Cruising above Reversing Fall, New Brunswik, CA

[jen1722terry]

Hello to all the Atlantic Coast cruisers.

This summer, we're hoping to take our 31' sailboat through the reversing falls in Saint John, New Brunswick and cruise the rivers above as far north as Frederickton.

If any of you have experience on that cruising area, we'd like to hear about it. We've yet to locate a cruising guide for that specific area.

It was 1 degree F here in New Hampshire the other night, but we're hopeful that spring will eventually arrive and we can get back on the water at our home port in Northeast Harbor, Maine.

Cheers to all

[Fintry]

The Cruising Guide to the New England Coast is now ancient, but covers the area well. A Cruising to the Maine Coast also covers the Saint John.


The Cruising Club of America's CCA Cruising Guide to Nova Scotia is the most up to date and has six pages on the river. (Full disclosure -- I am editor of one of the CCA's other guides).


Jim

[deblen]

This may help: https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...-215910-2.html


https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3782186



Cheers/Len

[Kettlewell]

Out of print now I think, but A Cruising Guide to the Bay of Fundy and the St. John River, Nicholas Tracy, McGraw-Hill, 1995. https://www.amazon.com/Cruising-Guid.../dp/0070653038

[deblen]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

Out of print now I think, but A Cruising Guide to the Bay of Fundy and the St. John River, Nicholas Tracy, McGraw-Hill, 1995. https://www.amazon.com/Cruising-Guid.../dp/0070653038

Tks
We don't have the population to support these small volume endeavours in many fields.
It does force one to adapt & be more self reliant though. /Len

[jen1722terry]

Thanks so much to all for the help. We can track down the old cruising guides from used booksellers.

However, we're still hoping for input from someone who has actually cruised the rivers above St. John recently. We expect that, like another coastal area where we live for part of the year, much has changed since the old cruising guides were published. An example is marinas: some have closed in the US and we're wondering if any have closed in New Brunswick.

And Fintry: we see you edit the Nova Scotia cruising guide. We're Yanks, but we actually live in Nova Scotia (Mahone Bay) for about half the year. We had our boat there in '14 - '15. PM us if you like and we can chat.

Thanks again to all and enjoy the coming spring outfitting.

[deblen]

You may want to join this group if coming North.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/268778300122540

[deblen]

Originally Posted by jen1722terry

Thanks so much to all for the help. We can track down the old cruising guides from used booksellers.

However, we're still hoping for input from someone who has actually cruised the rivers above St. John recently. We expect that, like another coastal area where we live for part of the year, much has changed since the old cruising guides were published. An example is marinas: some have closed in the US and we're wondering if any have closed in New Brunswick.

And Fintry: we see you edit the Nova Scotia cruising guide. We're Yanks, but we actually live in Nova Scotia (Mahone Bay) for about half the year. We had our boat there in '14 - '15. PM us if you like and we can chat.

Thanks again to all and enjoy the coming spring outfitting.

I have cruised the SJ river. There has been little to no change in the last 10yrs or so-just improvements.

I will try to attach more info-but-there is limited "yachting" infrastructure,due to our short Jun-Sept recreational boating season. You will be "roughing" a bit,compared to US East coast. However,people are friendly,you will be safe anywhere & a quick radio call will get you more help than you can handle.
Also,the river is mostly mud bottom,so bumping is no big deal.


Marinas : https://marinas.com/search?category=...y=Saint%20John
https://tourismnewbrunswick.ca/listing/gagetown-marina
https://www.evandaleresort.com/marina.html
https://marinas.com/view/marina/d9c2...cton_NB_Canada
https://www.discoverboating.ca/boati...ion.aspx?id=84
https://fishing-app.gpsnauticalchart....4987/-65.9862

[jen1722terry]

Thanks so very much for the advice and links.

We see you're on Grand Manan, a lovely place. We stopped there back in '14-15 going to and from Nova Scotia from our home port on Mt. Desert Island.

A brief story: While visiting your island, my wife Jenn developed a bullseye-shaped rash on her arm. Suspecting lyme disease, we headed to your little hospital. Jenn was the only patient. One of the two doctors was very familiar with insect-borne diseases and assured us it was not lyme, but the result of the bite of a local horsefly. Jenn was fine. The care was excellent and we were very grateful.

