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Old 01-28-2019, 05:28 AM   #21
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I used to run a research boat for NYSDEC out of Cape Vincent and really wish I had been able to explore all the areas mentioned. Now that I'm a recreational boater I'm certainly planning on it and appreciate all the great advice. I also used to keep a 24' Lyman in Watkins Glen and Seneca Lake and Cayuga Lake are very nice.
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Old 02-01-2019, 01:45 PM   #22
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You probably realize this by now, but when you are cruising from Lake Ontario on the St. Lawrence River/Waterway to Montreal, you are cruising DOWN the St. Lawrence River.

I, too, recommend Lake Ontario to Kingston, Rideau Waterway to Ottawa, down the Ottawa River to the St. Lawrence and then through the Seaway locks to Montreal, then down the St. Lawrence to Sorel. Rent a car in Sorel to drive to Quebec City unless you have a fast boat that can easily go against the current of going upstream in the St. Lawrence from Quebec City to Sorel.

We took about a month to go from Kingston to Ottawa. Go slow to smell the roses and enjoy the trip.

[QUOTE=High Wire;735077]T then up to Lake Ontario, then up the St Lawrence though Thousand Islands to Montreal,
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Old 02-01-2019, 01:50 PM   #23
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We did the trip starting from Troy on the Hudson than the Erie, the Oswego crossed Lake Ontario, went to the Thousand Islands then crossed over to Kinston and the Rideau. I think your wasting your time if you do not do the Rideau canal.
It is a beautiful trip and one you want to take your time on. We spent close to three months doing it and we should have taken longer.
I used the customs phone at the mariner in Kingston to check in. It took maybe 2 or 3 minutes only.
Here is a link to my blog.
https://trianglecruise.wordpress.com/blog/

===


I totally agree about doing the Rideau Canal. You will not regret it, and you can still see the Thousand Islands with only a few extra days before heading back to Kingston. You will still end up transiting a few SeaWay locks while skirting the south shore of Montreal but you will have had a lot of experience with locks by the time you get there. We had no problem other than the occasional wait for commercial traffic to clear.


I recommend getting all of your Canadian charts in advance and give them a bit of study. Depths are in meters which can take a little getting used to, and the navigation marks for the SeaWay are oriented towards very large commercial shipping. Most Canadian marinas are set up for 30 amp power so if your boat has a 50 amp cable you'll need to get 30 to 50 splitter/adapters, preferably in advance.
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Old 02-01-2019, 04:38 PM   #24
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All good advice. We did the trip 3 years ago. Hudson R. stop at Croton on Hudson, rent car and tour W. Point, Roosevelt residence, Culinary Institute. Must stop, Waterford, NY. Free dock for 2 days, pump out, water & elec. included. Erie Canal mediocre, best stop, Little Falls. Good fuel pieces at Ess Kay in Brewerton, NY. Free wall in Oswego. Free dock in Cape Vincent at the head of the St. L. Seaway. Great stops at Clayton and Alex Bay. From there to Kingston and Rideau Canal, best part of the trip, to Ottawa. Ottawa R. to St L. Seaway then Montreal, also a great stop. Then to Sorel and the Richelieu R. and Chambly Canal south to L. Champlain. Many good stops there but especially Chipman's Point, family run, free loaner car to visit Ft. Ticonderoga. You MUST be able to clear 17" air draft to get thru the Champlain Canal. If you can do that, there are free docks in every town.
Have a great trip.
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Old 02-02-2019, 03:49 AM   #25
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You are in for an absolutely wonderful time.......a couple of notes on timing your trip.....Canada Day celebrations (July 1) in the Old Port of Montreal will put you right in the very centre of the action......huge fireworks, entertainment, concerts, some of the best restaurants on the planet.

YOU NEED TO BOOK YOUR SLIP SOON. It's not a secret and fills up fast. Pretty risk free as you can cancel by phone if timing not working out.

The Antique Boat Museum holds their Antique Boat Show around the first weekend in August.....a spectacular, well attended event just a stone's throw from Bolt Castle.

Benchmarkadventure.wordpress.com

Is my blog.....if you page down to the very first entry, you'll see a pretty detailed record of our cruise from Ottawa, Montreal, Sorel, Champlain Canal, Lake Chaplain to Oswego and the Thousand Islands.And points beyond.

