headed out of Sandusky Bay traveling through a channel that feeds into Lake Erie.  At the mouth of the channel, a misty profile of Cedar Point came into view.  No matter how many times I’ve seen this silhouette, I’m always awed.  Waves, one to three footers, swelled in a soft resonant breeze.

The roller coaster is made of wood - beautiful sculpture

The day was so humid, the mist obscures Cedar Point somewhat.  Tricky shot of Demon Drop and the World's Largest Roller Coaster.

 Scott navigated the pontoon which had such a quiet motor that sometimes made me wonder whether it was running.  Pretty amazing.  We stopped at the railway bridge, and called for the remote operator to lift it.  A train was coming so we waited in the nice afternoon breeze as the gentle waves rocked us into relaxation.

A horn blows indicating safe passage

 First, we headed to the sandbar party.  My husband and I had joined boater friends there before, but it was much different this time.  So many boats crowded around the simple sandbar, it was impossible to see it.  Hardly ever was there such a crowd.  Usually, families gathered there with kids and picnic baskets.  Boats anchored and played music, and the passengers gathered on the front end for sunshine and repose.  Now, it’s a little sexier.

 This area is patrolled, now.  The coastguard came to check out the sandbar party, weaving in and out of the partiers to as far of an extent that they could.

 We really felt safe as we saw the Ottawa County authorities come to protect us, too.. .

After we saw the regatta of local authorities, we decided to have our lunch.  Sandwiches, pretzels and refreshments were nice and cool packed in the cooler with lots of ice.   The gentle rocking of the waves made me sleepy so I drifted off for a while as the boat lulled me into sleep. 

This was the best place to take a nap.  Though the day was hot, the upholstery seemed to breath.

  

The sandbar is a very difficult place to anchor.  It always has been.  

We were impressed with how well the pontoon stayed anchored, because usually it's quite difficult due to all the sand that's there near the sandbar.  Other parts of the lake have rocks to grab the anchor.  Anyway, after an hour or two passed, the anchor came loose and we decided to resume our tour.  Because of the gentle breeze, the hot 99 degree sun was barely noticeable until a bit of sunburn started showing.  

Our captain and friend, Scott, boatsman extraordinaire

Index to more articles