St. Lawrence Transit

[rognvald]

We'll be sailing out of the Great Lakes this June to Florida. We are American citizens and would like to know any experiences others have encountered with the Canadian Coast Guard during transit recently. We, of course, will have all the necessary boat documents, insurance, and safety requirements. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated. Best, Rognvald

[Flagman101]

Originally Posted by rognvald

We'll be sailing out of the Great Lakes this June to Florida. We are American citizens and would like to know any experiences others have encountered with the Canadian Coast Guard during transit recently. We, of course, will have all the necessary boat documents, insurance, and safety requirements. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated. Best, Rognvald

Once you have cleared customs don't worry about the Coast guard. They check boats coming in from the Ocean not from the great lakes.
Some police departments do check for safety gear. Make sure you have everything needed on board. They usually position themselves in lockes. So they don't have to board your boat out in the open. Most police force focus on motor boats not sailboats.
You might see an auxiliary coast guard boat every now and then. They are not the coast guards and have no official powers. They are there to help boaters in need, not policing
Other then that...if you do see a Real Coast Guard boat, your lucky.

It's different in Canada. Even the official Coast Guard have no policing powers. They must have Police officers onboard to carry any official police operations.
You won't see rib boats with a 50 cal gun on the bow.

[GRIT]

You won't see a 50 cal on a rib.
We're very civilized here.

[Mike OReilly]

The only water cops we saw were around Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, and in the Sorel to Trois-Rivières stretches. I’ve never had a negative experience with our Coast Guard or other local cops.

If you’re not giving them cause to check you out, likely they’ll pass you by. Cruising sailboats are rarely the problem on the water — something our police seem to understand.