If you enjoy the Rideau Canal, consider wintering the boat around Oswego, then enjoy the Trent-Severn waterway system from Kingston/Trenton up to insanely lovely Georgian Bay, for a summer or three.

There are links to Antique Boat show in the header to my blog, among others.

Have fun!
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Old 02-02-2019, 11:41 AM   #26
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We Live in Kingston and have Boated out of Collins bay enjoying the Rideau and 1000 Islands since 1990, we have welcomed many American friends over the years and we would offer you a dock in Collins Bay for the night after crossing Lake Ontario to allow you to easily get settled into Canada 1st class marina with 250 slips fuel Pump out Water on docks and grocery store and restaurants in walking distance https://collinsbaymarina.com/ check out the web Cam 'Shore 2' is our boat and 'Bdock inner' is our dock first slip pretty cool
then a great hop to the 1000 islands or the Rideau. we get a season pass that allows us to pick up moorings in the islands at the government run ones and locks on the Rideau, if you would like contact me off line to discuss further. enjoy the ride, and be carefull of Lake Ontario, it really is not a lake but an inland sea. Prevailing wind is from the south west, when you leave Oswego, all looks calm and 5 miles off shore it is a very different case.
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Old 02-02-2019, 04:02 PM   #27
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We did a version of the Down East Circle loop last summer, going up the Rideau from Kingston, as some have mentioned. The trip to Ottawa is certainly worth it. However, we also took a few days from Kingston and went east down the St. Lawrence before heading up the Rideau and anchored out in a few of the Thousand Islands. To travel all that way and miss the Thousand Islands? No way! They are beautiful!
Of course time is a factor if you want to go the Rideau-St. Lawrence-Richelieu route. It wall add about 2-3 weeks to your trip if you were to take that route instead of the St. Lawrence directly to Sorel. But well worth it.
One thing we didn't do and wish we did was to hug the New York side heading east as you come out of Oswego. You can then cross over and see the sights on both sides before heading back to Kingston.

One caution - it is a lot of locks - we totaled over 100! They are fun, cool and interesting at first. After a while, they can become a drag. Locks were one of the main reasons that we (and others we met) decided not to do the Great Loop.


Anyway, I saw this article published on Power and Motoryacht just today! Take a read: https://www.passagemaker.com/event-n..._hsmi=69459300


Enjoy!!!

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Old 02-02-2019, 05:34 PM   #28
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One caution - it is a lot of locks - we totaled over 100! They are fun, cool and interesting at first. After a while, they can become a drag. Locks were one of the main reasons that we (and others we met) decided not to do the Great Loop.

The majority of the locks though are in the NY to Erie section, however you get there. I am with you on them being a drag. It's like stop lights that stay red for an hour. Even worse, this year you have the Illinois closures.

We were fortunate in having enough hands on board to take turns on handling the locking.
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Old 02-02-2019, 05:52 PM   #29
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Greetings,
Mr. BB. "The majority of the locks though are in the NY to Erie section..." NOT if you're doing the Rideau system! I agree the Erie locks, those we've done, ARE a drag. BIG difference between a commercial canal (Erie) and a recreational canal (Rideau).



My experience with the Erie was 20 years ago and I understand the state of NY has poured a lot of $$ into the system to improve both facilities and infrastructure in the interim but it WAS a decrepit, nasty system to traverse.


There's a good reason the Rideau was declared a World Heritage site... https://www.ottawatourism.ca/ottawa-...heritage-site/
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Old 02-02-2019, 11:06 PM   #30
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The Rideau Canal and Ottawa is my favorite cruising area. We did the Triangle in 2015 and went back up in 2016 while doing the Loop. Both times we spent a week in Ottawa. In Montreal we stayed at Port d'escale Marina, right downtown Montreal, possibly the nicest marina we have ever stayed in.

If you go to Kingston, we found Confederation Basin Marina very windy. The second time, we stayed at Kingston Marina. Easy fuel dock and a bit more "working yard" but much calmer water.

