| Erie PA and Presque Isle Trip |
| August 2003 - We repeated our canal trip that we took with the Lady Jane in August with our new boat, the Missy. We went from Sodus Bay, near Rochester, NY to Buffalo via the Erie canal. With our guests Sue and Gene, the trip was fantastic. Very good weather, and no problems with the Missy. We were a bit worried about her fuel, as it was 4 years old. We changed her racor filters twice on the trip, but that was the extent of the fuel problem. Now that we have her in Buffalo, it was time to think about our first Lake Erie trip. If you have been reading these pages, you know that Jane and I moved to Buffalo in 2002 from Rochester. We kept our boat in Rochester for 2002, and as soon as we got her to Buffalo in 2003, we sold her. So this will actually be our first Lake Erie trip. We left Smith Boys Marina on Wednesday, August 20th. Having only been out to Lake Erie once, we decided to play it safe and take the Black Rock Canal. The Black Rock has one lock and two lift bridges. Takes about an hour to traverse, but you avoid the high current of the Niagara under the Peace Bridge. There are also 2 large reefs in the river just south of the bridge. We had no problem in the Canal and soon were motoring into the Lake. Weather was beautiful, sunny, warm and no wind. We cranked Missy's single diesel up to 2000 rpms and sat back for the trip. She cruises at about 10 mph at this engine speed while sipping only 4 gph of fuel. Rob soon discovered the auto pilot and enjoyed driving the boat with no hands. About 8 hours later, we were approaching Presque Isle. Presque Isle is unique in that it forms a natural harbor, with Erie PA on the south side. We went north once inside the harbor to Presque Isle State Park, where we secured a slip for 2 nights. Nice park, however, there is a fantastic anchorage just north of the park which we plan to stay at next time. Diesel fuel was very reasonable at the park, $1.45 per gallon. We grilled steaks for dinner to celebrate our first open water voyage in our new boat. The next day, we took a trip outside the harbor to one of the many beaches that ring the island. I think there is something like 26 miles of beaches here, all sport clean white sand and deep water to anchor in. We spent the day on the hook, relaxing and enjoying the great day. On Friday, we motored over to The Moorings at Wolverine Park. This is a city run marina that has 100% transient slips. Very clean facilities and right in the center of town. With our BoatUS card, we got a slip for .85 per foot. Excellent deal. We explored Erie, there is alot to see and do here. Rob an I took in the Maritime Museum, which is home to the USS Niagara, a restored tall ship. We also caught up with the Coast Guard, who were showing off their new 47' cutter. Dinner that night was at the MarketPlace Grill with some friends we met from Pittsburgh, who trailered their 27' boat to Erie. Great choice, good food and excellent service. Saturday was our departure day. We awoke at 6 am to breezy weather and overcast skies. A cold front had passed through overnight, dropping temperatures into the 50's with a pretty stiff NE breeze. We departed about 6:30 and headed into the lake. Seas built as we headed east, kicking up to a solid 4-5 ft chop. At 10mph, the Missy does not pound, but taking the waves mostly abeam she sure does roll! I had to brace myself on the bridge to keep balance, there was much stuff flying around as we rolled to and fro. Jane did her best to secure everything in the cabin, nothing was broken, so I gues she did good! About 4 hours into our trip, the seas flattened, the sun came out and life was good! We arrived at our slip at around 5pm. Our first big water trip on the Missy was a success and had us thinking about our next voyage... |