Sailing Painkiller 
Erie, PA
We pulled up anchor in Fairport, OH about 6 am and have about 65 miles to go today to Erie, PA. Another new state! We had beautiful winds this morning out of the south and had a perfect sailing day all the way to Erie.
We headed for Presque Isle State Park. This is a beautifully wooded, secluded spot to anchor with a small marina right there as well. Here is a map of the area.
We anchored in the area labelled “Marina Lake” in the top center of the map. The weather was warm and the water was clear and beautiful, so this was the first place on our journey that we took a dip in the water. It was awesome and we showered in the lake and rinsed off on the boat coming up. Then we grilled a pork chop dinner as the sunset over this beautiful bay. There were a few other boats anchored in the bay with us. Most were there for just the day and by morning it was just us and another sailboat – a Passport 40 named Manitou from Michigan.
We really wished we could stay in this bay for a few more days but we are in need of a full service marina so we can pump out, fill our diesel tank, fill our water tank, we need a grocery store, need laundry, etc. So we made the decision to leave this beautiful place and head over to Erie Yacht Club so we can accomplish all these items.
Since we have made the decision to go through the full Erie canal, we have been on the phone making multiple arrangements to schedule our mast being removed from the boat and shipped to a marina on the Hudson River. We made arrangements with RCR yachts in Buffalo, NY to remove our mast on August 11th. Made arrangements with Lockview Yacht Transport to have them ship our mast to the Hudson River. Also made arrangements with Hop-a-Nose marina on the Hudson to re-step our mast when we get there.
Once we got settled at Erie Yacht Club, we were able to get a Lyft to take us to a large grocery store in the area. We really needed produce, fruits and veggies. Of the things we bought about 80% of it was produce. We were craving a good salad. The Lyft driver was super friendly and we were able to get him to take us back to the boat as well.
We met another couple on a sailboat that pulled into Erie Yacht Club. Their boat name is Rival and they hail from Traverse Bay Michigan. Their names are Fred and Lisa. We chatted and had a happy hour together. They are heading south just as we are. However it sounds like they were having a bit of difficulty scheduling their mast removal at RCR yachts in Buffalo as the schedule was filling up. As we got to chatting it turns out they know the people in the Passport 40 called Manitou that we anchored next to in Presque Isle State Park.
Here are some views from Erie Yacht Club:
Since we aren’t removing our mast until August 11th and it is now August 5th, we have a few days to relax until we need to be to Buffalo to get our mast down. From Erie, PA to Buffalo would be a 2 day sail and we have 5 – 6 days, so no need to be in a hurry.
Next stop Dunkirk, NY
Sailing Painkiller 
Hey – thanks for the info on shipping your mast – we’ll look in to using them next year when we head back to the Great Lakes. Let us know how they do!
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