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!
Local News
Related Photos
Discussion
Welcome big barges
Harbor grad maneuvers first large boat to port
- Local News
-
-
Sports, academics to come together
SPIRE Institute will expand its educational base and accept international students into its sports performance programs through a partnership with the Andrews Osborne Academy, Ted Meekma, SPIRE management team member, announced Wednesday.
-
Grand Valley sixth grader wins Ashtabula County Spelling Bee
James Elliott, a sixth grader at Grand Valley Middle School, clinched his win of the 29th annual Ashtabula County Area V Spelling Bee by successfully spelling the words “physique” and “daffodil.”
-
Conneaut Chamber lauds top citizen, ‘Champions’
Nicholas Iarocci, Conneaut’s 2011 Citizen of the Year, needed plenty of gulps of water to complete his acceptance speech Tuesday night.
-
Conneaut’s unpaved roads will get priority status in 2012
Secondary roads in Conneaut will get the lion’s share of attention from the Public Works’ Department this year, said City Manager Tim Eggleston.
-
Felony charge filed in robbery
An Ashtabula woman who police said grabbed a woman’s purse inside a Conneaut supermarket late Monday afternoon faces a felony charge in Conneaut Municipal Court, according to reports.
-
Ashtabula County building projects readied for bids
Up to four improvement projects for county-owned buildings are being lined up for bids in the next month.
-
City of Ashtabula looking for new auditor
Six candidates have applied for city auditor, which City Council President J.P. Ducro IV says he hopes to fill by the end of March.
-
Red Cross holding breakfast for ‘Community Heroes’
The Red Cross Community Heroes Breakfast will honor 12 county residents March 3 at the Bernard Vacca Community Center.
-
New film showcases county’s scenic rivers
Ohio’s Scenic Rivers program, which protects stretches of 14 waterways — including three in Ashtabula County — is the focus of a new movie by a Dayton-based independent filmmaker.
-
Students can donate clothing to Goodwill
Many Ashtabula Area City Schools students will find themselves cleaning out their closets this week.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Sports, academics to come together
