On a recent Saturday we caught the 630 foot long freighter Calumet making its way up a Cuyahoga River busy with recreational watercraft. It provided a great example of Cleveland’s evolving “theater of the waterfront’ and provided a few lessons on the river’s increasing popularity with recreational paddlers.

We first saw the Calumet as it rounded Superior Bend, the first of the Cuyahoga River’s five tight turns. As has been the case for the last three years, ahead of the Calumet was PHASTAR 2453 (AKA Liddie Blue) fast response boat, giving paddlers a heads-up on the approaching freighter and providing directions on where to wait while the freighter passed.

Freighter escorts and emergency response are two facets of PHASTAR Corp’s many initiatives that include providing maritime and aviation experiences for for Davis Aerospace and Maritime High School students. The escorts are funded by a mix of grants from the Port of Cleveland, Lake Carriers, ArcelorMittal, and Cleveland Cliffs,

Drew Ferguson, PHASTAR’s President and CEO says the the need for the safety service ensures safe coexistence of commercial and recreational vessels. “Onboard PHASTAR 2453 is a captain, two Davis Aerospace deck hands, a paramedic and a rescue swimmer. The hands-on experience is great training for our kids who are positively contributing to the community go on to find employment in other maritime operations.”

Ferguson noted while fewer ships have gone up the river this summer, there has been a marked increase in rescues of individuals. “Compared to 8 rescues last year we’ve rescued 30 people this year. The rescues range from folks jumping into the river to kayaks tipping over. Many casual paddlers are uneducated on the dangers of paddling on the river.” PHASTAR is in the middle of a campaign to raise $250,000 to make the historic Putzfrau cleaning boat a floating classroom to support on-water education programming for Cleveland and Northeast Ohio students. Visit their website for more details https://phastar.org/

Master Chief Steven Beasley, Officer in Charge, U.S. Coast Guard Station, Cleveland Harbor, confirmed the rise in rescues. “Search and rescues in our area of responsibility are up 40% from last year as we are seeing many inexperienced users out on the water.” That rise in inexperienced users is a reflection of the large increase in novice paddlers looking for close-to-home getaways on the lake and river during the pandemic.

Beasley cited a number of factors contributing to the rise in rescues: “General user inexperience from folks renting a kayak for the first time coupled with ignoring weather conditions and small craft advisories leads to accidents. Thankfully we haven’t had any fatalities. People are surviving accidents because they are wearing their life jackets”. Beasley added “People underestimate their abilities. We may be 30 minutes away when we get a rescue call. If paddlers are wearing a life jacket when they get in trouble, it dramatically improves their odds of surviving.”

For tips on what you need to know for a safe paddle on the Cuyahoga River, check out our “Know Before You Go” page! http://sharetheriver.com/cuyahoga-river-user-faq

As the Calumet made its way up the narrowest stretch of the Cuyahoga River, we noticed four kayaks and a canoe removing trash along the riverbank. They tucked in on the upriver side of the Center Street Bridge as the freighter passed. We noticed one of the paddlers was Eddie Olschansky who was recently profiled by Cleveland Scene Magazine for his efforts to remove trash from the Cuyahoga River. Torrential rains on Labor Day pushed a lot of debris into the river and this Saturday, September 12 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. the paddle community is invited to participate in Canalway Partners’ annual RiverSweep. Registration is required and when you do, you’ll get a cool RiverSweep bandana! Details are at http://canalwaypartners.com/events/riversweep/

Cyclists enjoying new segments of the Towpath Trail, Scranton Flats, and the overlook by Sokolowski’s were treated to the sight of the Calumet navigating its way up the river. For more info on the Towpath Trail, visit the Canalway Partners website at http://canalwaypartners.com/towpath-trail/

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