Admiral Barb keeps an eye on some suspicious-looking ducks as the Wanderlust slides off her trailer at the Catawba ramp.

If your first or only destination is going to be Put-in-Bay, the Catawba Island State Park ramp, located at 4049 E. Moore's Dock Road in Port Clinton is the most convenient launch point. The ramp is accessible 24-hours a day and is free. The park does ask that you stop off at the office building and fill out a short registration form from the self-serve case near the door. The form is basically a simplified float plan that lets the rangers know which car in the lot is yours, what your destination is, and when you plan to return. Beside the ramps is a large concrete fishing pier that you can tie your boat up to, and just behind is a little park area with primitive toilets (no running water) and picnic benches.

The launch features four ramps with short but (barely) adequate piers. The turning area in front of the ramps is a bit tight but, with a little pre-planning, we had no trouble maneuvering the 22-foot Wanderlust, with tongue fully extended, into the water. There is a tree overhanging the inboard lane of the approach drive, so stay as far outboard as possible to avoid snagging your mast.

The parking lot is huge but the ground is sloped and finding a flat spot large enough to roll our trailer back on its tongue extender was a bit of a problem. This is the only lot I’ve been in so far where I had to unhitch the trailer, choke the wheels, and slide the extension forward as opposed to simply pushing the trailer back by hand while still hitched. It wasn’t a big inconvenience, but be sure to have adequate wheel chokes with you if your trailer uses a tongue extension.

Once you launch, simply steer a course of 10 degrees (magnetic) for about 4.5 miles until South Bass Island is close by on your right and Green Island is due west of you. From there, follow the shoreline of South Bass for another 1.5 miles until you see the red #2 buoy at the harbor mouth directly in front of you. In even moderately clear weather, navigation is made simple by the fact that you will be within sight of South Bass Island almost as soon as you launch. If sailing at night, you should be able to see the red flashing light of the South Bass Island lighthouse at the extreme southwest corner of the island. Steer a course slightly west of the light and follow the shoreline until you see the harbor entrance markers.

If your vacation plans begin with a passage to Kelleys Island or the many attractions of the Sandusky Bay region, an excellent launch facility is operated by the city of Sandusky just west of the downtown that is one of my favorite launch ramps anywhere. Use of this facility will more than triple the distance you sail to Put-in-Bay (about 17 miles from Sandusky versus 5.5 from Catawba), but is about an equal distance to Kelleys Island (about 9 miles for either) and, if you plan to be in Sandusky Bay anyway, you might as well take advantage of the superior launch facilities there. Getting out of Sandusky Bay can be a little tricky for those unfamiliar with the waters, so please check out our guide for complete details about the ramp and a description of the bay.