Getting a 54ft Ketch from MI to the Atlantic

[joshrosenthal1]

How can I get a boat, 54ft Ketch (draft is about 5ft) from St. Clair MI through to NYC? or is there a better way to get to the Atlantic?

Any advise is welcomed.

We are thinking of buying a boat in MI and making a family trip of it. Is that a possibility? or is it all grunt, masts off and canals?

Cheers

[LeaseOnLife]

look up "Erie Canal"

New York State Canals

[LoudMusic]

Distant Shores did it, mast off, keel up. Definitely check your draft requirements, though.

What is this 54' ketch you've found that only has 5' draft?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctM1R_l0QGE

[Bill O]

Josh,
We brought our boat from Keen's Marina on the Detroit River to the Hudson River via the Erie Canal. LOA on our boat is 54' w/ a 6.5' draft and we had no problem. We took the masts down before we left and motored the whole length of Lake Erie (not too bad ~ 36 hrs at 6 kts.). Make sure you check the weather before you do that crossing as it can get nasty on Erie in bad weather.

Once in the Erie Canal starting at Buffalo, it was very easy going through the locks, especially with a current of ~ 1kt. pushing us to the east. Oh and did I tell you the good news, this year there are no fees on the Erie Canal!

The alternate route out of LSC is to go north (upstream via the SC River) to Georgian Bay. There pick up the Severn/Trent Waterway to Lake Ontario crossing to Oswego, NY to then pick up the Erie Canal.

Timing: We left mid-June and in the middle of the EC some marinas were just opening for the season (if you needed fuel). It took us 2 weeks to travel from Detroit to the Chesapeake Bay which included a 3 day stop in Troy/Albany waiting for new crew arrival and re-stepping the masts.

All in all a memory and good trip through the locks. One other tidbit to pass along. Make some boat hooks out of simple 2x2x8' from Home Depot/Lowes. The collapsible aluminum boat hooks are useless to push the boat off the canal walls. Fairly simple to make , just screw in a heavy metal hook on one end and possibly smooth out the corners a bit, done. The boat hooks were so great I eventually made some better ones to handle our 20 ton boat.

Have a nice trip.
Bill O.

[AiniA]

If this mainly a delivery or if time is short then the Erie Canal is the way to go,. If you have tons of time and want an adventure you can go down the St Lawrence and the turn right (spend as much time as possible in Newfoundland, spectacular cruising ground. This route is much, much further and more challenging but rewarding.

[GRIT]

I took a little more than 30 days from Penetanguishene Ontario to PEI, via the St Lawrence Seaway. Spent some time touring. The lakes and Seaway are beautiful in places, and boring in others. But no matter, it's better than motoring the whole way down a waterway.

A real nice experience for your family; Montreal, Trois Rivieres, Quebec city, (lots of history in these three places alone), Perce, Bras D'or Lakes, Halifax, Lunenburg, Shelburn, then the US coast. Look some of these up on the internet, it's a great trip, and a good experience for the whole family.

You'll spend most of your time, from Montreal to Perce, motoring. But from MI to Montreal is mostly sailing, and from Perce to your destination is also sailing. It's a sailboat after all, isn't it?

Cheers.
Paul.

[Stemci]

Not sure large a vessel they will move but check out sailors moving sailors Nashville Tj.

[ztsf]

Erie Canal. You can sail to Buffalo or Tonawanda (Wardells), to unstep mast. If it were me, I'd unstep it and ship it to Catskill, NY ( Hoponose), and have it restepped there. Motoring with the mast on a sawhorse is challenging and the rigging is everywhere. We did it on our C&C 40, but your rig is significantly bigger and heavier. Lake Oneida can get rough and you'd better have your mast secured well. There are "do-it-yourself" options on the Hudson. Depends on your pocket book. I had a friend do it on an Irwin 52. Shipped the mast from Detroit/Toledo area (Toledo Beach Marina), and they thoroughly enjoyed the canal.

Your choice. After restepping, sailing/motoring the Hudson is easy. Then you're on the Atlantic.

[Jeanneau 45.2]

We did this last Fall. Stayed in the Great Lakes until November then trucked to Charleston, SC. I would do it this way again ... about $7,000 all in door-to-door. Not unreasonable when evaluated from a "margin cost" basis. As previously noted, on its own bottom is essentially a delivery which is no fun, and more importantly, no way to introduce the family to live-aboard life, IMHO.

[carlheintz]

As others have pointed out, you have 2 options: fast and slow. Both have their scenic points and advantages. As one who has done the St. Lawrence seaway, let me caution you that it is long (and sometimes a lot cooler than expected, even in August) The beauty will make up for that. As will the many wonderful ports along the way. The Canadian maritime provinces are spectacular. The people are friendly and there's lots to do and see. You will love it.

