Presque Isle is an irregularly shaped peninsula forming nearly landlocked Erie Harbor. The peninsula is connected to the mainland by a narrow neck at the west end and broadens as it curves around to the northeast and east. The entrance to Erie Harbor is on the south side of the east end of the peninsula. Presque Isle State Park is on the peninsula. Presque Isle Light (42°09’57″N., 80°06’56″W.), 73 feet above the water, is shown from a square tower on the northwest shore of the peninsula. Numerous shore protection structures extend lakeward from the lakeside of the peninsula. Small-craft operators are cautioned to keep 500 feet offshore in the vicinity of these structures.
Gull Point, the eastern end of Presque Isle, extends further eastward each year due to the shift of sand along the length of the peninsula. This annual eastward shift is typically greatest during the winter when Lake Erie does not freeze and westerly gales cause increased erosion of the beaches on Presque Isle. Mariners are warned that the depths shoal very quickly upon approaching to within ¼ mile of the eastern end of Presque Isle.
Erie Harbor, about 78 miles southwest of Buffalo, is in Presque Isle Bay, enclosed from the lake by Presque Isle. The bay opens to the east and is about 4.5 miles long and 1.5 miles wide. Erie Harbor, serving the city of Erie, PA, is in the southeast part of the bay. Principal commerce at the port is in limestone, sand, salt, petroleum products, coke, steel products, pig iron, other alloys, gravel, clay and general cargo in the domestic trade.
Prominent features:
The stacks at the paper plant 1 mile southeast of Erie Harbor Pierhead Light and the lighted stack 2.2 miles east-southeast of the light are prominent. Erie Harbor Pierhead Light (42°09’22″N., 80°04’17″W.), 42 feet above the water, is shown from a black and white horizontally banded square tower on the outer end of the north entrance pier.
Channels:
A federal project provides for a dredged entrance channel leading southwest from deep water in Lake Erie between two parallel piers to a harbor basin and three adjacent turning basins in Presque Isle Bay. The north pier is marked by lights on the outer and inner ends, and the south pier is marked by a light on the outer end and by two lights near its midlength that form a 235.3° range. The channel limits are marked by lighted and unlighted buoys. The federal project depths are 29 feet in the entrance channel, 28 feet in Harbor Basin, 27 feet in Approach Turning Basin, 21 feet in Erie Turning Basin and 18 feet in Harbor Turning Basin.
Misery Bay is an indentation in the south side of Presque Isle north of Erie Harbor Entrance Channel. The bay has depths of 5 to 10 feet except for shoaling along the edges. A rock that bares is on the east side of the bay on the south side of the channel leading to Horse Shoe Pond.
Anchorages:
Good anchorage is in the center of Presque Isle Bay in depths of 12 to 22 feet, mud bottom. Local regulations prohibit vessels from anchoring in any channel or mooring to channel markers and buoys. Vessels over 100 feet long or over 50 tons are prohibited from anchoring within 500 feet of the city water intake or sewer pipelines. The city water intake extends northwest across Presque Isle Bay and is marked by buoys.
Dangers:
An unmarked submerged pier, covered 1 to 2 feet, extends about 2,000 feet from shore 0.8 mile southsoutheast of Erie Harbor Pierhead Light.
Towage:
Tugs for Erie are available from Conneaut or Cleveland.
Quarantine, customs, immigration and agricultural quarantine:
Quarantine is enforced in accordance with the regulations of the U.S. Public Health Service. Erie is a customs port of entry.
Coast Guard:
Erie Coast Guard Station is on the north side of the entrance channel.
Harbor Regulations:
Harbor Regulations are established by the ErieWestern Pennsylvania Port Authority and enforced by the harbormaster. A speed limit of 3 mph (2.6 knots) is enforced in the East and West Canal Basins and within 300 feet of the shoreline and 5 mph (4.4 knots) elsewhere in the harbor. Copies of the regulations may be obtained from the Port Authority Office, 17 W. Dobins Landing, Erie, PA 16501, telephone 814–455–7557. (250) Wharves (251) The piers and wharves of Erie Harbor are along the south side of Presque Isle Bay; only the deep-draft facilities are described. The alongside depths for the facilities described are reported depths; for information on the latest depths, contact the operator. All the facilities described have highway and rail connections. Water and electrical shore-power connections are available at some of the piers and wharves.
General cargo at the port is usually handled by ship’s tackle; special handling equipment, if available, is mentioned in the description of the particular facility. Cranes to 300 tons are available at the Erie International Marine Terminal.
Erie International Marine Terminal, Berths No. 1, 2 and 3: (42°08’58″N., 80°04’57″W.); 1,508 feet of berthing space; 23 to 26 feet alongside; deck height, 8.4 feet; 95,300 square feet covered storage; 22 acres open storage; 300-ton fixed crane; one 160-ton and one 230- ton crawler cranes; receipt and shipment of miscellaneous dry bulk commodities, machinery, steel products and locomotives; owned by Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority and operated by Mountfort Terminal, Ltd.
Erie Sand and Gravel Company Dock: (42°08’25″N., 80°04’58″W.); 1,220 feet of berthing space; 24 to 27 feet alongside; deck height, 7.5 feet; 12 acres of open storage; one 160-ton crawler crane; receipt of salt and sand; owned by Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority and operated by Erie Sand and Gravel Co.
Supplies:
By special arrangement, local dealers make tank truck deliveries of bunker fuel to vessels at the berths. Diesel fuel, marine supplies and provisions are available at Erie.
Repairs:
Donjon Shipbuilding and Repair operates a large drydock in the southeast part of the harbor (42°08’21″N., 80°05’02″W.). The drydock can handle 1,000-foot Great Lakes self-unloading vessels and is 1,250 feet long, 120 feet wide and has a depth of 22 feet over the sill. The shipyard has more than 200,000 square feet of production area including fully enclosed fabrication and assembly buildings and 4,000 feet of pier space.
Small-craft facilities (260) Numerous marinas and boatyards in Canal Basin on the south side of Erie Harbor provide transient berths, gasoline, diesel fuel, water, ice, electricity, sewage pumpout and marine supplies. Vertical boat lifts to 40 tons and a 40-ton marine railway are available for hull, engine and electronic repairs. In 1990, depths of 3 to 12 feet were alongside the gasoline docks.
Presque Isle State Park Marina is in a dredged basin on the northwest side of Presque Isle Bay. The entrance to the basin is marked by private lights and a 339°45′ lighted range. In 2007, depths of 5 feet were available in the entrance channel; thence in 1977, depths of 8 feet were reported in the basin except for an isolated 6-foot spot in the east part, and 8 feet alongside the berths. Gasoline and a launching ramp are available. Mobile lifts to 10 tons are available for emergency propellor and minor repairs.
A municipal marina, protected by breakwaters, is south of the Erie Harbor entrance channel. The marina entrance is marked by private lights.
Information from Coast Pilot: https://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/publications/coast-pilot/files/cp6/CPB6_WEB.pdf. Chart reference: 14835
