Neighbors on the North Coast: Cleveland's Connection to the Mentor Shoreline
Videos
Mentor Harbor Yachting Club activities - filmed by William J. and Phrone Barrow in the late 1950s:
"Fitting Out" Boats at Mentor Harbor Yachting Club, Late 1950s (02:18)
Each spring, boat owners having kept their boats in dry storage over the winter, prepared their boats for the coming season. 'Fitting out' included cleaning, sanding, caulking, painting and making any necessary repairs to ensure that the boats were again lake-worthy. It was also an important social occasion, with opportunities to reunite with friends after the winter season. The Mentor Harbor Yachting Club held its official Fitting Out Party in April.
"Fitted Out" Boat Being Lowered into Lake Erie, Late 1950s (02:16)
The process of returning a fitted out boat to the water in the spring was an exciting one. Ropes were hooked under the boat and a crane then lifted the boat and lowered it into the water. While this scene takes place in a harbor near Cleveland, a 35-ton capacity crane in Mentor Harbor would have performed the same function there.
Mentor Harbor Dredge, Late 1950s (00:37)
This brief clip shows a white boat pulling a dredge into Mentor Harbor. The club maintained a gasoline powered suction dredge. Dredges were needed to keep this man-made channel open, and the cost of dredging was a financial concern for Mentor Harbor Yachting Club members.
Dragon Coming about in Mentor Harbor, Late 1950s (00:35)
George Fiedler, Lynn Cole and Phrone Barrow sit inside a Dragon boat. The Dragon were originally designed by Johan Anker in 1929 and was a popular keelboat in both Europe and the United States in the mid-20th century.
Dragon Boat Fleet Socializing at Mentor Harbor Yachting Club Docks, Late 1950s (01:53)
Belonging to the a yacht club or crewing a boat on Lake Erie offered many opportunities for socializing as people prepared boats, laid out sails and waited for races to begin. Here a group of Mentor Harbor Yachting Club members talk and make their own music.
Sailing on Lake Erie and into Put-in-Bay, Late 1950s (02:49)
The crew of the Kitty D, including Bill and Kitty Dodge, their son Doug, Bill and Phrone Barrow, Bill and "Wags" Gribbons and Dick Anjesky, sail on Lake Erie, pass a large ore boat and sail into Put-in-Bay Harbor during the club's annual Race Week. Seen at the end of this segment, Perry's monument and the Ford Tri-Motor create an iconic snapshot of the Put-in-Bay Island in the 1950s.
Mentor Harbor Yachting Club - filmed by John W. Dixon, then Mentor Harbor Yachting Club Treasurer in 1937. This clip is courtesy of Jane McCullam, daughter of John W. Dixon.
