ASHTABULA — Talk about “Cleveland Rocks!”
A big tug barge made its way to the R.W. Sidley docks Monday afternoon to deliver two types of stone.
“This is the first trip into Ashtabula for the TBU Cleveland Rocks,” said Capt. Gunar Luhta, 34, who happens to be a graduate of Harbor High School. “With the new river depths from the (recently completed) dredging project, we are able to make our way further back in the river. When we are loaded the barge draws 18 feet.”
Sidley ordered the stone from Marblehead, Ohio, and the TBU Cleveland Rocks brought it in with little problem, Luhta said.
“Securing the ship at the dock was tricky due to the close proximity to the charter boats and the State Watercraft Station, but the dredge project will definitely benefit the local economy,” he said. “We operate out of Cleveland hauling aggregate from the stone quarries at Marblehead and Kelley's Island to various ports in Lake Erie.”
The crushed limestone is used for everything from highway construction to making camera film, Luhta said.
The tug operates with a crew of eight full-time men, and typically, a crewman will work 23 days on, 12 days off, Luhta said.
“We run 24-hours a day depending on weather,” said Luhta, who has been employed as a captain in the Maritime Industry for eight years.
He graduated from Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City, Mich., where he now lives with his wife, Jenny, and their three children.
“It is very tough being away from them,” he said. “It is the hardest thing about being a sailor.”
Luhta grew up in Ashtabula racing sailboats out of Ashtabula Yacht Club. As a child, he and his friends had a fleet of small sailboats that they used to venture up and down the coast.
“Some of my fondest memories are of the Ashtabula to Port Stanely, Canada, race that takes place every year around July 4,” he said. “The Maritime industry is a great career for men and women who enjoy the seafaring life.”
Luhta’s two brothers, Klaus and Matthew, agree: they have been or are now in the commercial shipping business!
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