Stuck in Cleveland

We had planned to stay in Cleveland for one night. The weather forecast included possible thunderstorms all week. Our buddy boat friends Bob & Sue said they'd rather stay an extra day. We'd been having a rough go on Lake Erie so it was easy to agree with them. The aLke Erie is notoriously stormy and has recorded waves up to 25 feet. It is the fourth largest of the Great Lakes and touches four US states and Canada. By volume, it is the smallest and shallowest of the lakes which makes it a turbulent body of water. We have ditched, more than once, due to the short, high waves that impede our progress. It is always an easy decision for the crews of Mystic and Osimo to chose safe. We have no desire to be out there in inclement weather. 

Several Looper Boats Stayed in Cleveland With Us

Free Spirit under the pedestrian lift bridge

Mystic under Cleveland lights

Osimo at Cleveland

Cleveland Skyline

Mystic at North Coast Harbor Marina, Cleveland

Into The Mystic's "Skipper" cat

We usually take advantage of the days we are ashore to stock up on supplies. Bob and Sue had found 'heinen's' Grocery which is housed in the Cleveland Trust Company Building on Euclid Avenue. This building is a work of art with a stained glass cathedral ceiling. The first floor is the grocery; the upstairs is a liquor store with self serve beer and wine tasting stations. There are banks of machines where you pick a favorite wine or beer then pay for your beverage while it is poured right before your eyes. heinen's is like a tourist attraction with so much to see; we loved this place and visited several times.

heinen's Grocery

2nd Floor Beer and Wine Tasting

The Gorgeous Ceiling

Sip, Swirl, Savor Wine Tasting Bar at heinen's

heinen's Cleveland Trust Company Building

We discovered that there are a couple of microbreweries within walking distance of the marina. Noble Beast Brewing Company is a small family owned brewery popular with families. It is warm and friendly with a beautiful atrium skylight that brings the outside in. We enjoyed a stout at the bar then walked back to the marina in the rain. 

Cool skylight atrium

Cool sign at Noble Beast

On our third day in Cleveland, we were up early, preparing to depart. The sky was dark but the forecast indicated that we could make our way safely. We moved west along the breakwater toward Edgewater Marina where our friend Henry keeps his sailboat. Fishermen along the rocky entrance waved as we passed by. The channel's exit looked narrow with rocks lining each side. Osimo slowed to allow us to carefully make our way out into the lake, then followed. The lake was boiling with choppy waves. John and Kathy on Free Spirit had departed earlier and were sending us updates on the conditions they were experiencing. They saw 3-4 foot waves until they rounded the point at Avon where the waves increased to 4-5. Their advice to us was to TURN BACK. 

Stormy skies waiting for us on the Lake

Osimo preparing to depart

Views of Cleveland from Lake Erie

SS William G Mather

William G Mather rudder and prop

Passing the William G Mather

Cleveland Browns Stadium

Cleveland

Downtown skyline

Passing Port Cleveland

Jackknife bridges and the Iron Curtain

Former CG Station, sailing school

Sailing school under the Iron Curtain

Wendy Park Pedestrian Bridge

Bridges of Cleveland

Wind surfer taking advantage of conditions on the bay

Edgewater Marina Levy

Fishing off the Levy

Rocky west point exit, Cleveland breakwater

Entering Lake Erie

Staying in the middle of the channel

Osimo transiting the exit channel

We worked our way west for about four miles, watching the sky become more moody and ominous. Suddenly, our VHF began emitting the dreaded, ear piercing, weather alarm. I hurried below to press the station button which turns off the alarm and takes us to the Coast Guard weather report. The message was clear; GET OFF THE LAKE...NOW! 

Dave hailed Bob who agreed that we had to turn back. The return trip wasn't as bad as the trip west because the wind was pushing us and the waves were now on our stern. We were, however, trying to out run the storm. We passed by the rocky entrance to Edgewater marina, choosing to go through the wider main channel instead. When we got back to the marina Belinda on Into the Mystic helped us with our lines. She had been worried about us after seeing that we'd left the dock under stormy skies. We checked in with the Harbor Master and were told we could stay for free due to the emergency weather conditions. Before the storm ended we would see winds up to 80 mph! The foul weather would hang out for two more days which kept us stuck in Cleveland.

Cleveland Harbor West Pierhead Lighthouse

West Pierhead Lighthouse

Returning to Cleveland in rough weather

West Pierhead Light with Cleveland backdrop

Iron Curtain behind West Pierhead Light 

West Pierhead light

Several boats came in off the lake after our return. The storms caught them offshore and reeked havoc, causing damage. One sailboat suffered a torn mainsail. We were very glad that we'd made the decision to head back to safety. S/V Cadence, an Island Packet 44, arrived at the marina after dark. We happened to be on deck when they entered the harbor so we ran to grab their lines. Bill and Cristina invited us aboard for a glass of wine. We stayed until almost midnight chatting as they unwound after a rough day on the lake.

We spent our layover in Cleveland exploring on foot with an umbrella in hand. One of our walks took us west through town to Cleveland Square. The park is beautiful with monuments and gardens. It is a popular and busy area of the city near the public transit station. Next, we headed east and wandered into the Theater District which reminded us of New York City. Eventually we worked our way to Masthead Microbrewery in the historic Bryant Building on Superior Street. The taproom is huge with seating for 300. We sat at the bar and enjoyed a delicious brick oven pizza with our cold beer.

The North Coast Harbor Cleveland Script Sign

Scenes around Cleveland

Galleria Building (mostly empty stores)

Guitar in the Galleria Building

Doors of Cleveland

1932 Statue of Abe Lincoln

Fountain of Eternal Life

Fountain of Eternal Life

Soldiers and Sailors Memorial

Playhouse Square

Theater District Cleveland

Playhouse Square Chandelier

Hungarian Freedom Fighters Memorial

Masthead Brewing Company

Masthead Taps

The North Coast Harbor Marina was once called the Rock and Dock because it sits at the foot of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum. Bob and Sue went on the tour while we were exploring downtown. Other loopers at the marina visited the museum as well. All of them gave the same review, it wasn't what they expected, they were glad they went, but they didn't need to visit again. 

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

We invited our Looper friend Henry to the Marina for dinner. I started cooking and quickly realized we were out of propane. We carry a 20 pound tank in a gas locker in the stern hatch of our cockpit. It's a huge pain to get the tank out. Henry generously agreed to take Dave to find a place to get a refill. Bob and Sue joined us making a dinner party of five in Mystic's cockpit. Our evening was filled with stories of near disaster and great adventures on America's Great Loop. We had a fabulous evening laughing at ourselves and each other!

The Harbor Master let us stay for two days, free of charge due to the weather. He was emphatic that we had to be gone by Friday morning because he had a large group of boats coming in that needed our slips. Although we really enjoyed our stay, we were ready to move on. We have places to explore and two more Great Lakes to traverse to finish this amazing journey by crossing our wake!