Buying a sailboat on the Great Lakes or buying on the ocean?

[DarwinHolmstrom]

Would the difficulty of sailing from Lake Superior to the Atlantic make it worthwhile to consider purchasing a boat that's already in coastal waters instead?

The advantage of purchasing locally (I now live two hours from Superior) is that I could take a year to become familiar with my boat and preparing it to suit my needs before heading out. The disadvantage is that I may have trouble finding someone to accompany me if I have to unmast and take the canals or else have to make the long trip down the St. Lawrence Seaway solo.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

[Mike OReilly]

I bought my current boat while living on Lake Superior. I sailed it for five or six years, taking extended cruises on the Big Lake. Then me and my spouse sailed it from from Thunder Bay to Newfoundland over a couple of seasons. It was a grand journey.

You don't have to de-mast to do this journey if you take the Welland. It is a significant journey with lots of challenges. Only you can answer if it's not right for you, but it certainly can be done.

[rslifkin]

If you do the Erie Canal, you can singlehand as long as you're confident in your ability to do it. The Welland requires 2 people downbound (3 upbound), but the Erie has no such restriction.

[DarwinHolmstrom]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Then me and my spouse sailed it from from Thunder Bay to Newfoundland over a couple of seasons.

That sounds like a great adventure! I've never been to the maritime provinces and always wanted to visit. Were you able to spend the entire journey on your boat or did you have to pull it out of the water over the winter?

[chris mac]

We bought on lake ontario. We only spent 2 months on the lake then went through Oswego to the Erie canal. The only costs are mast down and mast up. Roughly $300 each side.
Canal is free, nightly time ups free as well.we pushed and did it in a week. But it could be done at a relaxed pace and be quite enjoyable. You could single hand, but a second pair of hands in the locks is very useful.
The biggest deciding factor to me right now would be crossing borders. I didn't notice which side you live on. If canadian, you can't cross currently on the lake. But you can fly to the Atlantic us coast easily. If American, then both options are available to you.

[DarwinHolmstrom]

Thank you Chris. I'm on the U.S. side. Right now they're banning U.S. pleasure craft from Canadian waters so Erie Canal would be the best route. I'm planning to spend next summer getting familiar with the boat I buy (right now I'm leaning toward a C&C 37), then either leave around this time next year and take the Erie Canal route, or if travel to Canada resumes, remain on Superior until the following spring, then head down the St. Lawrence Seaway.

[chris mac]

Originally Posted by DarwinHolmstrom

Thank you Chris. I'm on the U.S. side. Right now they're banning U.S. pleasure craft from Canadian waters so Erie Canal would be the best route. I'm planning to spend next summer getting familiar with the boat I buy (right now I'm leaning toward a C&C 37), then either leave around this time next year and take the Erie Canal route, or if travel to Canada resumes, remain on Superior until the following spring, then head down the St. Lawrence Seaway.

Sounds like a good plan.optionsare always nice.
C&C's are good boats. I havent been on a 37, but a buddy had a 30. Good luck with the purchase

[Bill O]

Originally Posted by DarwinHolmstrom

Would the difficulty of sailing from Lake Superior to the Atlantic make it worthwhile to consider purchasing a boat that's already in coastal waters instead?

The advantage of purchasing locally (I now live two hours from Superior) is that I could take a year to become familiar with my boat and preparing it to suit my needs before heading out. The disadvantage is that I may have trouble finding someone to accompany me if I have to unmast and take the canals or else have to make the long trip down the St. Lawrence Seaway solo.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

Darwin,
Totally worth it especially if it was a fresh water boat its whole life.


Did the trip from MI a few years back thru the NYS Canal System (specifically the Erie portion starting in Buffalo) and it was fairly easy. Posted to friends as an "Adventure Series" and had various locations where they could get on/off. This was enough "crew" for the various legs and had quite a bid of fun catching up.

