No sharks, no tides and no saltwater to corrode the rigging.
Other perks that make Toledo a prime spot for boating include a close-knit yachting community, first-class competition for racers, and plenty of fun destinations for the cruising fleet.
If there s a downside, it s the relatively short season about six to seven months for most boats and a few months longer for rowing shells. But hey, there s always ice boating to keep you active and afloat in winter.
Boating, Toledo-style, conjures up a kaleidoscope of adventures, ranging from a family cruise to the Lake Erie islands to a couple of kids in a dinghy exploring hidden coves along the shoreline. It s a solitary rower paddling up the Maumee River in the early morning sunshine, as well as a romantic sail home in the moonlight after dinner at The Docks.
The recreational boating season is welcomed each year with Opening of the Port festivities, including a flotilla parade, organized by the Associated Yacht Clubs, an organization with 31 affiliates in Ohio, Michigan, and Canada.
Associated Yacht Clubs also coordinates a poker run series and an annual cruise. Toledo Sailing Club will host the first poker run, June 17-19, followed by Harbor View Yacht Club, June 24-26; Swan Boat Club, July 1-3; Ottawa River Yacht Club, July 8-9; Monroe Boat Club July 22-24, and Bay View Yacht Club, Aug. 19-21.
The association also presents season championship awards to the area s top-performing sailors and ice boaters.
Sailing craft run the gamut, from beach cats and sailboards to large cruising auxiliaries. Active one-design fleets include Hobie Cats, Thistles, Lasers, Laser Radials, Optis, Interlakes, Lightnings, Hobie 33s, J22s and 24s, Catalina 20s and 27s, Mystere 4.3s, 420s, and Flying Juniors.
Lake Erie is noted for its short chop and shifty southwesterly winds. However, conditions can change rapidly, challenging even the most experienced crews.
The skills gained in conquering the lake s fluctuating moods have helped many local sailors achieve national recognition.
Among the newest and brightest stars are Skip Dieball of Toledo, who was a candidate for the prestigious 2004 ROLEX Yachtsman of Year Award, and Anna Tunnicliffe of Perrysburg, recently named to the Intercollegiate Sailing Association/Ronstan 2004 All-American Women Skippers Team.
The highlight of the sail racing season is the Invitational Mills Trophy Race, a Great Lakes classic sponsored by Toledo Yacht Club and the East Coast-based Storm Trysail Club.
Scheduled June 10, the 75-mile night race will send approximately 200 boats sailing on four different courses from the Toledo Harbor Light to Put-in-Bay.
Other major contests on the 2005 schedule include Jolly Roger Sailing Club s Cattail Regatta, June 4; Lake Erie Race Week, June 24-26; North Cape Yacht Club s Commodore Perry Race, July 8-9; Monroe Boat Club s Race to the Sisters, July 23; North Cape s Doublehanded Race, Aug. 6; the Trans Erie Race from Grosse Ile Yacht Club to Erie, Pa., Aug. 19; North Cape s Mid-Channel Race, Sept. 10, and Jolly Roger s Fall Series, Sept. 12-13.
West Marine will join the 147-club Inter-Lake Yachting Association in sponsoring three traditional regattas at Put-in-Bay. The Junior Race Week series will be July 17-24; the Powerboat Regatta, July 27-31, and the 112th Annual Sail Regatta, Aug. 1-3.
The inter-lake association is an umbrella organization with 147 affiliated clubs located along Lake Erie from Buffalo to Detroit and in Ontario.
High school and recreational rowers compete in their own separate universe under the auspices of the Toledo Rowing Club. Four and eight-person crews turn out for practice on the downtown waterfront as soon as the ice melts.
High school teams race in spring and fall circuits, wrapping it up at the club s big Fall Regatta, Oct. 15.
The rowing club, in tandem with Partners In Education of Toledo, will put on the fourth annual Great Maumee River Dragon Boat Festival, July 30.
Inspired by a traditional Chinese sport, this fun event draws about 32 teams, each with 20 paddlers, a drummer, and steersman.
The rowing club s Philip LeBoutillier, Jr., Memorial Boathouse and rowing dock are near the entrance to International Park.
First Published May 18, 2005, 12:57 p.m.
