Lake Erie became the tempestuous lady I’ve heard about. High winds and 5 foot waves are not very appealing for our 32 footer Ginger Lee. I’ve always said that if the conditions on the water suck, we stay in port. Well it happened to us in two places on the lake so far: Geneva, OH., then in Cleveland. It’s a good thing both ports were very nice.

Geneva State Park Marina.

In Geneva Ohio, among other things, we did laundry, took a cab to the grocery store, and cycled to the honky-tonk-ish section of town called Geneva-by-the-Lake. It was filled with arcades, fried dough joints, ice cream huts, and biker bars.

Biking through Geneva-by- the-Lake.

By the fourth day, Lake Erie had finally calmed down enough. hallelujah! Love Geneva but had enough.
We continued west along the southern shores of the lake to Fairport Ohio, and anchored behind a huge stone breakwater.

The XO swims in wake filled Fairport Harbor. The beautiful, newly renovated lighthouse is in the background.

Many local boaters anchored here to swim and enjoy a gorgeous summer Sunday. Nobody seemed to notice all the big express cruisers tearing through the anchorage at full speed and creating massive wakes. When we took a dinghy ride into town, a 40 foot Sea Ray headed right for us at full speed. He passed several feet in front of our little 12 footer. All we could do was hang on for dear life as his wake sent us airborne. The guy continued on toward the jetty, knocking down paddleboarders and kayakers. I know it’s not a no-wake zone, but c’mon, have some common sense and courtesy.

Fairport Ohio is very industrial.

The next morning, we headed west towards Cleveland.

Approaching Cleveland.

We settled into a small private marina called The Forest City Yacht Club.

The Forest City Yacht Club.

This is the calmest marina anywhere. Just outside its breakwater were awful lake conditions.

We were the guests of an awesome marina with the cleanest, air-conditioned showers, and a sweet swimming pool. The club members were very friendly as well. They even gave us a free nights stay!
After 3 nights in paradise, we decided to make a run west, but Ol’ Erie bullyed us once again with a nasty north wind that whipped up 3 foot waves that smashed into us broadside. After only 5 miles we couldn’t take it anymore. We ducked into the last westward marina in Cleveland. Fortunately they had one transient slip available.

The Last Slip in Cleveland at the Edgewater Marina. Check out the angry skies over Lake Erie.

Two more nights in Cleveland were well spent. There is a lot going on.

This a bike friendly city.

Cleveland scene

Awesome waterfront.

Downtown marketplace.

Finally, after 5 nights in Cleveland, the weather changed and we made our plans to leave  in the morning and head west towards the port of Lorain. Hopefully, Lake Erie will be nice to us. SOCOBO 9/15/17

Clearing skies over Cleveland Ohio.