Great Lakes Bound from Annapolis this summer: Cruising Guides, Favorite Spots?

[Velocir]

Leaving in early May from Annapolis, up the Erie Canal, up the Trent-Severn Canal to Georgian Bay and the North Channel for the rest of the season and then back down.

Can anyone recommend some good cruising guides?
What are your favorite towns and anchorages to visit?
Fishing information/shallow water wrecks?
Relevant history books?

Thank you!
Grant & Amelia
S/V Velocir
VELOCIR

[ohdrinkboy]

Hi Grant and Amelia,

Sorry I can't help you with trip advice. However, I wanted to say I loved your youtube videos about your trip to the Bahamas.

Looking forward to a series about this trip.

If you ever get down Charlotte, NC way, I'd like to buy the two of you a beer.

Regards

[Greggegner]

In Lake Erie, Put-In-Bay...most of Lake Michigan is good, but the best anchorages are on the Michigan side. We are in Racine, PM me if you get near. You will have a good time...

[RainDog]

Be sure to read "The Living Great Lakes: Searching for the Heart of the Inland Seas".

Fantastic book, and overlaps much of your route.

Also join the The Great Lakes Cruising Club.

[Captivy]

Originally Posted by Velocir

Leaving in early May from Annapolis, up the Erie Canal, up the Trent-Severn Canal to Georgian Bay and the North Channel for the rest of the season and then back down.

Can anyone recommend some good cruising guides?
What are your favorite towns and anchorages to visit?
Fishing information/shallow water wrecks?
Relevant history books?

Thank you!
Grant & Amelia
S/V Velocir
VELOCIR

Our "Ports" Georgian Bay and the North Channel is well worn after seven years.

Use local knowledge and charts, the locals are friendly and tame!

Killarney, Little Current and Gore Bay are the big stops ( Killarney population 400). Spanish depends on the water level.
Killarney is my personal heaven, the fish and chips joint, grocery store and liquor store all have docks!

Anchorages are too many to count, once you're north of Parry Sound the cottages start to disappear.

Favorites include, Covered portage, May Anne cove, The Pool, Sturgeon Cove, the Benjamin's, Fox Island and John Harbour.

Cruisers net runs July and August.

Hmm fishing...the locals are evil and may eat you!
(the fishing guys don't share too well)
There's a commercial fishery on Georgian Bay, you can get fresh fish in town, plus the fish and chip places all serve fresh catch.

Not too may wrecks in the North Channel, if cross when you leave the Trent Severn to the Bruce Peninsula you'll see a wreck in Wingfield Basin (visible with Google Earth), Tobermory is famous for wrecks.

Google Little Current for history, many links to chase. Ghosts of the Bay is available on Amazon.

Shawn

[scottb]

I will second the Ports Cruising Guides. PortsBooks.com Ours is well worn after 6 seasons in Georgian Bay. Get it early and study it a lot. Will give you all the info you need for marinas, supplies and anchorages.

What's your draft. The Trent-Severn may be fairly low with lake levels etc.

Favorites. I could go on for days on ours. Study the Ports book and you'll find plenty to see and do. Town of Killarney for fish & chips and supplies. Mary Anne's Cove ( Baie Fine )

All of the 30,000 Islands on Georgian Bay East shoreline.

Beckwith Island, Hope Island, Christian Island ( south Georgian Bay ) just watch winds overnight and pick anchorage that is protected. The reward is Caribean blue water and decent beaches on uninhabited islands.

Henry's Fish & Chips ( Killarney is better, but Henry's close second ) just south of Parry Sound.

[wdkester]

Some additional highights:

1. Sailing past the Statue of Liberty
2. Anchoring off the 79th st marina in Mahattan
3. The entire Trent-Severn a) is operated by young students on summer break and is a joy after all the old grumps on the Erie Canal b) there are 2 fantastic locks that you won't see anywhere else.

If you should want to try Lake Superior, use "The Superior Way" by Bonnie Dahl.

[Mike OReilly]

North Channel, just about anywhere. As others have said, plenty of great anchorages all over the place. Gets busy in July to mid-August. Favourite towns: Killarney, Gore Bay, Little Current.

One little-known gem is the North Channel Yacht Club up near Spragge (a non-existent town). It is a small yacht club full of very friendly folk. Gas, diesel, ice and dockage is available. Not close to stores, but show up on a weekend and expect an impromptu party to break out at the club house. If you smile nicely you'll probably get a drive into the two nearby towns as well.

Another spot I like is Tolsmaville on Coburn Island. A semi-ghost town with a pop. of about 50 people, it has a nice little marina (no services).

Finally, I'll put a plug in for Lake Superior. You're only a couple of days away once you hit the North Channel. Superior has some of the best cruising grounds anywhere. If you're seeking wild places unspoiled by hordes of others, then head north!

[SURV69]

I've heard that if you go to the North Channel, to take lots of good line to tie off to many of the small islands.

I guess that boaters often tie off fore & aft from one little island to the other.

[scottb]

Originally Posted by SURV69

I've heard that if you go to the North Channel, to take lots of good line to tie off to many of the small islands.

I guess that boaters often tie off fore & aft from one little island to the other.

Not quite, but there are lots of places you can drop anchor and stern tie to shore to keep you tucked in to a small cove.

[Velocir]

Thank you all very much for the info! We are hearing a lot of patterns in recommendations, which is a good sign. Our Albin Vega 27 will be right at home in rocky coves and we look forward to the quiet anchorages.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by SURV69

I've heard that if you go to the North Channel, to take lots of good line to tie off to many of the small islands.

I guess that boaters often tie off fore & aft from one little island to the other.

It depends on location, and also what your boat's draft is. As scottb says, it's more common to see a bow or stern anchor with a tie to shore, although I have tied into a few holes where all lines are run to shore. Bring plenty of line. Never hurts to have lots.

[Tbrad]

"Well-favored passage" by Marjorie Brazer is an excellent guide that gives a little history on the various anchorages, islands and so forth. Available on Amazon. A fun read.

[Svan]

Tbrad, I was trying to remember A Well-Favoured Passage. More folksy than the Ports guides, an excellent complement to have both.

Your route seems perfectly reasonable, but might consider taking the Trent in, then running downstream through Lakes St. Clair, Erie, and Ontario. Just on Erie you could visit put-in bay, Peelee Island, Leamington, Rondeau, Long Point, and Niagara Falls.

[scottb]

Originally Posted by Svan

Tbrad, I was trying to remember A Well-Favoured Passage. More folksy than the Ports guides, an excellent complement to have both.

Your route seems perfectly reasonable, but might consider taking the Trent in, then running downstream through Lakes St. Clair, Erie, and Ontario. Just on Erie you could visit put-in bay, Peelee Island, Leamington, Rondeau, Long Point, and Niagara Falls.

The Trent may be very sketchy this year for sailboats and bigger boats with deeper drafts with Lake levels so low. Lake Huron/Michigan set the all time low for January beating the previous 1963 record. Trent ahd some shallow areas last year, so I can'T imagine where it will be this year unless we get a lot more snow/rain and/or freezing temps to ice over the lakes.