Water is the Soul of the Earth

Continuing from last week with water-based activities, if you’re not interested in sailing but would still like to get out on the waters of Lake Erie, there are quite a few more options. I know this is long, but with summer being half over already, I wanted to cover as many water-based activities as I could as quickly as possible.

Lady Kate

First, there’s the Lady Kate, a 65’ vessel that has a capacity of 110 guests. In the summer months, the Lady Kate departs from its dock in Misery Bay/Perry’s Landing five times per day (11:00 am., 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 5:00 pm, and one hour before sunset). During the spring and fall months, the Lady Kate offers three cruises per day (11:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 3:00 pm). The cruises last an hour and a half. The cost is $16.00 for adults, $9.00 for children 12 and under, and children under five are free and reservations (814-836-0201 or 1-800-988-5780) are strongly suggested.  Since both TL and Mike have posted about the Lady Kate in the past, I won’t spend any more time on this adventure other than to say I’ve been a passenger on the cruise and thoroughly enjoyed myself.

Victorian Princess

Next up, there’s the Victorian Princess, a paddle-wheel boat that can accommodate 149 passengers for a party/happy hour cruise for 120 guests for a dinner cruise. It’s a three story ship, with the third deck being open air (not enclosed). There are quite a few different options for cruises from sightseeing to brunch to dinner to happy hour (ranging from $12/person to $32/person), so check the Victorian Princess website for all the options and different prices. Additionally, you can charter the Victorian Princess for a private party, including a wedding. Reservations are required (814/459-9696) for all excursions and payment is due at the time of the reservation. I’ve been on two different cruises on the Victorian Princess — a happy hour cruise and a dinner cruise. The food was good, although the seating on the dinner cruise seemed a bit cramped to me. The happy hour cruise was quite fun and involved a beautiful sunset, although the music was a bit loud if you ventured up to the third deck and it was difficult to have a conversation over the music. The ship leaves from the east side of Dobbins’ Landing and there’s ample free and metered parking available on the dock and up and down State Street.

Fishing

And now for something completely different… at least for me. It seems that in these parts GO FISH is much more than a child’s card game and it appears from my research that Lake Erie is the walleye fishing capital, which would explain why Erie has so many fishing enthusiasts. In addition to the completely free options (assuming you have your own equipment, of course) of fishing from the dock at the foot of State Street, from the small piers or rocks at Liberty Park, or pretty much anywhere along any shore of Lake Erie or in many streams and creeks, there are also a few options for chartering a fishing boat. A quick Google search led me to several options: Seawolf Lake Erie Sport Fishing Charter (with locations in Conneaut OH, Elk Creek in Girard, PA, Walnut Creek in Fairview, PA, and the Cherry Street Marina, West Pier, and Dobbins’ Landing (Public Dock) in Erie, PA); Leisure Time Charters, leaving from Walnut Creek, Fairview, PA; Bomber Charters, leaving from downtown Erie, PA; Edward John Head Boat, out of downtown Erie, PA; Windjammer Sportfishing Charters, leaving from downtown Erie, PA; Fish Connection Charters out of Lake City, PA; Overtime Charters out of North East, PA; Northern Sky’s Charter Fishing out of Port Conneaut, OH; Trophy Charters in Andover, OH; Four Aces Sport Fishing Charter in Warren, OH; Taylor Made Fishing Charters in Ashtabula, OH (and Port Clinton, OH); and M&M Fishing Charters in Ashtabula, OH; Sara-J Sportfishing Charter out of Geneva and Port Clinton, OH; . Since I’m not a fisherperson, I’m not sure what is considered reasonable for costs, but it seems that you can find a fishing excursion for as little as $30/person up to about $150/person, with most of them including rod/reel/bait and others offering equipment for a nominal rental charge. If you’re into fishing and have more/better information than what I found, please feel free to leave a comment.

Now, back to activities I’ve actually done…

Pontoon Boat

How about a FREE educational pontoon boat ride? Tuesday through Sunday, you can take a pontoon boat ride through the lagoons. Excursions lasting 90 minutes leave from Graveyard Pond on Presque Isle State Park at 10:00 am, 1:00 pm, and 2:00 pm, and are fully narrated. The sign-up sheet is available at 10:00 am and it’s a good idea to sign up ASAP, as the day I was went, there was quite a line of people. Though not guaranteed, there’s a good chance you’ll see some wildlife like beaver and herons, as well as my personal favorite, the turtles sunning themselves on logs. If you have a zoom lens for your camera, make sure you take it. You might want to grab your binoculars, too, if you have them. Additionally, there are sunset cruises available on Wednesdays and Fridays from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. You can call ahead to make reservations for that excursion (814-833-7424).