If the borders ever open again, the short cut from the Lake Huron would be to take the Trent-Severn Canal (near Georgian Bay) to Lake Ontario, then to Oswego to the EC. The other way as you know is via Lake Erie to Buffalo.
Using the EC will save lots of time and ~1,500 mi less than going thru the St. Lawrence. The last few years there hasn't been a fee to use the canal system and when I went thru it was only a modest fee.
Stepping/unstepping the mast (2 for our boat) wasn't a big deal. Typically at either end people are waiting to do the same thing. You help them, they help you, it all works out. The best was near Albany at the Castleton Boat Club. Nice place and a huge DIY mast lifting rig (seen on their website) for ~$30.


Good luck on your upcoming boat purchase. This will be the most difficult thing to do!

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by DarwinHolmstrom

That sounds like a great adventure! I've never been to the maritime provinces and always wanted to visit. Were you able to spend the entire journey on your boat or did you have to pull it out of the water over the winter?

We did the journey over two seasons. First leg was from Thunder Bay, on the western side of Lake Superior, down to Belleville on the eastern side of Lake Ontario. We hauled out there and lingered for a few seasons (due to other life issues).

Then we went from Lake Ontario, down the St. Lawrence to Corner Brook, Newfoundland. This was an absolutely awesome trip. It was challenging in many ways, but very rewarding. Highly recommend it for anyone wanting to get to the Maritimes.

[DarwinHolmstrom]

I was just about to go for a motorcycle ride, mostly to keep the battery charged--I hardly ever ride anymore because if it's nice enough to ride motorcycle it's nice enough to be out sailing and I'd rather be on the water--and my motorcycle had been stolen. Checked the security cameras and some skinny dude of European descent pushed it away at 1:25 am. I'll take that as a sign that I should make an offer on that C&C 37 and live on the water. Can't get much more off-grid than that. Now I'm hoping for Canada to open up so I can finally visit the Maritime Provinces. My ex-wife was Canadian but her family consisted of Alberta Tories who weren't especially fond of the easterners and referred to the Quebecois in terms I refuse to repeat.

[Mike OReilly]

Funny you should mention motorcycles. Our boat is in Newfoundland, and those friendliest people in the world have told us to stay away this Covid season. So, we've got our little motorcycles out of storage and have turned this defunct sailing season into a motorcycle season.


We drove out from Ontario to Alberta (where my spouse grew up), and are heading for the west coast in a week or so. If the pandemic hadn't closed Newfoundland down we'd be sailing right now. But motorcycling is a pretty good Plan B.

[DarwinHolmstrom]

I love riding--I've made it my life's work and written many books on the subject, but sailing is relatively new to me. I just took the ASA 101 course this summer and am about to take the 103-104 courses in a few weeks. I used to road race motorcyles and the similarities between riding a motorcycle in a race and operating a sailboat are remarkable--they move the same and steer the same because both pivot on a central axis and both use counter steering because of that. The rules for safely overtaking are even similar except for the addition of the windward-leeward axis on a sailboat. But I bet a lot of people who love sailing also love riding, and vice versa. It is, however, a lot easier to cross the Gulf Stream on a sailboat than on a Ducati.

[DarwinHolmstrom]

This forum is addicting! I need to get back to reading my books for the ASA 103-104 courses!

[DarwinHolmstrom]

Originally Posted by Bill O

Totally worth it especially if it was a fresh water boat its whole life.

Thanks Bill. Good advice. Yes, she's been a freshwater boat since it emigrated from Canada 36 years ago! She's a bit on the expensive side, but she seems to be in remarkable condition and is well-equipped. The only thing she may be lacking is a windlass for the anchor, but it may be located inside the anchor locker. If she becomes my new domestic partner, I plan to spend this fall and next summer getting intimate with her on Superior, then either head out on the EC route later in the summer, timing my trip so that I arrive on the Atlantic right about the time hurricane season winds down, or else wait until the following June and explore the maritime provinces on the scenic route. There will be many factors beyond my control determining which route I take, but having one's route determined by factors beyond our control seems to be part of the charm of sailing!

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by DarwinHolmstrom

...I bet a lot of people who love sailing also love riding, and vice versa. It is, however, a lot easier to cross the Gulf Stream on a sailboat than on a Ducati.

I agree. There's a lot of similarities between sailing and motorcycling, and especially for (sailboat) cruising, and long-distance riding. The open air, the dependency on weather, the simplicity ... it's great.

It's just too bad biking season and sailing season overlap so much -- at least up in the north.