BlueJacket 2008 Cruising Plans: Down East Circle Route
 

This year we're headed NORTH with BlueJacket and will do what's known as
the Down East Cirle Route. This will take us through the Hudson River &
Erie/Oswego Canals to Lake Erie. Then we'll take the St. Lawrence to the
Canadian Maritimes where we'll explore Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland
and Nova Scotia. We'll head back down the coast and probably end up in RI.

Many more details, including maps, can be found at

http://www.geoffschultz.org/Log_Page.php?id=1128

-- Geoff
www.GeoffSchultz.org

BlueJacket 2008 Cruising Plans: Down East Circle Route
 

On Fri, 04 Jan 2008 09:00:10 -0600, Geoff Schultz
wrote:

This year we're headed NORTH with BlueJacket and will do what's known as
the Down East Cirle Route. This will take us through the Hudson River &
Erie/Oswego Canals to Lake Erie. Then we'll take the St. Lawrence to the
Canadian Maritimes where we'll explore Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland
and Nova Scotia. We'll head back down the coast and probably end up in RI.

Many more details, including maps, can be found at

http://www.geoffschultz.org/Log_Page.php?id=1128

========

Great plan Geoff. We've done some parts of that trip - Hudson River,
Erie/Oswego Canals, Lake Ontario, St Lawrence River as far as Sorrel
NE of Montreal. Just last night I was sketching out the distances for
the entire loop because I often think of making the same trip that you
envision. Unlikely for us this year but perhaps in 2009. Fog is a
*very* big issue as you get down east. My family did a summer road
trip around the Gaspe when I was a kid and visibility was rarely more
than a few hundred yards.

BlueJacket 2008 Cruising Plans: Down East Circle Route
 

Geoff Schultz wrote in
:

Oswego Canals to Lake Erie

Whoa! Chart Check! Oswego dumps into Lake Ontario, right?

Man, look at those sandbars where you come into Oneida Lake at Sylvan
Beach! Google Earth has a great picture showing you to GO SOUTH where the
canal dumps into it at a steep angle.

Sylvan Beach used to be a great place when I was young. I have a cousin
who still lives there. Got more kin in Oswego on the lake. Pretty country
in the FALL when the leaves turn, but NOT NOW!..(c;

Larry
--
Next time some broker tells you what a great investment he's selling,
ask him about Rhodium, a shiny metal used in Catalytic Converters.
Jan 1st 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Rhodium $452 $1341 $3006 $5339 $6775 PER OUNCE!
How much longer can we pay for new cars at this rate?
Feb '97 it was $182/oz

BlueJacket 2008 Cruising Plans: Down East Circle Route
 

Larry wrote in
:

Geoff Schultz wrote in
:

Oswego Canals to Lake Erie

Whoa! Chart Check! Oswego dumps into Lake Ontario, right?

Larry

Yup, brain fart on my part. :-) Should have read my own writeup!

-- Geoff
www.GeoffSchultz.org

BlueJacket 2008 Cruising Plans: Down East Circle Route
 

Geoff Schultz wrote in
:

Oswego

Looks like NY State restored Fort Ontario, right next to the marina just
before you go into the lake. I took a little tour on:
http://nysparks.state.ny.us/sites/info.asp?siteID=9
if a little history interests you...(c;

By the time you get there, you'll have had your fill of bombed out
superfund waste sights, old locks and docks sticking out.

Larry
--
Next time some broker tells you what a great investment he's selling,
ask him about Rhodium, a shiny metal used in Catalytic Converters.
Jan 1st 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008
Rhodium $452 $1341 $3006 $5339 $6775 PER OUNCE!
How much longer can we pay for new cars at this rate?
Feb '97 it was $182/oz

BlueJacket 2008 Cruising Plans: Down East Circle Route
 

Geoff Schultz wrote:
This year we're headed NORTH with BlueJacket and will do what's known as
the Down East Cirle Route. This will take us through the Hudson River &
Erie/Oswego Canals to Lake Erie. Then we'll take the St. Lawrence to the
Canadian Maritimes where we'll explore Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland
and Nova Scotia. We'll head back down the coast and probably end up in RI.

Many more details, including maps, can be found at

http://www.geoffschultz.org/Log_Page.php?id=1128


It's a shame to miss the Champlain valley & canal, and of course Lake
Champlain. Beautiful place, great sailing. When you get up to the
eastern side of Lake Ontario, two stops we liked were Sackett's Harbor
(home of "War of 1812 Beer") and Clayton. Clayton has an awesome small
boat museum, don't miss it. You can test your sailing skills in one of
their rudderless St Lawrence Skiffs (actually a clinker double-ender
like a peapod).

