Toronto to Niagara?

[floater81]

can anyone give me rough idea of how long it would take to sail from toronto to niagara in a 30 ft cruising boat in good conditions? thanks (i know theres alot of variables just looking for a ballpark guess)

[Vasco]

four hours

[Allan S]

It takes us about 6 to 8 hours to sail from Hamilton to Toronto, so I'd figure around that too, if the wind cooperats....Allan

[Vasco]

Niagara is a few miles closer to Toronto than Hamilton if you go across the lake.

Toronto- Niagara (Youngstown) 25 miles
Hamilton - Toronto 28 miles

[floater81]

thanks

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by Vasco

four hours

Rick, normally I wouldn't correct you, but we just did Toronto to Port Dalhousie (pretty well the same distance to mouth of the Niagara) in August. It took 5.5 hours at 5.5 knots in flat water (which is why we motored) and exactly 4 hours and 31 minutes in absolutely ideal conditions (one tack point to point) during which we rarely dropped below 6 knots and frequently broke 7 knots on a lightly loaded Viking 33.

The distance is between 24 and 26 NM depending on your helming.

If the wind is farty and out of the west, I allocate a five-to-six hour sail at 4 to 5 knots, which is realistic for a 30 footer, I think.

[Vasco]

Originally Posted by S/V Alchemy

Rick, normally I wouldn't correct you, but we just did Toronto to Port Dalhousie (pretty well the same distance to mouth of the Niagara) in August. It took 5.5 hours at 5.5 knots in flat water (which is why we motored) and exactly 4 hours and 31 minutes in absolutely ideal conditions (one tack point to point) during which we rarely dropped below 6 knots and frequently broke 7 knots on a lightly loaded Viking 33.

The distance is between 24 and 26 NM depending on your helming.

If the wind is farty and out of the west, I allocate a five-to-six hour sail at 4 to 5 knots, which is realistic for a 30 footer, I think.

You need a faster boat. The OP has a 30 footer and I based my time estimate on a CS30.

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by S/V Alchemy

Rick, normally I wouldn't correct you ...
The distance is between 24 and 26 NM depending on your helming...

Originally Posted by Vasco

... Toronto- Niagara (Youngstown) 25 miles ...

25 being exactly between 24 & 26, your estimates seem pretty close, to me.

[sailing_jack]

It is the better part of a day's sail. The wind will die in the middle of the lake.
Figuring out if it is 4 hrs or 6 sounds like a power boaters mentality to me.

Head out reasonably early and you will be there in the afternoon.

[Sailor Doug]

I only did this once. So I checked my chart. From downtown Toronto to Niagara on the Lake 27 KM. Lovely day sail.

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by Vasco

You need a faster boat. The OP has a 30 footer and I based my time estimate on a CS30.

If you can maintain 6.8 knots average on a summer's day crossing Lake Ontario in a CS30 (isn't that better than hull speed?), more power to you...and I want to talk to your sail maker.

Our recent "fast passage" saw us surfing a bit, which the Viking 33 doesn't usually do with the apparent wind well forward of the beam. Every other crossing in July or August has been indeed "the better part of the day", unless we decided to thin the oil on the Atomic 4 and putt through the dead zone east of Grimsby Buoy.

I will note that if you go to Dalhousie Yacht Club, watch the current after a rain, and try eating at their clubhouse. They are a very friendly, helpful club and we enjoyed two nights there free on reciprocity. I think my kid liked the five-cent carousel in Lakeside Park.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and welcome aboard!
Good to have you here. Lively disagreements have been known to occur but rarely develop into gunbattles.
kind regards,

[Allan S]

It took us 5 hours to sail from Hamilton to St. Catharines 2 weeks ago to lay the boat up for the winter.

[Kalinka1]

Somtimes 4.5 somtimes 6.5 from Mimico depends on wind really can be a lot of fun or a nightmare depends on wind or no wind you can choose which eqals which welcome aboard!!

[S/V Alchemy]

In summer, you can find a nice dead zone of calm wind south and east of the Grimsby buoy, but in spring and fall, that can be the wildest part of the ride, too.