Canadian boating - Great Lakes and Atlantic region

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by PTJeffBoater

I have just joined this Forum, as I'm trying to get my (new) boat from Michigan to NY. The Welland and NYS Canals are currently "closed" to pleasure craft and I can't seem to get any sense out of anyone as to whether they will ever open up this season??? I really do not want to go anti-clockwise (Mississippi => Florida => East Coast), so asking the collective brain trust here whether you think the opening of Welland for pleasure craft is:
- imminent?
- contingent on US/Canada border opening?
- likely to happen any time soon/this season?
Trying to plan this trip in the midst of a pandemic is "fun"... would be good to get some indicator as to when people believe things will start to move? I see marinas are opening up along my intended route, so I'd like to hope that the canals will follow soon..... but hope is not a strategy!
Thanks in advance!

Don't know. You could contact the Seaway authority directly. Perhaps they might have an answer.

I'm not clear why the St. Lawrence Seaway is closed to recreational boats. They didn't give an explanation (as far as I know). Hard to make a case that recreational boaters pose a greater risk of transmission than commercial crew. The method of boats moving through the locks do not require any direct contact with either boat crew nor seaway personnel.

[SuW]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Don't know. You could contact the Seaway authority directly. Perhaps they might have an answer.

I'm not clear why the St. Lawrence Seaway is closed to recreational boats. They didn't give an explanation (as far as I know). Hard to make a case that recreational boaters pose a greater risk of transmission than commercial crew. The method of boats moving through the locks do not require any direct contact with either boat crew nor seaway personnel.

Afaik it was to stop people moving around, not for safety in the locks.

The border question is another issue. The border round here is a bit, ahem, loose. I don't know when the waterside customs posts will be staffed.

[PTJeffBoater]

The more I think about it (ouch) the more I think it's linked to US <=> Canada border opening, which stinks, because we'll be leaving Ohio/NY and only "touching" Canada to transit Welland, then turning East to Rochester/Osewgo, so not really "entering" Canada at all... very frustrating... I have reached out to the Seaway directly, but they just pointed me to the Notice to Mariners which was last updated on March 26th, so not very informative.

[skalashn]

Can you take the NYS canal all the way from Buffalo (assuming it opens at some point) and skip Welland and Canada all together?

[AiniA]

Originally Posted by PTJeffBoater

I have just joined this Forum, as I'm trying to get my (new) boat from Michigan to NY. The Welland and NYS Canals are currently "closed" to pleasure craft and I can't seem to get any sense out of anyone as to whether they will ever open up this season??? I really do not want to go anti-clockwise (Mississippi => Florida => East Coast), so asking the collective brain trust here whether you think the opening of Welland for pleasure craft is:
- imminent?
- contingent on US/Canada border opening?
- likely to happen any time soon/this season?
Trying to plan this trip in the midst of a pandemic is "fun"... would be good to get some indicator as to when people believe things will start to move? I see marinas are opening up along my intended route, so I'd like to hope that the canals will follow soon..... but hope is not a strategy!
Thanks in advance!

Probably not very helpful to suggest patience but that is about all I could suggest at this point. Things will likely to very different in a month.

[PTJeffBoater]

Originally Posted by skalashn

Can you take the NYS canal all the way from Buffalo (assuming it opens at some point) and skip Welland and Canada all together?

Sadly not for 2 reasons:
1. My air draft is ~19'... lowest bridge on E Erie is 15', so I need to go Welland => Oswego => W Erie => Hudson
2. NYS Canals aren't open, yet. They had to halt maintenance in March, so have a backlog before they can open for through navigation (assuming Cuomo has green-lighted construction to restart)

Am trying to consider breaking the delivery in to 2 trips: Michigan to Rochester/Oswego (so I'm ideally placed for when the canals open), then Oswego to Long Island.

I know it's a mess and I need to be patient, just clutching a straws trying to see if there's anyone out there who knows someone who knows someone (etc) who has been at the table where "they" are discussing all this?

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by PTJeffBoater

Sadly not for 2 reasons:
1. My air draft is ~19'... lowest bridge on E Erie is 15', so I need to go Welland => Oswego => W Erie => Hudson

Is it the boat pictured in your profile? Surely some of that skyscraper could just be unbolted and stowed?

[PTJeffBoater]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

Is it the boat pictured in your profile? Surely some of that skyscraper could just be unbolted and stowed?

Yes, the very same, but boats NEVER go back together the way they come apart, so that's a last resort, for sure... NYS Canals have just released a Notice to Mariners that their canals will be open for through-navigation by 4th July, so the Welland remains the long pole in the tent... either that, or get the hacksaw out to the hard top

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by PTJeffBoater

Sadly not for 2 reasons:
1. My air draft is ~19'... lowest bridge on E Erie is 15', so I need to go Welland => Oswego => W Erie => Hudson
2. NYS Canals aren't open, yet. They had to halt maintenance in March, so have a backlog before they can open for through navigation (assuming Cuomo has green-lighted construction to restart)

Am trying to consider breaking the delivery in to 2 trips: Michigan to Rochester/Oswego (so I'm ideally placed for when the canals open), then Oswego to Long Island.

I know it's a mess and I need to be patient, just clutching a straws trying to see if there's anyone out there who knows someone who knows someone (etc) who has been at the table where "they" are discussing all this?

Trailer and be done with it.

[PTJeffBoater]

Originally Posted by Montanan

Trailer and be done with it.

If only it were that simple... I was quoted $65K to "trailer" it, plus I'd have to take the fly bridge off, which is messy... sounds like things will start to move in July, so I need to hurry up and wait

[quarantined]

I'm in a similar situation, needing to get a boat from Lake Champlain into Lake Erie.

It looks like wait and see is still the only option, I guess.

[Dave Lochner]

Originally Posted by quarantined

I'm in a similar situation, needing to get a boat from Lake Champlain into Lake Erie.

It looks like wait and see is still the only option, I guess.

The Erie Canal should be open by July 4, except for on one lock in Oswego. Getting from Champlain to Erie should be a straight shot down the canal.

http://www.canals.ny.gov/wwwapps/tas...m.aspx?id=1460

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by Dave Lochner

The Erie Canal should be open by July 4, except for on one lock in Oswego. Getting from Champlain to Erie should be a straight shot down the canal.

Notices and Alerts - New York State Canals

Here's the full project status list they've got posted. Based on this, I wouldn't count on a full Erie Canal transit before mid-August.



Notice to Mariners

[quarantined]

I have a mildly related question to this.
What is the cell-coverage like for the Erie Canal system? If I can be available remotely for the majority of the trip from Champlain to Erie, I won't have to waste as much PTO.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by quarantined

I have a mildly related question to this.
What is the cell-coverage like for the Erie Canal system? If I can be available remotely for the majority of the trip from Champlain to Erie, I won't have to waste as much PTO.

At least with Verizon, there's decent signal for most of the run. There are definitely some dead spots, but staying reasonably connected isn't a problem.