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037 - Put-In-Bay’s Real Name Is Party Central

It doesn’t fit the “Don’t Give Up the Ship” history or its dangerous anchorage but it is clearly the place where Ohioans go to cut loose.  The town’s main street is one bar next to another.  Flyers were advertising pub crawls, festivals, dancing, all the festivities you’d expect for a party happening place.  At night it was “free” music for us on the water, I guess it was setting the beat for the revelry ashore.  And the ferries shuttle hordes to and from the mainland all day long, even into the first hours of the night.  For those with a boat it is an easy ride from Sandusky, a great weekend “get away.”  We were there on a Thursday and you felt the preparations for the coming throng.  They even limit the use of automobiles; tourist can’t rent or bring one.  Golf carts are for the tourist to get around the island.  It’s all set up to cut loose.

We took this picture atop the Perry monument.  The bay is completely open to the east, although it is excellent protection from the prevailing westerly.  The charts indicate the area in the foreground is for anchoring, the upper part of the bay is a mooring field.  What the charts don’t tell you is the anchorage is flat rock at about a 15ft depth with 2 to 3 ft of sawdust on top.  In a moderate breeze your anchor will drag through the sawdust and skip off the continuous surface rock.  The saw dust came from saw mills that worked the island 100 to 150 years ago from lumber floated down the Detroit River.  Guess I would have designated a different spot for an anchorage and maybe even put a warning sign suggesting the moorings.  It highlights the risk of new waters; these things just aren’t documented for you to do your “homework.”

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