Csongedis are ready to welcome Erie boaters
Introduction by Director/Port Captain Dee McClure
We look forward to welcoming new Port Captains in each issue of the Lifeline. As Harbor Reports are the lifeblood of the organizations, the role of Port Captain is critical to ensuring Harbor Reports reflect the latest information.
Sandusky, Ohio (E-16) is one of the largest harbors on the Great Lakes covering a whopping eight harbors/marinas with more than 2,600 slips. Adam and Amanda’s efforts will be focused on the two most southern harbors/marinas, Son Rise Harbor and Venetian Marina. Ned A Bromm, Port Captain for Sandusky, focuses on the other six harbors/marinas.
Adam Csongedi writes:
Boating for me began in the 1970s. My grandfather had charter businesses out of Edgewater in Cleveland, The Islands of Lake Erie, and out of Pompano Beach, Fla.
Naturally, one of his grandchildren had to mate for him. I was elected, and let me tell you, I hated the job! Why? Glad you asked. Putting worms on customers’ Erie Dearies was the most activity I ever saw on those Lake Erie boats! Then to top it off, Grandpa made me attend classes at the Coast Guard station in Brookpark, Ohio, and take a captain’s test. For what? I was way too young to get a license; I was around 10 back then.
But he said to me, “You want that $5 a trip, you are going to earn it.” So, there I was, sitting with a bunch of adults learning the rules of the road for the Great Lakes 1970s edition (which I still have on my coffee table in the rec room along with the Chapman Book).
After a few years of being a mate on his charters, I was hooked (excuse the pun). Since then, I have owned multiple boats, including pontoon boats, fishing boats, and cruisers.
A few years ago, I found my passion for vintage Chris Craft Commanders. Any day during the summer, you can find my wife and I cruising the Great Lakes in one of our vintage Commanders. Through the years, we have cruised Lake Erie, Huron, St. Clair and the connecting rivers.
A few years back, I decided to upgrade to a USCG Master 100 GRT Captain’s license, which has allowed me to do more of what I like the most, spending time on the water delivering other people’s boats in the Great Lakes.
Amanda had been landlocked for most of her life. Since we met, Amanda has fallen in love with the water and the boating community. Amanda has become a natural on the water, and our cruising and boating activities have truly become a team lifestyle.
Joining the GLCC has brought me a world of cruising facts which I didn’t know existed. Volunteering as a Port Captain provides the opportunity to help others with the knowledge we have learned in our home ports and meeting the great members of the Club.
Amanda and I look forward to GLCC members stopping by or calling us when transiting in the Sandusky area.