Great loop on a sailboat question

[mayberrybfd]

Can you go from Toronto and north around to the east coast without using the Erie Canal.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by mayberrybfd

Can you go from Toronto and north around to the east coast without using the Erie Canal.

Sure... but assuming the goal is not to pull the mast, it's a very long way out of the way. Simply take the St. Lawrence seaway out to the Atlantic and tun right around Nova Scotia.

There are basically 3 canal based routes to get from the Great Lakes to NYC:
- Buffalo NY run the full length of the eire canal to the Hudson River and then south. (welland canal can get you to buffalo)
- Take the Oswego Canal and just do the east end of the Erie Canal to the Hudson and south. (probably the most logical from Toronto)
- From Montreal, cut thru Lake Champlain to the Hudson and south.

Toronto to NYC via he Oswego is around 500miles.
Via the St. Lawrence it's more like 2000miles with offshore passages (hug the coast and it can be even longer)

[mayberrybfd]

Thanks for the RSVP. Valhalla. 360. 2000 around might be a bit much. So Oswego to the hudson. Best route. And my guess is un stepping the mast is unavoidable. Correct ??? Ugh.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by mayberrybfd

Thanks for the RSVP. Valhalla. 360. 2000 around might be a bit much. So Oswego to the hudson. Best route. And my guess is un stepping the mast is unavoidable. Correct ??? Ugh.

Oswego is the most logical if your goal is to get south...not necessarily the best.

If it was us, we would leave in the spring and slowly traverse the entire Erie with a side loop up Lake Champlain to Montreal.

Yes, you need to pull the mast to do the canals...but it's pretty much all protected waters so easy to strap it on deck.