So, after a nice summer of getting acquanted with my PWC, I have some more advanced questions:
- Is there any site that shows current conditions for Lake Erie (big waves, calm, high tide, low tide, etc)? It seems to be a gamble whenever I go up. If not, are there certain weather conditions i should look for that cause these (e.g. storm on opposite side of lake = big waves)
- I've been pondering trying to cross the lake to Ontario on the Jet Ski. Is this an insane idea? It should only take 2 hours at 30 - 40 MPH. Would neet to carry some extra fuel. What really scares me about it is I probably lose cell phone reception in the middle in case there is trouble.
- Are there any good destinations besides Presque Isle?
The big problem with Erie, it can be a nice day with a nice forecast and when you are out there the winds pick up and you are in trouble.
Be VERY careful with Erie, it can sneak up on you. BTW--- Erie does not have much of a tide, neither do many of the great lakes, in fact the wind has more of an effect than the gravitational pull of the moon.
I am trying to talk the family into a Fall ride on presque isle and out on to lake erie.
Chuck
Originally Posted by omegaman360
So, after a nice summer of getting acquanted with my PWC, I have some more advanced questions:
- Is there any site that shows current conditions for Lake Erie (big waves, calm, high tide, low tide, etc)? It seems to be a gamble whenever I go up. If not, are there certain weather conditions i should look for that cause these (e.g. storm on opposite side of lake = big waves)
- I've been pondering trying to cross the lake to Ontario on the Jet Ski. Is this an insane idea? It should only take 2 hours at 30 - 40 MPH. Would neet to carry some extra fuel. What really scares me about it is I probably lose cell phone reception in the middle in case there is trouble.
- Are there any good destinations besides Presque Isle?
I just got one also this summer. I took it out five time this year. Things Ive learned, If you flood the engine area the battery drains and you get stuck. They Take Up a lot of gas fast, and The damn on the Allegheny has a sewage crossing. Not sure If its Under ground crossing or using the river as a junction.
And as for The ontario trip. I wouldn't do it on a jet-ski. But That me.
I'm not sure if the border patrol would even allow you to make the entire trip even the conditions were perfect - or even worse, what if you made it across but US Customs wouldn't allow you to come back into the US? Not to mention I don't think I would do it on a jetski either - from my experience with jet skis 4-5 hours of continuous riding would require at least 3 re-fuels...
Hey Omega, you might have a cottage industry for ya, go across on a jet ski fill up with cartons of cigarettes and bring them back to sell here in Taxilvania LOL.
Chuck
Originally Posted by hllywd692
I'm not sure if the border patrol would even allow you to make the entire trip even the conditions were perfect - or even worse, what if you made it across but US Customs wouldn't allow you to come back into the US? Not to mention I don't think I would do it on a jetski either - from my experience with jet skis 4-5 hours of continuous riding would require at least 3 re-fuels...
I don't think I'd try to cross unless I had a chase boat. Erie is shallow, average depth of something like 50'. This means it only takes a small change in weather to make a big change in the water condition. A little wind and the waves pick way up. Erie is the most dangerous of the Great Lakes, and to some extent more dangerous than the Atlantic. Waves on the lake that sound small, like 3 footers, are much worse and large waves on a larger body of water. The waves are at a shorter wave length, and they aren't always coming from a consistent direction. You can have a good accurate weather report, and know the current conditions, but it's still a gamble. By the time you get there from here, the conditions can change greatly. And the time it takes you to get from the ramp to open water, they can change again. I've heard locals say that no matter what the current conditions, if the wind is coming from the north, don't bother heading out.
Inside Presque bay isn't as bad. But it's absolutely SWARMING with sail boats. And as everyone knows, sail boaters OWN the water. So you're dodging them all day.
A long time ago I once had considered crossing from Presque Isle to Long Point. While its probably doable, it is extremely risky and probably not recommended. Border patrol would probably be the least of my concerns, but the changing lake conditions and reliability of my ski would concern me the most. If you break down out there, you are basically screwed without a GPS and decent marine radio. The other thing to keep in mind is that the Coast Guard isn't going to tow your vessel back for you if you do need assistance, so a membership to a boat towing service is recommended if you go that far out.
The lake's condition as far as waves in my experience is determined by the wind speed and direction. Also, based on my experience, the forecast for the lake conditions was almost always wrong. You are better off looking at the wind direction and speed. If you are in Erie, PA and the wind is out of the North or NW greater than 5 mph then the lake will be rough until the late afternoon/evening when the wind calm back down and the rough waves usually change to gentle rollers. The greater the wind speed out of the N or NW, the worse the waves will be. No wind is ideal, but even a very strong directly South wind will make the lake calm till or even be glass a few miles out. The South winds blow out over the lake making it calm near shore because of the topography. So, keep this in mind that it might be calm where you launch, but when you get further out from shore it can get rough fast. Although, its pretty fun to be out on a ski in 5-6 ft waves.
There is a lot of cool stuff to see on Erie. It depends where you launch. Rum Runners on the bay was always a prime place to stop if you were in the Bay. There are some light houses on the east side and some interesting things to see on shore. Beach 6 was our usual stop, we would either launch at Walnut Creek on the West Side or East Ave Launch on the East Side.
Thanks everyone for the replies. The wind info is very helpful, and I handnt even considered that "rough seas" could crop up so fast.
I imagine you'd have to get permission to cross the border, but I saw a few canadian sailboats in the harbor last time I was there, so it must be allowed. Tax free smokes for sail=good business model, but probably will get me in some trouble :-). Maybe I'll bring back some free healthcare for myself. HA!
Runnin the PWC in the harbor is fun (and very warm), the downside is liek everyone mentioned, tons of boats. I also get my intake clogged with nasty sealife every time I'm in there. I usually put in at East Street, but that no wake zone to get into the harbor is absolutely PAINFUL. Feels like 20 minutes to move through.
PWC in Lake Erie
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Originally Posted by omegaman360
