Military Exercise Area - Lake Ontario

[Nonsuch30C208]

I am planning a cruise from Toronto ON to The Bahamas this summer/fall/winter. On the Lake Ontario Charts are several Military Exercise Areas that I need to transit on the way to Oswego NY. If these are active is a NOTAM broadcast or do I need to subscribe To a US NOTAM service? Are there other areas like this along the US East coast?

Ray B.
MERCATOR Nonsuch 30 208

[AiniA]

I have sailed from Whitby to and from Oswego and never worried about military areas. It is a nice overnight trip or you can day hops either CW or CCW.

[F15EWSO]

I've got a little experience in this area. A NOTAM is a "Notices to Airmen" and related to flight rules. There is an equivalent for "notices to mariners as well. You will be on the water, the east coast is littered with "W" or whiskey areas, these are "warning" areas, again for flyers. As I've operated in most of these on the east coast the activity below is of little interest to the aviation. There are rules about avoidance from vessels, persons etc below; 1500 feet, 3nm or something like that, common sense approach just stay away from boats below you. Never violated those...no honest. There are also P Prohibited and R Restricted areas but likelihood of running into those is slim. These are generally along the coast and are being used by Navy or Marine servicemen in training. ALL will be well marked and should be on your basic charts. You find those in S Virginia, Northern North Carolina; maybe related to SEAL training. Land based stuff doesn't need miles and miles of space.

Bottom line, do what I do, ignore all that stuff, big-sky/big sea theory. You'll be fine.

[Hud3]

When we conducted live fire exercises at Camp Pendleton, on the Atlantic south of Virginia Beach, we had observers on the beach watching for boats wandering into the range, and a couple of fast boats of our own at the perimeters to head them off. Notices to mariners are fine, but very few recreational boaters out for a spin or the fishing grounds seems to read them.

[jackdale]

Does your VHF weather forecast include notices to shipping? That is how we get active military exercise warnings in Georgia Strait.