Jerry wrote:

Ryk,

The misses and I are doing that very thing this summer. We keep currently
keep Windemere our Bayfield 29 in Port Huron. It's our intention to head our
in late August/early September and head to the Keys, and hopefully Bahamas.
We're planning on a year off at least, and if the money holds out maybe
longer.

I looked into doing the Mississippi route. However, we felt that the more
travelled eastern route was a little more nostalgic. And there's the
additional benefit that it's a well used and established route. Not that the
Mississippi (Great Circle route) isn't becomming well known and established
in its own right. I know that that's not very original or as challenging as
the Mississippi might be. However, given the fact that the wife and I have
never taken a cruise of this magnitude qwe felt that by going this way it
may make the transition a little easier. While it won't be new to a lot of
people, it'll be new to us.

We're planning on going down the St Clair river to lake St Clair to the
Detroit river to lake Erie. From there well head to Buffalo, step the mast,
and do the entire Erie canal. I know that it's not as fast as going to
Oswego, but my minor in college was history, so I'd like to experience this
little piece of history and see the sights along the way.

We'll also go though New York, the Jersey coast, Deleware bay and head into
the Chesapeake. We intend to spend a few weeks in the Chesapeake before we
head down the ICW to points further south.

We are not planning to return to Michigan. I'm originally a Florida native
and I'm tired of snow. So once our cruise is over with we'll relocate there.
However, if I were planning on returning I'd go down on the Mississippi and
return up the coast. You can get the best of both that way.



hope it helps
Jerry Price




"Ryk" wrote in message
...

It looks like I will find myself sitting somewhere on Lake Huron in
September with an interest in heading south for the winter. I'm
comfortable with big lakes, and with my boat, but this would be a
first for me. I seem to have three alternatives:

1. Haul the boat and go indoors for the winter, which is not without
its charms, but I don't need any advice on how to do that, as I have
been doing it for years.

2. Head for Chicago and run down some combination of the Mississippi
and Tenn-Tom River systems to reach the Gulf just at the end of
hurricane season.

3. Head for Oswego, down the canal, then some combination of offshore,
coastal, and ICW southwards fast enough to avoid freezing my tail
feathers.

Living just across Lake Ontario from Oswego, I know lots of people who
have made the east coast trip, but very few who have gone the central
route. That makes it kind of attractive to do something different by
heading down-river, but means I don't have anybody local to pump for
ideas. The other thing that makes it attractive is that I will be
coming back up the east coast anyway, so I'd cover more territory.

So I guess I'm asking two questions. What would the central route be
like at that time of the year for a 35 foot sailboat drawing 6 feet?
Which route would you pick and why?

Cheers,

Ryk




Here's an account of one who did it (at least part of the way) the
canal pictures are interesting.

http://silverwaters.com/Logsouth.htm

http://www.gateley.net/chpk2000.htm