On Sunday, July 29th, we departed Mentor Yacht Club and traveled to Cleveland. It was breezy and we had waves of about two feet. We dock without any difficulty in Cleveland at their new municipal marina named " Rock and Dock." It is located directly in front of the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame and science center. We had a great view of the downtown including the Cleveland Browns Stadium. After paying for dockage, we took a walk downtown and found the nearest Starbucks in a Doubletree Hotel only a few blocks from the marina. Downtown Cleveland is pretty quiet on the weekends. As we walked we saw many examples of great sculpture and architecture. We were particularly impressed with the library and Federal Reserve Building. When we returned the dockmaster informed us that the gate would be locked around 9:00pm and they locked the ladies bathroom because that was where they stored the rental equipment. A major storm came through around 5:00. We watched as one of the attendants left on a jet ski and met a Coast Guard vessel in the harbor. A few minutes later he returned dragging a overturned jet ski. It seems the person who rented the jet ski abandoned it during the storm and it had washed up on the rocks. At the height of the storm a sailboat came into the harbor. They had major difficulty docking. We were amazed as we watched them dock. They only put out a stern line and put a fender on the bow while the captain held the boat in place until the storm ran its course. The sailboat left and we were alone for the night. We discovered that our head (toilet) was not working. There was no suction and the pump was silent. Monday dawned hot and humid. We both used the men's bathroom in the morning. On the internet we discovered a marina in Vermilion that could handle our plumbing problem. That would be our Tuesday destination. We took another walk downtown and found a Starbucks in the Westin hotel. We then spent three and a half hours at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. Did you ever wonder why the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is in Cleveland? It seems a local DJ named Alan Freed was the first person to coin the phrase " Rock and Roll" in 1951. He later left Cleveland and went to New York where he was very successful until the Payola Scandal when he was brought before House Investigation Committee. He moved again to Los Angeles but never was able to achieve the same audience base he had in New York. The Hall of Fame was filled with music history and memorabilia. There are permanent exhibits on Elvis, the Beatles and Motown. These contained everything from guitars, to album jackets, to original lyrics, to costumes. They also had several short films. We especially enjoyed watching the film that chronicled all the inductees from 1986 through 2013. While we were at the hall of fame we missed some excitement at the marina. It seems there had been a small fire caused by the rags and drop cloths left by the painters at the end of the day which damaged the corner of the marina building. Just before we left to go to dinner a sailboat from Lorain came in and they loved hearing about our loop adventures. The captain would love to do the loop, but the first mate was very reluctant. We went out for an enjoyable dinner at Sweetwater Sausalito. Tuesday brought about some gusty winds making our departure from Cleveland a little tricky. Lake Erie was very choppy as we made the 37 mile trip to Vermilion. We docked at Vermilion Power Boat. Rusty, the mechanic, came, looked at the head issue and determined that the motor had finally died. It would be cheaper to replace the entire unit, pump, motor and duckbills than to just replace the motor The unit would be in the next morning. Due to the heat and humidity, we decided to put the air on. Alas, it did not work. Tony used all his expertise to try and fix it, but to no avail. Rusty came back and successfully got the air bubble out of the hose and we were able to finally cool off the boat. Rusty came bright and early on Wednesday to fix our head. Later in the afternoon one of the club members took us to the grocery store and hardware store so we could pick up some needed supplies. We walked into Vermilion, which is a small, but well loved boating community. The Vermilion River is similar to the Clinton River with lots of boat traffic. Sharon made the decision to stay here for the holiday weekend. But alas our head problems came back. During the night after using it a few times, the pump would not turn off. Thursday morning Tony discovered that there water near one of the hoses. This leak prevented the system from creating a vacuum, which allows the unit to shut off, without a vacuum the pump would not stop. Tony turned off the power. We reported the problem to the office. Unfortunately, Rusty was having a colonoscopy and would not be back until Monday. We decided to make the best of it. The weather on July 4th was beautiful. Dan, another club member took us to a great market. We also met Cathy and Jim on Sales and Nails. They did the loop five years ago. We had a great time sharing stories. They invited us to join them and some other members to go for a dinghy ride to see the fireworks put on down the river at the "redneck yacht club". After a great traditional dinner of coney dogs and salads we relaxed enjoying the parade of boats. At dusk, we joined the convoy of dinghies heading to the show. The fireworks were very entertaining. The fourth turned out to be a memorable and fun day. Saturday was pretty quiet. We walked into town and to the beach discovering a coffee shop along the way. We also took another dinghy ride, so Sharon could take pictures of Vermilion. We had dinner at a Czechoslovakian Restaurant. It was delicious. We will stay in Vermilion until Monday. Hopefully our head will be repaired. We then plan to visit three of the islands in Lake Erie before the Great Lakes Cruising Club Rendezvous in Leamington, Ontario on the 11th of July.
Coffee Shop in Vermilion
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