Canoe, Paddle, Kayak, and Row

Also on Graveyard Pond is the Presque Isle Canoe and Boat Livery where you can rent rowboats, paddle boats, one- and two-person kayaks, and canoes. Rentals range in price from $10 (canoe) to $24 (two-person kayak) per hour. The only thing I haven’t tried is the paddle boat. I’m a frequent lagoon kayaker and we’ve even rented a rowboat so we could take our dog with us (we even bought her a PFD of her very own). She was less than thrilled with the adventure, but she’s not a particularly outdoorsy creature and prefers to be a house pet.  Emphasis on house.   With or without your best friend, I highly recommend renting a boat and paddling through the lagoons. It’s an incredibly peaceful experience, especially if there aren’t a lot of boaters out when you go. It helps that no gasoline powered boats are permitted in the lagoons, so the noise is kept to a minimum, although you can hear powers boats on the bay and in Presque Isle Marina in the distance. As with the pontoon boat ride, you’ll probably see some wildlife, but in a small boat, such as a canoe or kayak, you’ll be able to get much closer for a better view and/or photos. Again, I also suggest binoculars.  On Saturdays at 10:00 am and 12:30 pm, there are free guided tours through the lagoons. You can use your own boat or rent one at the Livery. If you need to rent a boat, reservations are suggested (838-3938). If you have your own boat, no reservation is required. Just show up on time! Kayak lessons are also available. Contact Adventure Education Director Ted Miller at 868-5537 or e-mail him at paddlepi@hotmail.com for more information about lessons. Paddling through in the lagoons is one of my favorite summer activities in Erie and I can’t recommend it enough. And you can make it into as much or as little of a workout as you like… either traveling a good distance or just floating around for a while.

Water Taxi

Then we have the Water Taxi, which I’ve used many times. The Water Taxi operates seven days a week. On Mondays, it runs from 12:00 noon to 6:00 pm and Tuesdays through Sundays it runs from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. The roundtrip fare is $7.00 for adults and $4.00 for children under 12. If you only need a one-way trip, it’s $4.00. The Water Taxi makes three stops: It departs from Dobbins’ Landing at the top of the hour, and then heads to Liberty Park, where it departs at 20 minutes past the hour, and then stops at Waterworks on bay side Presque Isle State Park at 40 minutes past the hour. And the best part, in my opinion, about the Water Taxi is that it accommodates bicycles — and at no additional charge. So, if you’d like to ride your bike to and around Presque Isle State Park but balk at the effort required to get back up the Peninsula Drive hill, why not ride your bike to Dobbins’ Landing or Liberty Park, take the Water Taxi over to Presque Isle, bike around Presque Isle for a while, and take the Water Taxi back? I’ve done it and it works out wonderfully! For more information about Erie’s Water Taxi, contact Captain Norman Schlosser at 814/881-2502 or by e-mail at captnorman44@verizon.net.

SCUBA

Ever want to learn how to SCUBA dive? You can do that in Erie, too. Divers World and J&S Dive Shop (814/825-7000 – no website… ack!) offer classes and Divers World also offers diving excursions. Overtime Charters and Lake Shore Towing also offer diving excursions. I’ve never been really interested in learning how to dive, until I started clicking around for information for this article. It seems that Divers World’s excursions are to visit shipwrecks, which I think would be incredibly cool, so I might have to add this to my Bucket List.

Swimming & Wading

And last but not least, what Erie resident hasn’t swum or at least waded in Lake Erie? We in Erie and the surrounding areas are lucky to be located right on the shores of a Great Lake. Since I was child, my summers have always included many trips to the beach (officially, Presque Isle State Park) for the building of sand castles, swimming, and sunbathing. While you might see or feel fish swimming near you, one of the great things about being near a fresh body of water is that we don’t have to worry about ocean critters like shark, jellyfish, and other things that can bite, sting, or otherwise cause discomfort. There’s absolutely no cost to get into the Park and parking is ample and free. Although concession stands are located around the Park if you get hungry or thirsty, you’re also free to pack your own refreshments. Just remember, alcoholic beverages are prohibited on State Park premises. Don’t know how to swim but would like to learn? You can take lessons at Pennbriar Athletic Club, Nautilus Fitness & Racquet Club, or the YMCA. Maybe with some lessons you’ll be the next person to swim across Lake Erie.

Now… go float!

NEXT WEEK: Ahoy there landlubbers!