Whats up???

[gtxl1200]

Had I actually read the whole post before I posted in the thread I would have done the moderating. Sorry Ted, I didn't read the entire post just the first sentence (hey, I was at work and skimming through ). Once I participate in a thread I can't moderate it but it was moderated before I ever had time to read the whole thing. This group is a great bunch of people and really there's rarely a need for moderation in the GLWC forum unless it's moving or sticking a thread. Maybe I don't watch you guys as closely as I should but if I promised an ear thwapping to everyone who posted out of the TOS I'd never get done moderating or thwapping (right Mitten?). You're all adults and you know the TOS so follow it. Express your frustrations but do it by stating your own position, you can do that without calling people names. We aren't the only ones who read this section and personally I'm proud of how friendly this group is and I recommend the GLWC section to new members from the area when I see their intro posts.

I love you guys!
Ber :lilbunny:

Darn now I feel super bad. I actually had to wipe away a tear. I feel bad not for what I did but because I let you down. I promise to be on my best behavior for now on. Except at MEET N GREETS then it is TED as usual but we all know what happens there stays there.

 

[trucker girl]

We're getting ready to go to Tobermory but I'm horrible at writing trip reports. How about I give you a call and tell you the story when I get back
Ber :lilbunny:

If you rinse my dive gear for me, I'll write the trip report! Come on, it's just a little rinsey, rinsey!

Does that trip report need to be in English or will jibberish suffice?

 

[trucker girl]

Since Ber is part of our group she can't be the mod for us. Kinda like putting the fox in charge of the hen house.

Wouldn't that be more like putting the rabbit in charge of the vegetable garden?

 

[wb416]

Well... this was our third trip this year on Osprey charters in Barcelona, NY. Despite the 5.5 hr drive, it's definitely worth it, especially when the weather cooperates.

Here's the report from this weekend that I posted on Zendiving. 15 of us from ZD made a trek up there and had a great weekend of diving.

**********************************

This trip report is for the dive trip organized in this other thread.

I couldn't believe how lucky we got this weekend diving some really cool wrecks in Lake Erie. We hit the weather window perfectly, with bad conditions on both ends of our dives.

On Friday as Penny and I drove up from Cincinnati to North East, PA to stay again at the Super 8 motel, we noticed the temperature dropping from the mid-90's down to the low 60's and the winds were howling..... and we chagrined the fact that we didn't bring much in the way of warm clothing. Arriving around 12am, I noticed a text message from Scott Lang (scooter) aka smartass that said "The seas are looking angry my friend." Oh Great... another weekend of motion sickness... doesn't this sound fun!!

On Saturday morning, the waves were still pretty strong, but the forecast was calling for better conditions in the afternoon. The folks coming off the morning charter looked a little green from the "angry seas", but as I looked acrossed the waves, I liked how flat they were looking! Evenso, we opted to let the waves lay down even more and flip-flopped the order we were going to do the wrecks.

Doing the Boland and Dean Richmond first, I was amazed at how much the visibility had increased in the past month as the thermocline continued to strengthen. It was probably some of the best I'd seen on those wrecks. On the surface, the waves continued to flatten until it was almost glass, and the sun was nice and bright. I think everyone had a good time on these dives, at least those that managed to keep the inside of their drysuits dry!!

On Sunday morning, clouds were cast about the sky, and the horizon looked a bit ominous, with the forecast calling for afternoon rain. We'd gotten a 1/2 hr earlier start so that we could make the trek across the lake and back sooner. Despite some sprinkles and a little bumpiness on the waves that were by no means debilitating to me (my saltwater friends on board assured me that they still considered this glass conditions!!), the dives to the Trade Wind and Crystal were conducted very smoothly.

This is one of the most efficient diving groups of this size that I've had the pleasure of diving with on the Great Lakes. Thanks to everyone for helping make this a fun event with lots of laughter, comraderie, and "gained knowledge that shall remain known only to those on the trip!"

This was the first time I'd chartered a boat before and organized a group. Thanks for making this an incredible experience!!

For those of you that were Great Lakes virgins, I hope this introduction into what Lake Erie offered whet's your appetite to see more here on this Lake and beyond!

When do we get to go again!!! Yee Haw!!!!

I've written up some extra info on the wrecks below and the order we dove them:

John J. Boland
Built as a 'canaler', this 250ft long steel freighter was designed to be able to traverse the small locks on the St Lawrence River in the early 1800's. While making her final fatal trip in October 1932, she was filled to over-flowing with her load of coal cargo, preventing the hatches from being battened down. She had just left Erie, PA earlier in the morning, and as she got further out into Lake Erie, the building seas soon started smashing over her decks, filling the holds with water and weighting her down. Because of her immense overload, the rudder couldn't turn her in the increasing waves to allow a run to protected waters. Helpless to run, once she started to go down, she was gone in 4 minutes.