Sadly, a few weeks later, we heard of a medivac plane crash on the island. One of the nurses that treated us was killed. We'll always think kindly of Grand Manan.

Thanks again for your help with our trip planning. We're already excited and our boat is still on the hard.

[deblen]

Originally Posted by jen1722terry

Thanks so very much for the advice and links.

We see you're on Grand Manan, a lovely place. We stopped there back in '14-15 going to and from Nova Scotia from our home port on Mt. Desert Island.

A brief story: While visiting your island, my wife Jenn developed a bullseye-shaped rash on her arm. Suspecting lyme disease, we headed to your little hospital. Jenn was the only patient. One of the two doctors was very familiar with insect-borne diseases and assured us it was not lyme, but the result of the bite of a local horsefly. Jenn was fine. The care was excellent and we were very grateful.

Sadly, a few weeks later, we heard of a medivac plane crash on the island. One of the nurses that treated us was killed. We'll always think kindly of Grand Manan.

Thanks again for your help with our trip planning. We're already excited and our boat is still on the hard.

Thank you. Yes-2 friends lost.
My daughter in law lives in North Head,was bitten yesterday,developed the bulls-eye & got a prescription for doxy as a precaution. "Lyme" ticks are prevalent in the North Head area,as well as mainland eastern Canada. I am surprised your wife wasn't given a scrip for an antibiotic. It is almost automatic here now,especially if the bulls-eye shows.
Glad you enjoyed your visit.Have a great time on the river! /Len Ingalls

[jen1722terry]

Yes, we were given a doxy scrip. But the other symptoms convinced both docs that it was not lyme. Anyhow, she was fine in a few days.

Loved that campground on the north end of the island. Great place. Can't wait to stop by again this summer.

Cheers

[Kettlewell]

It's been a long time since I went up the river, but it is a gorgeous trip and very nice to leave the coastal fog (mostly) behind. Very friendly people too. My one piece of advice is to do the Reversing Falls at dead slack water, and don't follow any locals through there! We were waiting around for slack water to enter when a local boat went whisking by and I thought, "He must know what he's doing." Maybe he knew what he was getting into, but when we got to the falls it was definitely a downhill run much like shooting whitewater rapids in a kayak. Huge whirlpools too. That was too much excitement and on the way out of the river we waited for total slack current and it was much nicer.

[jen1722terry]

Thanks for this important piece of wisdom, JJ. We'll be on a small (31') older (40 years) keel sailboat and will not be in the mood for a whitewater adventure. We'll be sure to learn exactly when we need to traverse the falls.

Beyond that, we're excited about this trip. For so many years folks have told us how nice it is. Now it's our turn.

Happy spring outfitting!

[deblen]

Originally Posted by Kettlewell

It's been a long time since I went up the river, but it is a gorgeous trip and very nice to leave the coastal fog (mostly) behind. Very friendly people too. My one piece of advice is to do the Reversing Falls at dead slack water, and don't follow any locals through there! We were waiting around for slack water to enter when a local boat went whisking by and I thought, "He must know what he's doing." Maybe he knew what he was getting into, but when we got to the falls it was definitely a downhill run much like shooting whitewater rapids in a kayak. Huge whirlpools too. That was too much excitement and on the way out of the river we waited for total slack current and it was much nicer.

Try to follow my schedule for departing G Manan. It gives a link to slack times by week only.If you leave GMI on the last of the Fundy ebb,even if you have to leave before daylight,it gives you 8hrs to make the 50NM run to S.John & you will be going up the Bay on mostly flood.
If you want to take a peek at Falls conditions a little early,you can proceed up to just below the Falls bridge,where you can see up thru under bridge to pulp mill area. You can drift or idle in circles at this quiet pool just below the bridge.
You can go thru,at the last 1/2hr of the inflow,if you are in a rush.Even if your engine failed,the current will take you thru clear of the rocks.
I don't recommend going thru against very much outflow,as the whirlpools will overtake your steering & engine somewhat,& that can be un-nerving.
The current will bring you down thru on the start of the outflow also. If this ever happened,just use power/rudder to maintain steerage way,& let the current bring you.
My dad operated a harbour tug & I made several return trips from harbour to Indiantown & back-same slack.It was interesting,to say the least.

https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...dy-215910.html