I have not done the Erie canal, but friends talk about how neat it is. OK so you have to motor, and you have the mast on the boat... annoyances... made up for by the historic scenery.

So my vote: if you are adventurous, good sailor, have the time, do the St. Lawrence. If you are somewhat cautious, don't want to explore new open water with a new boat, to the Erie.

[darylat8750]

The choices mentioned make sense. I would add that if you are going to unstep the masts don't mis the Trent-Severn waterway. While the Erie canal is mostly straight dug canal the Trent Severn is mostly rivers and lakes connected by short canals. The favorite part of America's Great Loop for my wife and I.

"The alternate route out of LSC is to go north (upstream via the SC River) to Georgian Bay. There pick up the Severn/Trent Waterway to Lake Ontario crossing to Oswego, NY to then pick up the Erie Canal."

.

[Dave Lochner]

There are 3 main routes.

Sail to Buffalo and enter the Erie Canal and motor across NY State to the Hudson River.

Sail to the Welland Canal, take the Welland to Lake Ontario. Then sail to Oswego, NY and take the Oswego Canal to the Erie Canal to the Hudson.

Sail to the Welland, then sail Lake Ontario to the St. Lawrence River and out to the ocean.

The Trent-Severn route is way out of the way and your boat may not fit.

The controlling depth on the Erie Canal is around 11 feet. The controlling height is too low to leave the mast up.

The Welland Canal to Oswego route is a little bit shorter in time and has more sailing than the Buffalo Erie Canal route, but the tolls on the Welland are higher than the Erie Canal (especially this year). Erie Canal tolls are pretty reasonable.

On any route other than the St. Lawrence route the mast will need to come down.

All of the possible routes are interesting and scenic.

[darylat8750]

The Trent-Severn is out of the way but my boat has 5 ft draft and over 17 ft air draft and no problem.

[Dave Lochner]

Originally Posted by darylat8750

The Trent-Severn is out of the way but my boat has 5 ft draft and over 17 ft air draft and no problem.

With those numbers you won't be able to pass through the Erie Canal from Buffalo/Tonawanda, you'll have to go through the Welland Canal to Lake Ontario and the Oswego Canal to Erie Canal to the Hudson. Clearance on the Tonawanda to Three Rivers section is about 15 feet at maximum water.

Bridge Heights - New York State Canals

[hamburking]

Just a bit of clarification...

- The Detroit River connects Lake St Clair to Lake Erie. Mast stays UP.

- You can motor/sail Lake Erie non stop in 2 days, weather permitting. A little longer most likely if you actually sail, enjoy the ride, and save the diesel for the canals. If you want easy days, and a port/marina every night, you could spend a week on that lake.

- Ditto for Lake Ontario, but there are more ports (I think) and interesting places to go.

- Welland canal connects Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. Its a big canal for big ships and has 8 locks. Mast stays UP. Usually done in a single day.

- Erie canal, mast down, easy motoring with lots of easy/interesting stops along the way. Gets you to the top of the Hudson river (where you put the mast up and sail south)

- You can enter the Erie canal at Buffalo (Lake Erie) or Oswego (Lake Ontario).

The sailing in Lake Erie and Lake Ontario can be excellent...fresh water, nice people, interesting places. The low canadian dollar may also entice you to travel along the north shore of those lakes. The 1000 islands region of Lake Ontario is particularly nice (although I'm biased of course).

As others have said, the choice is yours...are you in a rush and just want to get there? Or are you looking to enjoy the trip, and do some swimming and exploring along the way. If you are really in a hurry, or have no crew, get it trucked. It may seem expensive at first glance but what is your time worth?

If you are asking for an opinion, then I refer to your original statement that you would bring your family and make it a trip. If it were me, and I had the resources, I would spend a day at least getting the boat "ship shape" including a diesel engine test of an hour (at least). Then head south to Lake Erie. I'm not too familiar with the best ports on Lake Erie to stop, but since its the beginning of your trip, I would push through and sail overnight to the Welland. A day in the Welland, then head east again. Stop at Cobourg, and Main Duck. Reprovision at Kingston, and if you have the time spend a weekend at anchor in the Admiralty Group of islands...and test out your dinghy by visiting the beach on Thwartway Island and a meal in Gananaque (both by dinghy). If you are a romantic, then continue up the river a few hours to historic Boldt Castle for an afternoon...its really something. Then head back along the US side, with maybe a night anchored in the bay at Clayton or at the free docks in Cape Vincent, then race across the lake to Oswego to pull the mast and start the canal. Give yourself 3 weeks and make some memories. This is really a wonderful cruising area.