Today, the Boland lies in 130ft of water about 7 miles Northwest of Barcelona Harbour, making it one of the closest quality wrecks to the Osprey Charters home port. With a short 20 minute run out to the site, she is oft visited. The Boland is inverted, laying on her starboard rail, providing easy viewing and access to her decks, railing, cargo holds, and fore & aft cabins. The mooring line is tied into the propeller.

Penny and I were 2 of the six scooter divers on the boat. We did a nice tour around, starting on the hull side then coming around and investigating the bow cabin details (without penetrating). The we scootered through the cavernous cargo holds before check out the aft section of the ship where the mooring line is attached.

Dean Richmond
The Richmond is a 240ft wooden twin prop vessel built in 1864. In the middle of October 1893, on Friday 13th, this ship tempted fate by faring out into a gale with a previously-damaged rudder and most taboo of all, a female crewman (?crewperson). Loaded with 100-200 tons of Zinc ingot, she hardly stood a chance. Evenso, as she was making her run from Toledo, OH to Buffalo, NY, she made it just past Erie, PA where she foundered in October 1893.

This wreck now lies about 11 miles from Erie, PA or about a 40-45 minute run from the Barcelona Harbour. She makes a nice second shallower dive in 110ft of water when divers choose to do the Boland first. The mooring line is tied in on the one remaining prop. She lies almost entirely inverted now and, as I was surprised to see, had experienced some major collapse since I'd last dove her a couple of years ago. All this collapse has turned a once bland dive into a wreck with a lot of stuff to look over.

We scootered around the back side of this wreck, like we did the Boland, and peeked out into the debris field a bit. Coming around the other side of the wreck and was really surprised at the extent of the collapsing. My scooter started acting up as we were checking out the debris field on this side of the wreck, so as we reached the stern, we had to finish as a swim dive (I can hear the violins now.) I think Scott and Brandon were the only two divers to penetrate inside via the blast hole, checking out the inside.

Trade Wind
A relatively new vessel at the time of sinking, the 140ft bark, Trade Wind, was built in 1853, and sank after a collision with the bark, Charles Napier, during a blinding December snowstorm. With their yawl boat destroyed in the collision, the crew of the Trade Wind were able to use the very cargo that had been a nuisance on the top of their decks, two U.S. Government lifeboats!

Today, the Trade Wind lies in 120ft of water, with the mooring line tied in on the bow and is about 23 miles from Barcelona Harbour. This makes it about a 1hr 10-15 minute run to the site, often thwarted during a dive season by wind and waves. Comments from the captain indicated that out of 10 scheduled trips to the Trade Wind (and Crystal) during a season, maybe about 3 of them actually can make a run out to the site. Because of the current around Long Point (jutting out of the Canadian shoreline), the currents swirl the silty bottom around quite a bit.

Much of the ship has been buried and only a couple of feet of the wreck is below the railing is visible above the silt. She has quite a bit to see on the deck, with many dead-eyes, pulleys and such still in place. I personally liked the stern of this vessel with it's strong classic lines and traditional look that hearken back to the golden age of sailing vessels. Up near the front of the vessel, the gash made by the collision with the Charles Napier is also visible, and a spar from the other vessel is laying across the deck of the Trade Wind.

Because my scooter wasn't behaving and since both of these wrecks were short, Penny, Ken, and I swam the short wrecks and focused on details. These are very nice wrecks to take your time on!!

Crystal
The "Crystal" hasn't been definitively identified yet, but was built in the manner of other 3-masted schooners circa 1870-1880. She has derived her current name from the divers that celebrated her find by drinking Canadian Crystal beer. She is also known by the name of "Hook" because of the large amount of old hemp fishing nets that are snagged on her. Some folks like the look that the draped nets give her, but I found them to be a bit distracting from the excellent quality remains this vessel has to be viewed.

She is in 120ft of water, but with no mooring line, someone has to "jump" the wreck and tie in a line. Visibility can be a bit cloudy here due to the wreck's proximity to Long Point. Looking at satellite images of Long Point, swirls of muddy water are seen as swirling eddies, some of which hover over the Crystal. This makes for a very very dark dive since little to know ambient light is able to crack through murky water above the thermocline.

The Crystal is approximately 32 miles from the Barcelona Harbour, and is generally the 2nd wreck that is dove after the Trade Wind since surface interval time can be used to afix a temporary mooring line.

 

[gtxl1200]

Now that is a TRIP report people

 

[Divin'Papaw]

Very nice report. Thanks for sharing Bob.

 

[Scubadude773]

Very cool trip

 

[trucker girl]

Very cool trip report, wb416.




I'm still waiting to see if Ber will rinse my gear.

 

[crpntr133]

Nice trip report! But where's the video??

 

[Ber Rabbit]

Darn now I feel super bad. I actually had to wipe away a tear. I feel bad not for what I did but because I let you down. I promise to be on my best behavior for now on. Except at MEET N GREETS then it is TED as usual but we all know what happens there stays there.

I love you buddy, you can have an ear thwapping next time I see you...
Ber :lilbunny: