Lake Erie Winds: Lakeside Wooden Boat Show

Monday, July 18, 2011

Lakeside Wooden Boat Show

I had the good fortune today to attend the 8th Annual Lakeside Wooden Boat Show at beautiful Lakeside, Ohio, the famous "Chautauqua on Lake Erie." The boat show is put on each year by the Lakeside Wooden Boat Society. There were over fifty boats on hand, ranging in size from 9 to 57 feet in length.

I arrived early in the morning with my brother-in-law who had a 16' Lyman in the show. Despite a virtual flotilla of trailered boats converging on this little hamlet by the lake, setup was quick and stress free, thanks largely to organizer Mame Drackett. With the boat in its assigned spot, we were able watch the arrival of the other boats and enjoy the festivities. Boats arrived by both land and water. At first a trickle, the pace picked up quickly as boat after boat chugged around the Lakeside breakwater and were immediately greeted by orange-shirted harbor masters who instantly barked orders over walkie-talkies to assistants who rushed to the dock or plunged into waste-deep water to secure the arriving boats to the pier. I was impressed at how well organized it all was.

In addition to the beautiful antique wood boats, there miniature boats as well, with members of two model boat clubs , the Cleveland Model Boat Club and the Maumee Valley Model Boat Club, on hand to display their craftsmanship.

It was a beautiful day for the boat show. Although hot in the afternoon, the moderating influence of the lake helped out a lot. But it was all about the boats; admiring not only the fine lines of these classic craft, but also the craftsmanship of the boat owners who work so hard to restore and maintain them year after year. And if that wasn't enough, the Lakesiders provided a great and supportive venue for it all. A nice lunch was available for a small free and there was a live band on hand performing 70s and 80s rock classics.

Now on to the boats. I snapped some great photos. Here are a few to get started. I will upload more throughout the week, so keep coming back!

Big Chris Craft arriving for the show

32' 1937 Richardson Cruisabout

Lyman with some nice artwork!

Another shot of the Richardson

Richardson again

A classic Chris Craft waiting in line to dock

Check back tomorrow for more uploads!

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About Lake Erie

9,940 sq mi (25,745 sq km), 241 mi (388 km) long and from 30 to 57 mi (48-92 km) wide, bordered on the N by S Ont., Canada, on the E by W N.Y., on the S by NW Pa. and N Ohio, and on the W by SE Mich. and NW Ohio.; fourth largest of the Great Lakes. It is 572 ft (174 m) above sea level with a maximum depth of 210 ft (64 m), making it the shallowest of the Great Lakes and the only one with a floor above sea level. It is part of the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Seaway system and is linked to Lake Huron by the Detroit River, Lake St. Clair, and St. Clair River, and with Lake Ontario by the Niagara River (Lake Erie's only natural outlet) and the Welland Canal. The New York State Canal System links the lake with the Hudson River. Several small rivers, including the Maumee, Sandusky, and Cuyahoga, flow into the lake from the south; the Grand River enters from Ontario. Lake Erie is partially icebound in winter and is usually closed to navigation from mid-December to the end of March. Rich agricultural lands border the Canadian shore, where the chief towns are Port Colborne and Port Stanley. The principal U.S. cities on the lake are Buffalo, Erie, Cleveland, and Toledo; all are ports with heavy industry. Untreated industrial and municipal wastes from lakeshore cities-and from Detroit, whose wastes enter the western end of the lake-polluted the waters and rendered surrounding areas foul smelling. A U.S.-Canadian pact (1972) ended the discharge of contaminating materials into the water, and the environmental damage has since abated. Numerous recreation facilities are provided at national (Point Pelee and Fort Malden in Canada), provincial, and state parks located on the lake's islands and shores. The first European to see the lake was French explorer Louis Jolliet in 1669. The British and the French, and later the British and the Americans, fought for its control. The battle of Lake Erie (Sept. 10, 1813), a naval engagement in the War of 1812, led successfully by the U.S. leader Oliver H. Perry against the British, was fought at Put-in Bay. (Courtesy the Columbia Encyclopedia)

News and views, and history and humor, about the lake I love.

Monday, July 18, 2011

Lakeside Wooden Boat Show

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