I've heard that the trip down the St Lawrence is less pleasure & more
work.... rocks, fog, commercial traffic, fewer pleasant places to
stop... but we hope to get to PEI & Nova Scotia one day ourselves.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

BlueJacket 2008 Cruising Plans: Down East Circle Route
 

wrote in
:

Geoff Schultz wrote:
This year we're headed NORTH with BlueJacket and will do what's known
as the Down East Cirle Route. This will take us through the Hudson
River & Erie/Oswego Canals to Lake Erie. Then we'll take the St.
Lawrence to the Canadian Maritimes where we'll explore Prince Edward
Island, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. We'll head back down the coast
and probably end up in RI.

Many more details, including maps, can be found at

http://www.geoffschultz.org/Log_Page.php?id=1128


It's a shame to miss the Champlain valley & canal, and of course Lake
Champlain. Beautiful place, great sailing. When you get up to the
eastern side of Lake Ontario, two stops we liked were Sackett's Harbor
(home of "War of 1812 Beer") and Clayton. Clayton has an awesome small
boat museum, don't miss it. You can test your sailing skills in one of
their rudderless St Lawrence Skiffs (actually a clinker double-ender
like a peapod).

I've heard that the trip down the St Lawrence is less pleasure & more
work.... rocks, fog, commercial traffic, fewer pleasant places to
stop... but we hope to get to PEI & Nova Scotia one day ourselves.

Fresh Breezes- Doug King

Doug,

Thanks for the recommendations. I can assure you that our plans are not
cast in concrete...more like jello. Right now I'm just doing research.

-- Geoff
www.GeoffSchultz.org

BlueJacket 2008 Cruising Plans: Down East Circle Route
 

On Fri, 4 Jan 2008 09:54:24 -0800 (PST), wrote:

I've heard that the trip down the St Lawrence is less pleasure & more
work.... rocks, fog, commercial traffic, fewer pleasant places to
stop... but we hope to get to PEI & Nova Scotia one day ourselves.

It's true that there are parts of the St Lawrence River that are not
very interesting. Except for the Thousand Islands region, Clayton and
Alexandria Bay, much of the western end is a flyover zone.

One strategy is to come up through Lake Ontario as planned, visit the
Thousand Islands, and then back track a few miles to Kingston,
Ontario. If you draw 5 ft or less you can take the Rideau Canal
system north from Kingston to Ottawa and the Ottawa River. The Ottawa
River then goes south east to Montreal avoiding all but two of the St
Lawrence seaway locks. After Sorel, 90 miles northeast of Montreal,
the river widens out and becomes more scenic. The trip through the
Rideau Canal is very memorable, probably second only to the
Trent-Severn.

As Doug mentioned, another seaway avoidance route is to go north into
Lake Champlain, a very scenic area, and then continue north to Sorel
via the Chambly Canal and Richelieu River. The Chambly is also draft
limited to about 5 feet. It is very quaint with many hand operated
bridges, small towns, mountain scenery, etc. Unfortunately you also
miss Lake Ontario and the Thousand Islands that way.

If you go via Oswego, you can re-step the mast there. Via Lake
Champlain you can step it in Sorel or further east on the St Lawrence.

BlueJacket 2008 Cruising Plans: Down East Circle Route
 

Geoff Schultz wrote:
Larry wrote in
:

Geoff Schultz wrote in
:

Oswego Canals to Lake Erie
Whoa! Chart Check! Oswego dumps into Lake Ontario, right?

Larry

Yup, brain fart on my part. :-) Should have read my own writeup!

But,.. You could stay on the Erie Canal, instead of turning right to
Oswego and go on to Lake Erie, (they don't call it the "The Erie Canal"
for nothing!), then take the Welland Canal from Erie to Ontario......

Cheers
Marty

BlueJacket 2008 Cruising Plans: Down East Circle Route
 

We completed our Down East Circle route trip about a month ago and between
catching up with life at home and getting the boat ready to store for the
winter, I haven't had time to write the end-of-trip summary. It's finally
done and it can be found at:
http://www.geoffschultz.org/Log_Page.php?id=1306

For those wanting the gory details of our trip, you'll find ~60 text based
logs covering the entire 2700nm trip at:
http://www.geoffschultz.org/Log_Page...p?region=2008:

Finally, for those who are more visually oriented, you'll find 27 photo
albums and 23 video logs at:
http://www.geoffschultz.org/2008_Sailing/Photos/

-- Geoff
www.GeoffSchultz.org