We went down the St. Lawrence one year, turned at Montreal, and up to Ottawa, etc. That year we cleared Canadian customs in Maitland. I small town that had a town dock and a yellow Custom's phone to call in. Very easy.
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Old 02-03-2019, 12:34 AM   #31
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Is it possible to do the loop without entering Canada ? It seems like some of the waterways have the border right down the middle. If you only land or anchor in US Waters, can you avoid the custom process all together ?
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Old 02-03-2019, 12:56 AM   #32
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Is it possible to do the loop without entering Canada ? It seems like some of the waterways have the border right down the middle. If you only land or anchor in US Waters, can you avoid the custom process all together ?
Yes, it's possible if your boat has a low enough air draft to navigate the Western Erie Canal. If you have to use the Oswego, then you have to go through Canada.

I see only one reason to avoid Canada and that is someone who can't legally enter.
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Old 02-03-2019, 01:01 AM   #33
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Thanks!
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Old 02-03-2019, 01:24 AM   #34
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Wifey B: In addition to guns being "no no", one that sneaks up on people is any history of DUI.

We like the culture of major cities and none have more than Montreal and Quebec City. Yes, Quebec City is another 140 nm, but it's such an incredible place if you can possibly make it, we'd really encourage you.
Wifey B,

What is the DUI thing... going to or from Canada? I've known several folks that I've taken into Canada and back to the US with a history of DUI and was never an issue.
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Old 02-03-2019, 06:46 AM   #35
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Wifey B,

What is the DUI thing... going to or from Canada? I've known several folks that I've taken into Canada and back to the US with a history of DUI and was never an issue.
You just happened to get lucky and or officer having a good day. Not only as boating thing... driving as well.
I know at least a couple that were refused... had a guided hunt booked and were refused entry. It took a few years to finally get cleared to enter.
If any doubt its worth confirming ahead of time that entry will be allowed
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Old 02-03-2019, 07:57 AM   #36
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Greetings,
Re: Post #3. It is NOT necessary to go to Erie. PA to do the "loop". If one exits at Oswego, one can run either east or west on Lake Ontario and stay in US waters. I suspect even if you run east along the St. Lawrence AND pass through the Seaway locks, some of which ARE in Canadian territory, it is still not necessary to check in since you are in transit in international waters. Might be wrong on the last part...
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Old 02-03-2019, 11:12 AM   #37
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Just a caution interpreting comments about "the loop" I think different responses are referring to different "loops".
OP asked about the Erie canal St Lawrence to Lk Champlain loop.
Other responses have talked about the great loop... very different.
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Old 02-03-2019, 01:42 PM   #38
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Keep the recommendations coming. Thank you.
I think we will modify the original plan to include the Rideau.
Oswego to TI, then cross over to Canada, then back to Kingston, then to Ottawa, Ottawa River to SLS, then SLS to Montreal, and Sorel.
I'm having a new enclosure built in a couple weeks. Forgot about the height limit. The top will be right at 17 feet. What is the obstacle on the Champlain Canal at 17'? I can disassemble the top if I have to. A couple key screws removed and it will collapse. Hope not.
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Old 02-03-2019, 02:33 PM   #39
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Keep the recommendations coming. Thank you.
I think we will modify the original plan to include the Rideau.
Oswego to TI, then cross over to Canada, then back to Kingston, then to Ottawa, Ottawa River to SLS, then SLS to Montreal, and Sorel.
I'm having a new enclosure built in a couple weeks. Forgot about the height limit. The top will be right at 17 feet. What is the obstacle on the Champlain Canal at 17'? I can disassemble the top if I have to. A couple key screws removed and it will collapse. Hope not.
From Ottawa to montreal is quite a long way to go. In the event you take this route let me know I will point you to good anchorages or place to stay depending on what you are looking for and when you are there.

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Old 02-03-2019, 06:56 PM   #40
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Wifey B,

What is the DUI thing... going to or from Canada? I've known several folks that I've taken into Canada and back to the US with a history of DUI and was never an issue.
It's into Canada, DUI in the past ten years requires a dispensation that can be a challenge to get. Those who didn't serve jail time can get by with a $200 fine. Difference made between misdemeanor DUI and felony as well.

Canada is far from the only country with that rule.

US allows DUI's but will refuse reentry to those with Temporary Work Visas.

China, Dubai, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, UAE, and New Zealand have laws on DUI entry although some far more lenient than others.

Here's an entire website on the subject with Canada.

Entering Canada with a DUI - Canada DUI Entry 2019
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