For a couple of centuries, Lake Erie was mainly about business.These days, though, much of the waterfront commerce and development is aimed at boating and leisure activities.And that sea change in waterfront commerce and industry is helping to make Erie one of the best cruising
destinations in the Great Lakes.
While the islands of the western basin are already well known as boating destinations, the east end of the lake also has a mix of big city amenities, small town charms and warm water anchorages that attract savvy boaters.
Eastern Lake Erie’s waterways – offering access to America’s East coast heartland through the Erie Canal and to the Atlantic Ocean through the Welland Canal – turned the area into a beehive of industrial and commercial activity during the 19th and 20th centuries. Today, in this part of the lake, the buzz is all about waterfront redevelopment, and communities on both shores are making pleasure boaters more than welcome.
Lake Erie’s 2,700mile shoreline still supports plenty of industry, commerce and agriculture. Named after a First Nations tribe that once lived near it, Erie is fed in the west by lakes Huron and St. Clair and drains into Lake Ontario in the east.With an average depth of 62 feet, Erie is shallow and warm. It’s also the smallest of the Great Lakes in volume, but has the most productive commercial and sport fishery. But, most of all, it simply has great boating.
Lake Erie’s contrasts add to its appeal. On calm, warm summer days, Lake Erie’s beaches and sandbars seem more Caribbean than Canadian, attracting rafts of boaters. On windy days, the lake kicks up quickly and steep waves can make long cruises uncomfortable or slow. Erie cruisers who follow the favoured routes – Buffalo to Long Point via the Canadian shore, Erie to Cleveland along the U.S. shore, then the islands of the western basin and Leamington, Ont. – face long stretches of open water. But boaters in popular Long Point Bay can cruise for a lifetime and never see a sizeable wave. On balance, Erie is easy to navigate and even easier to enjoy.
The lake also has plenty of colourful history and was a key naval battleground in the War of 1812. On the water, at least, that conflict was a loss for British and Canadian forces, who were defeated in 1813 near PutIn Bay. Relations between Canada and the U.S. have been peaceful since then, but the war definitely adds some historical interest.