Great Lakes Question
 

The small boat channel goes along the top of Lake Huron and is a very
scenic route. Otherwise you can just shoot across the middle.

I'm thinking of the Canal that bypasses Niagra Falls and is used
primarily by big ships.

Capt. Jeff

Great Lakes Question
 

Thomas Wentworth wrote:

The Welland Canal.. That is the one near Detroit.
Thomas,
Get yourself a map. The Welland Canal could be described as being quite
close to Buffalo, and even close to Toronto before it is described as
close to Detroit.

Great Lakes Question
 

On Sun, 05 Feb 2006 20:45:23 GMT, "Thomas Wentworth"
wrote:

I am going to look into the Trent Severn Canal. The boat has a 5'2" draft.
I don't know whether the canal is deep enough.

Anything over 4 or 5 feet (I forget which) requires advance written
approval by the canal authority, and a waiver on your part.

Great Lakes Question
 

Your right ,, I screwed up... I was looking at the map and not seeing
correctly.

Have you ever taken the canal? I see it goes from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario
and bypasses Niagra Falls, etc.

Is it a canal that recreational boats can use?

Tell me what you know.


==================
"prodigal1" wrote in message
...
Thomas Wentworth wrote:

The Welland Canal.. That is the one near Detroit.
Thomas,
Get yourself a map. The Welland Canal could be described as being quite
close to Buffalo, and even close to Toronto before it is described as
close to Detroit.

Great Lakes Question
 

Thomas Wentworth wrote:
Your right ,, I screwed up... I was looking at the map and not seeing
correctly.

Have you ever taken the canal? I see it goes from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario
and bypasses Niagra Falls, etc.

Is it a canal that recreational boats can use?

Tell me what you know.

Yes recreational boats can and do use the Welland Canal. There can be
issues just entering the canal at Pt. Colborne if the wind is up and SW.
Erie is shallow and not to be trifled with. During high traffic times
the dockmasters will require recreational boaters to convoy through
together. Each lock is approx. 800 feet in length and will raise or
lower --depending on your direction of travel-- your vessel
approximately 30-35'. Lowering the mast for sail is not required as the
bridges you pass will either be bailey or lift style. Long dock lines
and lots of fenders are the order of the day. Attention to the slimy
lock walls is required. Water motion in the lock can be a little
turbulent when ascending. Attention needs to be paid exiting the locks
when descending as millions of gallons of water exiting the lock can
create some interesting currents. The bottoms of the canal are muddy
and slope gently, shallowing up gradually in some sections. If you are
careless enough to get pushed into the shallows grounding would be
embarassing, not catastrophic. Transiting is an enjoyable adventure.
Exiting at Pt. Weller on a nice day will present you with the Toronto
skyline across the Lake. A hard starboard will see you over to Pt.
Weller Marina. Port side will be Pt. Dalhousie, a mile or two east.
Great little harbour that marks the exit point of the original Welland
Canal built in the early 1800's. Restaurants and bars provide nightlife
within stumbling distance of the docks.

Great Lakes Question
 

On Mon, 06 Feb 2006 14:40:50 GMT, "Thomas Wentworth"
wrote:

Have you ever taken the canal? I see it goes from Lake Erie to Lake Ontario
and bypasses Niagra Falls, etc.

Is it a canal that recreational boats can use?

Tell me what you know.

Tom, Google is your friend:

NYS Barge Canal System

http://www.canals.state.ny.us/

Their cruising guide is an excellent value and considered
indispensible by most.

The Erie Canal was built in the 1800s and no longer exists.

Great Lakes Question
 

Wayne.B wrote:
Anything over 4 or 5 feet (I forget which) requires advance
written approval by the canal authority, and a waiver on
your part.

According to http://www.cruising.ca/trent/

"Average width for Trent Severn Waterway is of 32 feet.
Minimum width occurs at Port Severn with 23' and Big Chute
at 24'. Maximum vertical clearance height for Trent Severn
Waterway is 22 feet"

Do you think I'll have trouble getting through in a catamaran
with a 21' beam and 3.5' draft ?

Great Lakes Question
 

On Mon, 06 Feb 2006 23:10:33 GMT, wrote:

Do you think I'll have trouble getting through in a catamaran
with a 21' beam and 3.5' draft ?

Doesn't sound like it's a problem. There web sites are accurate in my
experience although I have not yet been through Trent-Svern, only the
Rideau.

Great Lakes Question
 

Wayne.B wrote:
wrote:

Do you think I'll have trouble getting through in a catamaran
with a 21' beam and 3.5' draft ?

Doesn't sound like it's a problem. There web sites are accurate
in my experience although I have not yet been through Trent-Svern,
only the Rideau.

Wouldn't it be a problem if there's another boat coming in the
opposite direction or there's a faster boat trying to pass me ?

Or do you think the given width is for the traffic in each
direction ?

Great Lakes Question
 

On Tue, 07 Feb 2006 09:33:02 GMT, wrote:

Or do you think the given width is for the traffic in each
direction ?

Maximum width is almost always determined by the size of the smallest
lock, or in the case of the Trent-Svern, the haul-over bucket.
Oncoming traffic is a consideration but you should be able to manage
it by waiting or turning out at appropriate times.