The Day at Put-In-Bay - Part I

Decided to head to Put-In-Bay with a couple of friends yesterday.  They were doing a re-enactment of the Battle of Lake Erie for its 200th Anniversary.  I was pretty sure they were going to get nearly enough ships to do the battle justice.  One of the ships that was going to be there was the Niagara.

 Put-In-Bay is located on South Bass Island.  It is just north of Sandusky, Ohio (home of Cedar Point Amusement Park).  Because it is on an island, it meant that we had to take the ferry over.  You can catch a ferry in one of three cities.  We ended up catching the Ferry from Catawba Island and used Miller's Ferry.  We didn't take the car over (good thing, I think).  Put-In-Bay got it's name because it was shapped kind of like Pudding Bag and was originally named Pudding Bay.  That name didn't stick as such.

 This is one of the other ferries from Miller's.
The islands were discovered in 1784 by a group of unknown explorers.  The first settlers of the Islands were probably French.  In 1811, the island was settled by Seth Done as he tried to set up a farm.  That ended in 1812, when British soldiers drove him away and burned his crops.

 Put-In-Bay is a destination for many recreational boaters.  It is a prime tourist destination on Lake Erie.  There are quite a few people from Michigan that will take their boats over there.

 And another ferry.

 I kind of liked the looks of this sailboat as it was tacking.

 South Bass Lighthouse was constructed in 1897 and stayed in operation until 1962.  In 1967, it was purchased by Ohio State University and used as a research facility.

 Since it was the site of the Battle of Lake Erie, Put-In-Bay is also the home of the Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial.  It was constructed in 1936 and  is currently part of the National Park Service.  While it is a tribute to Perry's Victory, it is also a tribute to the peace and friendship between the United States, Great Britain and Canada.

 The Monument stands 352 Feet tall and is the world's largest doric column.  At the foot of the monument are the bodies of 3 US and 3 British officers.  Repairs were just completed on the monument.

 The Niagara as she heads out to the Battle area.  I'm pretty sure she was filling the role of the Niagara.

 The Windy as she heads out.  Sadly, I wasn't able to catch any of the ships under sail.

 Another shot of the memorial.

 The thing at the top is built of brass.  I'm not sure if there is a light in it.  If there is, I would imagine you could see it from quite a ways.

 The Somers coming in to pick up passengers.  Evidently, you could pay for passage on the ships and watch the battle from them.

 The Hindu heading out.

 Another shot of the Windy.

 A helicopter.  I think you could book rides on this.

The Peacemaker coming in.

 The Pride of Baltimore II coming in.

 Another shot of the Peacemaker.

 And another shot of the Pride of Baltimore coming in.  It was pretty cool to see so many tall ships in action.

 Another shot of the Memorial

 I really like the looks of this memorial.

 In front of the memorial are the flags of the United Kingdom, United States and Canada.  They are all at the same height to symbolize the peace between the nations.

 The US flag is currently in its 1812 state.

 There were a few re-enactors but I think many of them were on the ships.

 Looking up at the tower.

 Sadly, the battle was being held out on Lake Erie, so we couldn't see much of it.

 A plane.

 I'm not sure what building this is.

 This was on one of the other islands.

 Another shot of the battle.  I'd imagine it would have been cool to see all those ships under full sail.

 Looking down at the town of Put-In-Bay.

 The bronze structure at the top of the tower.

 I kind of liked the pattern on this.

 Another angle of the top of the tower.

 The island nearby.

And a shot of the harbor itself.