cala Erie

[candideyy]

Hi
i plan to move my boat next year , from Muskegon to Saint Marteen,
the boat is a NM R with a 7.11 depth and around 65 ft high with the mast up

i have 2 options, Saint Laurent, or Erie Canal
i was looking at the Erie Canal from Oswego to New York, i have read all i found about the canal, its supposed to be 14 ft depth except around some places but normaly its supposed to be ok.and i can go through

- can someone confirm that its ok with such depth

- where can i find a shipyard to put the mast down around Oswego ,
and up around New York ,

thank you for your answer and help
Yves

[cherylchecheryl]

The Mighty Mississippi is too shallow for your trip?

[candideyy]

From what i could read about Mississipi,
its not so fair, and from Chicago to Mississipi i am not sure the draft is good
i had a look about the great loop,
that's also why i am here
i live overseas in New Caledonia
not so easy to find true informations so far , except from forums and internet
thanks

[Svsumurun]

You would enter the canel in buffalo from Lake Erie ( Oswego is in Lake Ontario) there are several yards that can take your mast down, same at the other end once you get to the Hudson River.

[hpeer]

I just had this long conversation elsewhere about the Erie Canal with 7’ draft. Personally I think it’s very iffy. Others seem to think it’s OK, with the proviso that you may have to wait for a dredge.

The canal system posts depths, don’t recall the site at the moment, but it’s a lengthy spread sheet listing depth on each side and the middle. Generally you will be OK. There are maybe 5 places of concern from Oswego down. In those places you will have to proceed with great caution.

My experience was with 5’4” draft. There were a few places where a creek or culvert entered and washed debris into the canal. There you need to be careful.

I’ve come down the St Laurent, that trip is straight forward and made easy using Cheryl Barrs excellent Down East Circle Rout guide. She provides very clear information about how to time the tides.

Our route was from Delaware to Kingston to Gaspe to Magdalene’s to Newfoundland. Your route will be down through the Canso Straight it you are making time. Then run from there down along NS and South is generally against the wind. I’ve dine it twice and it is straight motor-sailing or simply motoring. Or at least that was my experience. Not a bad trip it just is what it is.
Some folks are disturbed by the amount of fog along the NS coast.

Both times I departed Shelbourn for Marblehead. It’s a long overnight but you miss all the big tides. If you are trying to make time it’s a good route. Others have run straight to the Cape Cod Canal and cleared in on the south end of that. That seems a little dodgey to me but it seems to work.

[Michael Carroll]

I can recommend Hop-O-Nose marina on the Hudson for mast stepping, but check with them about approach depth.

https://www.hoponosemarina.com/

[Nicholson58]

We left Muskegon in 2016. We had been in HarborTown for three summers and Torresen each winter. We are 7’ draft, 80 mast, ketch. I think the canal would have been fun but we chose the long way around. It was a blast but try to depart early enough that you are not rushed. Our departure was July. May would be preferable if you can swing it. Spend a lot of time in the Chesapeake and plan for the Annapolis boat show. If you are serious about the Caribbean, talk to the Salty Dawgs at their booth and join the rally. It was the smartest thing we did. We arrived safely, had a great voyage, made a lot of like minded friends and community.

You will get a lot of help here on the canal and east coast. I have a few favorite places NY to Hampton, Va. we know many Great Lakes anchorages, having made the trip an having sailed Erie extensively as well as the western lakes. The eye opener for us was the realization that there were precious few places to operate a deep, tall vessel south of the Chesapeake. This is why we joined the rally and skipped the east coast.

Send a PM if you want to discuss at length or talk.

[hpeer]

Here is a link to the Down East Circle Loop thread.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...95#post2997695

[Bill O]

We went trough the Erie Canal a few years ago w/ a 6.5' draft, no problem.


Here's the link to the NY canals which includes the Erie New York State Canals.


Good news is fees are waived through 2021 for recreational boats.

[AiniA]

You should be OK. We have done the canal lots of times, the last couple with a Bristol 45.5. There was only one shallow spot, just east of Lake Oneida and they were busily dredging there. Shallowest we saw was only 7' and that was for a very short distance, like 50'. At the Hudson end you have two choices for doing your mast. If you are comfortable doing your own and want to save some money go to the Castleton Boat Club. They have an excellent, large crane and usually other folks are doing their masts there so you can share the work. If you want it done, we have used Hop O Nose and they were very skilled.

Coming from Lake Erie you can enter the canal at Buffalo or Oswego. No experience in Buffalo but Oswego Marina can do your mast but check with them about length and weight. They said that they would have to bring in a crane for the job because of the weight of our mast. We got ours done at Katlynn Marine in Sodus Point which is about 20 miles west of Oswego. They are very skillful. You just need a quiet lake for the transit to Oswego, which we found on two occasions.

One word about Lake Oneida. it is very long (20 miles?) and builds up a nasty chop - not big but square. There are also lots of powerboats. We have chosen to cross at first light when the lake is quiet and not much traffic.

[candideyy]

Hi
great thank for your help,
its nice to have such infos,
how long is supposed to be the trip ?
i also heard that the transit was free , no taxes, is it true?
For the mast i prefer that a shipyard do the job, the mast is really heavy and long
thank you again

[Kurplunk]

The NY Canal Authority has waived the canal fees through the 2021 boating season. The link to the New York Canal Corporation's site is: New York State Canals
I made a West bound canal passage last spring with a 4' draft trawler. Here is a short list of key notes from my passage:
1- Experience the canal towns
2 - Lake Oneida builds fast with a WNW wind.
3 - Spring high water will delay you / sign up for email updates of Notices to Mariners from the Canal Authority
4 - If you get hung up on the bottom, contact Lock Master and request a larger discharge of water from next locking cycle and be prepared to ride the wave.