The Wreck

[@williamnaylor2488]

i remember swimming out to the wreck in 1975 with my buddies. more intact back then. climbed up to the deck through inches of bird droppings the smell was terrible. great adventure.

[@OrrinLepp]

I was out there on the ice exploring when I was 13. Cool👍

[@kungazopa2831]

Thank you for this video. I was 6 years old when the Venus became wrecked. Our family had a summer cottage/house in Silver Bay & the wreck was a feature of the area, seen from Silver Bay to Point Abino. My dad took us out to the wreck in his fishing boat, an older restored wooden Liming boat, none of those flimsy fiberglass speedboats for him! As a young child, bobbing along the ship's sides, prow & stern was awesome & somewhat scary, as the sides of her loomed straight up & up. She looked much larger from that low level view, as we looked up from the water, than the photos of her before she was wrecked can possibly show. I remember such a feeling of sadness & waste, & felt her marooned “spirit”. Logically I knew she was an inanimate structure, but that was not what emanated from her. I understood from that experience why ships are referred to as “she” & not an it. A ship truly has a spirit. Thank you for this video record of her before she is gone. Dear Venus you are much loved by most of those whose summers included your presence up close and from afar.

[@NigelHay]

Thank you for sharing those memories with everyone. A lot of local people have memories of time when they were much younger and riding out to the wreck. It's been great reading these here and on Facebook groups

[@Don.Challenger]

This comment is as fine as Nigel's video.

[@yes2cookies651]

Very much liked the overlay effect.

[@briansmyth905]

A very well-done, professional video Nigel! The wreck is a great point of interest that is always a hit when I take passengers out in the Lake, and I never tire of visiting it.

[@JN-gc3jp]

I remember the night of the storm that beached the Venus. I was 8 yrs old. We lived on the shore at Pinecrest Point. In the morning I went down to the beach to find that our dinghy “Tiny Ripple” had been washed away, then noticed the looming hulk of the ship so strangely close to the shore against the backdrop of Point Abino. Thank you for your videos.

[@edwardjweber701]

I was tubing behind my dad’s ski boat there as a kid, the boat hit a huge rock that was close to the surface near the wreck site and bent the drive shaft…. We live in Angola New York and it was a very shaky ride back across the lake with the bent shaft, but we did make it back to Sturgeon point Marina.

[@NigelHay]

Glad you got back safely

[@thomasmoje5926]

I remember seeing this ship from the beaches at Sherkston back in the 1960's. The hull was largely intact at that time. Always wondered how the ship ended up where it's at and it's name.

[@markthomas3730]

Yep...Do you remember the Old Dance Hall ??

[@mmats2001]

Amazing cristal clear water up there.

[@DavidKozinski]

Very interesting and great job on this video. Wonder why they didn't take more while salvaging it.

[@Lottie-Dawe]

Love it!! I remember seeing this from the beaches of Sherkton as a teen. I never really knew it's history. Thanks for making this video.

[@NigelHay]

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Bit of an experiment style of video for me, personally I really enjoyed working on it.

[@bradshepley3120]

Your videos continue to get better and better. They are as professional and educational as any documentary out there. Thank you for the education regarding this ship wreck. I hope you have a great day!

[@NigelHay]

Thanks Brad, it was probably the longest I've spent putting a video together. Many videos of the wreck but none looking back at its history

[@danielmurrell2110]

This was cool to watch and brings back memories. I was out at this boat day after it happened and went on boat a few times. When lake was frozen we walked out to it and started the crane. There was railroad ties almost all the way out to the boat and we would walk the ties and then swim out to boat, climb the ladder and tour around. I was only 8 years old then but remember it like it was yesterday.thanks for sharing.

[@NigelHay]

Really enjoying reading about everyone's memories of the wreck.

[@jonj17]

Nicely done!

[@PlasticRevolver69]

That was a big area for Hobie Cat sailing back in the early 1980’s I always wondered about that huge boat as a child..

[@falconer7166]

Fantastic video. I love seeikg anything on Lake Erie as I'm located about 30 mins south of Buffalo. Can't believe how clear the lake was. Would love to see if I could make it there by surfski...🤔

[@scrambledwithcheese]

Amazing video. Grew up going to Sherkston in the 80's, and was always fascinated by the wreck. Always seemed a little creepy to me too.

[@NigelHay]

I'm surprised the prop of the vessel hasn't caused a serious incident. On low water days, the prop is inches below the surface

[@SilverPennyArtisans]

This video is so artistic and quite inspiring

[@NigelHay]

Having an idea in your head and making it work was quite a challenge, but it was great history lesson for myself too.

[@stormwatcherie1347]

Your best video by far, bud!

[@NigelHay]

Thanks Rick and thank you for your support

[@johnandrews3568]

Really well done vid, Nigel. Will have to kayak out to see Venus this summer.

[@Don.Challenger]

Very nice video production Nigel. Do you think the rocks/cobbles seen in places inside were ballast for the ship's last voyage (scrapping run) if so it may have been light and high and easily taken by the wind into too shallow water. Seems the on site salvage effort left most of the heavy (more valuable) bits behind. Was the road partially removed after what was salvaged was taken away (maybe see what the lake level was at when they were doing that salvage work).

[@markthomas3730]

Wow..! this brings back vivid childhood memories..every summer we'd fish that wreck just about every day..jumbo perch, rockbass, and smallmouth bass. we'd normally walk out or sometimes use a small rowboat. late 60's to mid 70's. is the Old Dance Hall still there on the shore by any chance ??

[@NigelHay]

I don't know Sherkston that well, but there is no damcehall visible from the water

[@markthomas3730]

I just googled it...the old Dancehall was demolished in '75...and it was on Erie Beach, not Sherkston.

[@mikeinsalaco]

Great video, I've been out there many times in many different boats. There's a Bay Beach submerged mystery I'd like to know more about. I've been over and around it many times and I always thought it looked like a small wooden boat. Visible on Google Earth at 42:51:38.98N 79:04:54.04 W

[@shmeli]

Did you enhance the water color? Lake erie water is usually poop brown.

[@NigelHay]

lol, nope, it goes like this occasionally around here, all you need is 2 - 3 calm days

[@woodypeterkin1890]

Really good video dude

[@NigelHay]

Cheers Woody. We have to find some more wrecks next year.

[@geoffcowley8826]

exellent for bass!!!! Been There!!!

[@NigelHay]

Think I'll go fishing there this weekend now the tourist season has died down

[@tyfraser1216]

I went here recently and kikaked very shallow water. Can someone clarify the roads he was talking about?

[@NigelHay]

The road leading up to the ship? it was built to help with the salvage operations of the vessel. however i believe an excavator fell through the ice and then it was then holted

[@samueljames9342]

They really have done a lot to clean up lake Erie since the 60s, I grew up in Cleveland and were told then not to swim in the filthy water. No way was it ever that clear.

[@NigelHay]

It's not been that clear for sometime as of now as the Lake has been quite rough this summer

[@josephforest7605]

So true , thank factory closures = massive unemployment .At least we get a clean , out of the deal .

[@zaptor1514]

Gee I hope they didn’t pay that Port Colbourne salvage company, as it seems like they left a huge mess.

[@josephforest7605]

Port Colborne !!!

[@TVA133]

That ship I’m going there

[@NigelHay]

PWC, kayak or swim?

[@zaptor1514]

@@NigelHay Drone, I’m going to fly over it.