Port Captain Introductions: Charlie & Esther Graves

Charlie and Esther Graves are the new Port Captains at Toledo Beach, Mich. (E.21.8).

Charlie Graves:

Esther and I live in the Toledo, Ohio area. We have both boated since we were young, on the lakes and rivers of upstate New York. 

We have had several different boats over the years – both power and sail. We dock our Bayliner 4388 at Safe Harbor Toledo Beach in La Salle, Mich.

We are getting to know the new-to-us boat, Wheel Sea, by cruising the western basin of Lake Erie and Lake St Clair. Next season, we’re planning more of the same, with some longer trips, ultimately leading us to starting The Great Loop after we retire. 

We plan on visiting all the Great Lakes the first two years of the loop, then embarking down the river system to the Gulf and around Florida up the East Coast. We also belong to the AGLCA – America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association.

We joined GLCC in 2021 and jumped in feet first by volunteering at the Cleveland Boat Show booth within weeks of joining. We attended most of the GLCCSchool webinars offered last winter.

We have enjoyed the camaraderie and the abundance of helpful information that the GLCC offers.