Bacteria not keeping people off Port Clinton beach

PORT CLINTON -- Although the city beach in Port Clinton has been posted with high bacteria level advisories on 18 days this swimming season, that hasn't kept folks from enjoying the public access to Lake Erie.

Tom and Renee Andrzejewski, visiting from Buffalo, sat in lawn chairs beneath a shade tree at the city beach Monday while family members waded offshore. They both said they did not see the warning sign, which is permanently posted at the beach.

"I would be concerned," said Tom Andrzejewski, "I wouldn't be swimming in it." [read more]

A Salute to Matthews Boats

1959 Matthews 42 Sedan Cruiser

There's nothing like a wood boat. Fiberglass and aluminum may be easier to build and maintain, but they don't come close to wood in terms of ride and aesthetics -- there are few things prettier in this world than a wood boat. A quality wood boat, if properly cared for, will hold its resale value and provide its owner with a lifetime of fond memories.

If you want to see a sampling of some of the finest wood boats ever made, come to the Port Clinton Yacht Club today where owners of boats by the legendary boat builder Scott Matthews will gather with their boats for the annual rendezvous of the Matthews Boat Owners Association Great Lakes Chapter. Members of the public will be able to view, photograph, and board the boats.

The Matthews Boat Company built quality wood (and in its last few years, fiberglass) boats from 1898 until 1974. The company was founded by Scott Matthews at his home in Bascom, Ohio. The company moved to Port Clinton in 1907.

One of my fondest teenage memories is of the tour I received of the Matthews company boat yard in Port Clinton in the mid-1960s. Within the confines of a huge building there were three boats in various states of production, all forty and fifty footers. At the dock there was a 42-footer, fitted out and ready for delivery. She sported twin 300+ horsepower Chrysler engines. Her decks and trim were teak, all beautifully finished. She sported a reel-to-reel tape deck, as ordered by the buyer. She was a thing of beauty lazily floating there at the dock.

Credit goes to the Matthews Boat Owners Association Great Lakes Chapter for the following history:

In 1890, an era of experiments on the "new" gasoline-powered engine and on sail and naptha-powered boats, the Matthews Boat Company was founded by Scott J. Matthews in the basement of his home in Bascom, Ohio. His venture quickly expanded to boat building at his father's sawmill, where, in 1898, he entered into an agreement with The Lozier Company in which Matthews built boats ranging from 16' launches to 45' cabin cruisers, all marketed under the Lozier name and shipped or run on their own bottoms to Plattsburgh, New York, where Lozier installed their engines. Lozier never built a boat-they were all Matthews built. By 1904, this arrangement ceased when Lozier turned to automobile engines. Bascom-built Matthews boats included the first Gold Cup Race winner, "Standard", an auto-boat marketed under the Lozier name; and "Onward", a 74' double ender that carried the Matthews family over 9,000 miles from Peoria, Illinois, down the Mississippi River, into the Gulf, around Florida, up the East Coast, and through the Erie Canal back to Ohio.

Matthews' endeavors were so successful that by 1906 he moved his company, at the invitation and with the financial support of the local businessmen, to Port Clinton, Ohio, where there was deep-water and East Coast access necessary to the building and marketing of larger boats. The company, now called The Matthews Company, continued to prosper, building nothing but quality boats that became world-renowned. In 1909, Matthews received a government contract to build utility boats for the U.S. Army; "Mahapa", an 85' cruiser, was built in 1910 for H. A. Parsons of Cleveland. In 1912, W. E. Scripps, Commodore of the Detroit Motor boat Club and President of Scripps Motor Company, contracted with Matthews for a 35' LOA, 10' beam vessel capable of crossing the Atlantic under gasoline power. The boat was an over-sized lifeboat, called a "trans-Atlantic liner" by Rudder, 1912. Captained by Thomas Fleming Day, editor of Rudder, the "Detroit" ran to New Rochelle, New York, where she began the cruise that would carry her over 4,000 miles in 21 days to Ireland, thence to St. Petersburg, Russia. Powered with a 16 horse Scripps engine and carrying a crew of three, she was the smallest gasoline powered vessel to cross the Atlantic.

