GL: Great Lakes routes

[Jim Healy]

John,
 
How do you measure time?  When you say, "but I would probably not prefer one
route if it is appreciably longer than the others," do you mean elapsed time
or physical distance?
 
The TSW, The Rideau, and the NYS Canals (Erie, Champlain) all involve lots
of locks, but generally small waits for lockage.  While much of the canal
routes are open and you can travel at full speed, there are many areas where
slow speeds will be the order of the day.  On the NYS Canals, the speed
limit is 10 mph in *all* areas of cut canal, significant in some areas.  The
locals can and do call ahead to locks to complain about speed and wake
violations.  We saw a NYS Trooper stop a "go fast" boat in a lock on the
Erie Canal, and that delayed him at least a day in his travels.  We
cheered!!!
 
If you travel the St, Lawrence from Clayton to the Champlain Canal, you will
minimize the number of locks you have to travel and the number of slow speed
areas, but you will have several large St. Lawrence Seaway locks
(Eisenhower, Snell, Iroquois, Upper and Lower Beauharnois, St. Catherine and
St. Lambert).  You can avoid those big locks (except two) by going up the
Rideau and down the Ottawa River to Montreal.  Then you only have to deal
with seaway locks at St. Catherine and St. Lambert, or if you can clear 9
ft, you can use the Lachine Canal and miss all of the seaway locks.  If you
come through Lake Erie, you'll have to deal with the Welland Canal.  The
large St. Lawrence Seaway locks pride themselves on prioritizing commercial
traffic ahead of pleasure craft.  It can take full days of waiting to be
allowed to clear these locks in some worse and worst case scenarios.  On the
Welland canal, the wait can extend to days.  And on the Welland, you will be
required to have two deckhands, so if it's just you and your wife, you'll
have to hire a third deckhand at one end and let him off at the other.
Finally, the big locks cost - I think it's still - $25 each.  I believe
there is now a credit card station that will issue chits for the locks.
They will poke a clipboard at you before they throw you lines to tie up.
The Canadian canal locks also have a fee.  I don't know what the schedule is
this year, but you could find it on their web site.  It's significant;
around $350 bucks for the TSW, the Rideau and the Chambly Canal.  The
Canadian Canal locks also have a separate fee for mooring there over night.
I believe it's around $15 per night, of with the season pass, again,
significant at over $300 per year for a 35' boat.  The NYS Canal System
reimposed a $75.00 fee last year after a couple of years of waiving it.  So,
how do you measure time???
 
All of the routes you mention have big sections of open water, as well as
protected canals, and lots to see.  We have done the Erie Canal and the
Canadian Canals.  All are excellent.  My recommendation would be to follow
the shoreline of Michigan north to Mackinac City.  Michigan has an excellent
program of "safe harbors," so if the lakes kick up, you're never far from a
safe port.  They will find a place for you, and they will not make you
leave, if small craft advisories have been posted by NOAA.  Then, cross to
Mackinac Island, and then to Drummond Island, cruise east along the North
Channel to Little Current, then Killarney, then the Georgian Bay Small Boat
channel to Port Severn, the TSW to Trenton, Bellville, Picton, and Kingston.
Here, you have two choices.  The Canadian route is longer in time and miles.
You'd follow the Rideau Canal to Ottawa, the Ottawa River to Montebello and
Montreal, limiting yourself to the big locks at St. Catherine and St.
Lambert.  Then from Montreal to Sorel, south on the Richelieu River/Chambly
Canal to Lake Champlain, the Champlain Canal to The Hudson, to LI Sound and
off to RI.  The second choice would be to go straight from Kingston to
Oswego and follow the Oswego and Erie Canals to Albany, then the Hudson
south to NYC.  That would be the "fastest" and shortest route.  There are
small towns and villages all along the entire way on both routes that offer
lots to see.  Seems a shame to do this trip for speed, but those are your
choices
 
Jim  
 
Peg and Jim Healy aboard Sanctuary,
currently at Charlotte Harbor, Punta Gorda, FL
AGLCA # 3767
MTOA # 3436