On Fri, 03 Feb 2006 22:10:36 GMT, "Jasper Windvane"
wrote:

This is a way off, maybe, plan. BUT:

Have any of you experienced cruisers taken a boat [sail, of course] from
Lake Michigan to the Atlantic Ocean? And not by truck! On the water, in
the boat, sailing ............ from Lake Michigan to the Atlantic Ocean.

I've done part of the trip and know quite a bit about the rest. The
only way to do the entire trip with your mast up is to follow the
freighter route - through the Welland Canal to Lake Ontario and out to
the Atlantic via the St Lawrence River and Seaway. Should be no
problem for any reasonably sized mast under 100 feet or so. This
route is well over 1,000 miles out of the way of course.

I might be, maybe, someday .... do this. I was looking at a map of the
region today [ I don't have any charts, yet ].

Charts are a really good place to start. Try to get some freebie
electronic charts for your PC. It's a great way to do trip planning.

From what I can gather.... I go up Lake Michigan to the Straits of
Mackinac, south once I am on Lake Huron, to Lake St Clair, Detroit River,
into Lake Erie. I figure there are canals, locks, etc but as I said I don't
have any charts.

Ok,, now I am on Lake Erie. I go east. Take the Welland Canal to Lake
Ontario... am I good to go so far?

That's the only way with your mast still up.


Once on Lake Ontario .... what is the best route?

Shortest route to the Atlantic, by far, is to exit Lake O at Oswego
into the NYS Barge Canal system. You must unstep the mast there.

Tell me about the St
Lawrence Seaway. I see that the St Lawrence river goes northeast toward
Montreal and then on to the Atlantic.

It does, but it is a loooong way out and around, through some very
cold and foggy water. Have you ever sailed in fog so thick you can
barely see your own bow? Get used to it.

There shipping channels, locks et all
as you sail this route, is it hard in a small sailboat? Is it difficult to
navigate? What about the big ships?

You will do a lot of motoring, trust me on that one, and the big ships
have the right of way at all times. The locks are not difficult nor
all that expensive. Pay cash with Canadian money at each lock.
Navigation is not particulary difficult but there is a lot of fog in
the eastern St Lawrence. I'd consider a good RADAR and chart plotter
to be mandatory, others may disagree.

Or, is it better to take the NY canal.

That's the logical choice for most folks. Unstep your mast at Oswego,
NY and restep at Troy, north of Albany. Sail or motor down the
Hudson River to NY Harbor. THAT is an adventure you will never
forget.

Anyway,, it sure looks like an adventure.

If any of you have done it,,, post your story.

Many have done all or part of the trip. Do some searching around on
Google and you'll find a lot of info.

I am interested.

Get some charts, then you are interested.


Thanks,,

Jasper