The Ringling brothers of circus fame were frequent clients of Matthews, purchasing 6 different boats. Charles E. Ringling contracted for a special shallow draft 50' day cruiser to be used in Sarasota, Florida, in 1912. In 1913, Matthews built the 110' "Aeldgytha", the first all-American diesel-powered yacht. She was designed by John Wells and was the largest pleasure boat ever to be built by Matthews. "Marold", a 100' cruiser, America's highest powered yacht, was built in 1914 with 900 horse power engines that gave a cruising speed of 30 knots. In 1915, Matthews diversified. Unable to locate electric specialties for boats, Scott J. Matthews developed his own electric power capstan, automatic lighting and power plant, electric
pump, and hoists.

By 1916, Matthews changed its name from The Matthews Boat Company to The Matthews Company, expanded, and was a successful bidder for government contracts for World War I. The company built 110' sub chasers in 1917 and built a new shop to house 5 of these vessels at one time. Matthews also built airplane hulls during World War I, delivering them without wings to the East Coast. Following World War I, an economic depression forced Matthews to again diversify. The company manufactured towel racks, meat cutters, and talking machine cabinets in order to retain the men on the payroll. Although the 60' "Whitecap" was built in 1919, the plant had so little work it closed its manufacturing operations in August of that year. Scott Matthews invented the Ker-O-El, a lighting plant used primarily on farms, and a rope "chain" for car tires to prevent skidding during winter. These innovations provided work for the Matthews employees until 1922 when boat manufacturing once again was undertaken.

The company was successful with individual, business, and government contracts, building 50' passenger boats for an amusement park, rum chasers (speedboats) for the U.S. Government, and the 95' cruiser "Oswichee" for Mr. Joseph Williams of Cleveland. In spite of active business, Scott J. Matthews was concerned that economic slumps would again affect steady employment for his men. In 1924 he introduced a 38' "special", the first stock built boat in the industry. Past work had been entirely by individual contract and design; the new Matthews "38" would be standardized, allowing him to keep his employees busy during slack periods and preventing layoffs. The last custom boat ever built was the 99' "Irwin", completed in 1925, and delivered by water to its New York City owner. The stock built line included a 46 foot introduced in 1926, a 32' speed cruiser in 1928, and a 25' sailboat in 1934. By 1942, Matthews had again turned to war production, primarily building 36' and 38' landing crafts. Matthews 38's were built for patrol boats, many under the Lend-Lease Plan.

Matthews celebrated its 60th anniversary in 1950 and introduced the first modern-day double cabin in 1951, a 42' flying bridge model. Scott J. Matthews, now in advanced years, turned much of the plant operation over to his oldest son, Carl, who became President when the elder Matthews passed away in 1956. Carl introduced the first flush-deck double cabin in 1962. However by 1962, the two sons and two daughters of Scott J. Matthews were approaching retirement age; the sale of the company to Charles Hutchinson in October, 1964, was a family decision. Hutchinson celebrated Matthews' Golden Jubilee in 1965. By 1969, he had contracted with Halmatic of England to build 46' fiberglass hulls that were nearly identical in weight, appearance, dimensions, and performance to the Matthews 45' wooden hull. Halmatic hulls were shipped to Port Clinton where cabins, bridges, and interiors were built. The only fiberglass Matthews hull was the 56, first produced in 1971 in what was then the world's largest rotating mold. The 56 was available in several designs, including motor yacht, trawler, yacht fish, flush-deck double cabin, and s port fish. Production and sales decreased steadily in the early 1970's. The company closed its doors in December 1974, declaring bankruptcy six months later.

The legend lives on.

Governor says he's 100% committed to Lake Erie; so far his actions show otherwise

