The man at the bridge of the Goodtime III cruise ship looked upriver on the Cuyahoga, sounded the horn on the tour boat, and the lift bridge about 250 yards away began to lift. "The bridge has to open because we can fit underneath it," laughed Master Captain Bob Gamber. Several times a day the operator of the bridges lifts these huge span over the Cuyahoga River so that boats and ships can pass below.
Gamber has been in the process several times a day for the last 30 years. He is the master captain of a cruise ship line which has operated in Cleveland waters since 1958. The Goodtime III is the third of three ships which has worn the name since the line was founded.
The Goodtime III is a lunch and dinner cruise ship which works the Cleveland Lake Erie shoreline and slips into the Cuyahoga River for a few hours' tour. Usually nearby is another captain, Rick Fryan, who owns the line. He inherited it from his father. Fryan is part of a family which began sailing ships along the city's waterways.
It is not only the water which keeps open the eyes of several hundred passengers, but also the many bridges which span the Cuyahoga. "The largest variety of bridges is right here in Cleveland," said Fryan, who also calls himself the "fun director." His pleasing personality keeps the passengers at ease as Fryan walks among the people who buy tickets for the cruise of a section of Lake Erie and several miles of the Cuyahoga River.
Up on the bridge of the Goodtime, Captain Jordan Kit looks through his binoculars at other river and lake traffic. Kit is the newest captain aboard. He has had his master's license for three years. He and Gamber work together in giving the passengers a comfortable ride while they eat their meals and then wander on the decks to see the sights.
The weather is closely monitored. Northeast Ohioans are very familiar with how quickly weather can change, especially on Lake Erie. "We're always at Mother Nature's discretion," said Kit.
As the Goodtime cruises smoothly up and down the river and back into its Lake Erie docking space at the foot of the city's East 9th Street, the sights of Cleveland's riverfront and lakefront entertainment district pass by. Up the Cuyahoga, the scenes changes to more industrial. A narrated tour tells of the history of the city and how it began at the water's edge.
In 1796, a Connecticut surveyor, Moses Cleaveland, sailed Lake Erie and had his boat turn into the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. He figured that spot was a good place to begin a town. Cleveland began to grow at that point. It is the starting point of the city.
The story is told as the Goodtime III sails smoothly along the city's waterfront.
There are daily cruises from the home of the Goodtime III on East 9th Street where the thoroughfares ends at Lake Erie.