Gov. John Kasich pledged that he is “completely, totally, 100 percent committed” to Lake Erie and that he wants to see the lake and its attributes promoted aggressively, the Toledo Blade reports.
The governor's remarks about the lake came on Monday in Port Clinton where he was on hand for the 33rd annual Fish Ohio Day. In the morning, fifteen charter boats fanned out into Lake Erie, each with six anglers on board, guests of the Lake Erie Charter Boat Association. But these were no ordinary fishermen; they were public officials, being treated to a genuine lake fishing experience, while the fisherman got a rare opportunity to promote sports fishing in Lake Erie.
“What we have here is just magnificent,” Kasich said, in what the Blade characterized as a "somewhat disjointed" address during his short visit. He said some of the right things. He stressed the need to step up promotion of Ohio tourism and take commercial advantage of the lake. At one point, according to the Blade, he even said that the state “never has taken good advantage of this lake.”
We're not sure what the governor meant by that exactly. He is poised to sign House Bill 231, which would allow companies to remove five million gallons of water from the lake with zero oversight. If that what he means by "good advantage," the lake is in for a rough ride.
The governor made brief reference to two critical issues facing Lake Erie right now, the threat of Asian carp, which are poised to enter Lake Michigan, with Erie not far behind, and "dumping and dredging" being carried out by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers of the Toledo harbor  and other commercial waterways, which threatens to increase the already disastrous algae bloom on the lake.
Kasich said it is “a high, high priority” to maximize commercialization of business on Lake Erie, citing among other things tax credits for small businesses dealing with fisheries. In the same breath, according to the Blade, he took credit for “plugging an $8 billion hole [in the state budget] without tax increases,” thanks also to his “partners in the Legislature.”
After the governor's address, Rick Unger, LECBA president, was skeptical. “He thinks solutions are happening, and I don’t see solutions happening.”
Fish Ohio Day is sponsored by the Ohio Division of Wildlife and its parent Department of Natural Resources, LECBA, whose skippers donate boats and guidance, the Ohio tourism agency, and Lake Erie Shores & Islands.

The Walleye Festival and the future of Port Clinton

The big event this Memorial Day weekend here in my hometown of Port Clinton, Ohio is the 31st annual Walleye Festival. There will be rides and entertainment, a parade through town, and a fishing derby for the kids.
As I watched the workmen setting up the various rides and kiosks down at the Waterworks Park yesterday morning, I couldn't help but ponder what has become of my town. For sure, the festivities this weekend will be grand family fun. Port Clinton - the self-proclaimed "Walleye capitol of the world" - no doubt will attract thousands of locals as well as out-of-towners to the festivities. All this is good, yet it still makes me wonder.
How a place chooses to identify itself says a lot about that place. The city fathers have chosen to make the name Port Clinton synonymous with a game fish, and for good reason. Sports fisherman swarm here from places far and wide to pursue the feisty walleye and their presence here puts a lot of bread on the table of any number of charter boat operations, tackle and bait shops, restaurants, etc. Yet, as you walk around town, and in particular the harbor area, just as there is so much that goes on here, there is so much more that does not.
Port Clinton has an undeniably beautiful harbor, but any any local will tell you, it's pretty much going to waste. Walk up and down Madison Street and its adjoining thoroughfares and see how many shops have been boarded up. Talk to any of the former owners of those now-boarded-up shops (if you can find them), or to anyone who has tried to make a go of it in town and they will tell you pretty much the same thing: the city didn't lift a finger to help them. No tax breaks or incentives. Okay, fine, a business should be able to make it on its own. But what bothers folks the most is the absence of anything in town to attract tourists on a day-to-day basis. For far to many of the hundreds of thousands of tourists who flock to the area, Port Clinton is merely a parking lot for those waiting to catch the Jet Express to Put-in-Bay.
One shop owner I spoke with a few summers ago, whose shop now sits vacant, told me downtown is dying because people have no reason to come here. This was due in no small part to the fact that the Jet Express had relocated from downtown to the west side of the lift bridge, reportedly because the city fathers, in their infinite wisdom, had refused them a proposed tax break for the construction of overflow parking at the waterworks park. The one constant that ran through our conversation was that, too often it seemed, the people in this town who call the shots make decisions based on what's good for a few and not for the long-term benefit of the community. If you don't think that's true, look at the 'blight' in the form of condos blocking the view of the lake in town. (I'm not against people having condos by the lake, but I think it's fair to ask how much of itself a town should give up for the benefit of the few who are only going to be staying here for a few months out of the year. Isn't that a discussion to have?)
All is not gloom and doom. There are folks here who care enough to want to change things. A nonprofit called Main Street Port Clinton (MSPP) wants to see Port Clinton revitalized. Reading their stated purpose on their website is to restore one's faith in small government again: "Main Street Port Clinton ... believes that revitalization is a comprehensive, incremental, self-help economic strategy that focuses on developing public-private partnerships to enhance community livability and job creation while maintaining the historic character of Port Clinton." Sounds pretty good to me. Check out their website and throw your support behind this effort. While you're at it, visit places like Goderich, Ontario or, for that matter, Huron, Ohio, just up the road, to see what a harbor town can be. There's nothing magic about it. Port Clinton has everything those towns have, except perhaps will and desire. Port Clinton can be a place like that; the people just have to want it bad enough. But don't wait too long because Port Clinton is on life support.
Long live the walleye.