St. Lawrence haul out options

[SaltyTanned]

I've never heard of a Lachine river near Montréal. There is a Lachine canal but it is not in service to my knowledge, was replaced by the ST Lawrence Seaway. There are plans for using it again for pleasure boats, an I believe it is partly in use already.

You will be arriving via the St Lawrence Seaway. Near the Montréal end, there are yacht clubs that haul. Most do it once a year in the fall and have a large crane come for a weekend. You must reserve of course. Prices are reasonable.

Another option is to sail up de Richelieu River from Sorel towards Lake Champlain. There are a number of facilities near St-Paul-de-l'île-aux-noix. That is the sailing center for the region. Most boats there sail lake Champlain. You need not cross the border to the us but I imagine if you sail lake Ontario this is not a problem for you. There you would find many sailors and sail shops and tradesmen. You would have to remove the mast though. Clearance is 29 feet.

[KrazySailing]

I over wintered EvenSong https://krazysailing.wordpress.com/about/ in Rimouski in 2009/10 and Port Saunders , Newfoundland in 2010/11. Would recommend both. Friendly, helpful and excellent service. There are Marine services centre around Newfoundland. I believe they were originally government operated and now in private hands. They seem to be a day or two sails apart. The ones I have seen handle fishing boats much larger than yours.

[OceansFive]

Fair winds on your passge down the St. Lawrence - I did the same passage in 2009 and I'm still here in Labrador! (Leraving for Azores shortly).

After Rimouski, I don't know of anywhere along the North Shore except maybe Sept Isles - can't remember.

Assuming you are coming through the Strait of Belle Isle - Port Saunders on NW coast of Newfoundland, Blanc Sablon in Quebec (Strait of Belle Isle).

One name definitely to remember is Riteway Construction - it's a marine yard run by John Belbin with his brother Preston - near L'Anse au Loup. The yard is actually in L'anse au Diable (Lance o Jable in local speak) 5 miles weast of L'anse au Loup. These guys can fix anything! They haul boats with a travellift and will store too for $5.50 per day. My boat has been with them for 3 winters.

If you have time and are interested I'd definitely spend some time on the Labrador coast - not just the Strait (Red Bay) but Battle Harbour and down (north) the coast to Cartwright. Lovely anchorages.

St. Anthony can haul out some designs of boats but is not equipped for keel sailboats. Englee no longer has a working travellift I'm told.

Please let me know if you'd like more info on Labrador and the Northern Peninsula - never been to Lewisporte.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Kuan Yin

...One name definitely to remember is Riteway Construction - it's a marine yard run by John Belbin with his brother Preston - near L'Anse au Loup. The yard is actually in L'anse au Diable (Lance o Jable in local speak) 5 miles weast of L'anse au Loup. These guys can fix anything! They haul boats with a travellift and will store too for $5.50 per day. My boat has been with them for 3 winters.

Thanks for all the great info Kuan Yin. If we make it to NFLD we'll definitely spend a few seasons exploring The Rock and north to Labrador. The Belbin yard sounds great. Maybe we'll end up there as well...

Originally Posted by KrazySailing

I over wintered EvenSong https://krazysailing.wordpress.com/about/ in Rimouski in 2009/10 and Port Saunders , Newfoundland in 2010/11. Would recommend both. Friendly, helpful and excellent service. There are Marine services centre around Newfoundland. I believe they were originally government operated and now in private hands. They seem to be a day or two sails apart. The ones I have seen handle fishing boats much larger than yours.

Thanks Krazy. Rimouski was going to be our main bailout point, but when I checked their website they said they can handle up to about 13 tons. Our boat is 15. Are they being conservative?

[amstel]

I found this 2007 consultant's report on the state of marine tourism on the rock.
Appendix C is a list of 'marina' facilities all around Nfld which might prove useful.
http://holyroodmarina.ca/pdfs/acoa_marina_strategy.pdf

[Dave Lochner]

Originally Posted by SaltyTanned

I've never heard of a Lachine river near Montréal. There is a Lachine canal but it is not in service to my knowledge, was replaced by the ST Lawrence Seaway. There are plans for using it again for pleasure boats, an I believe it is partly in use already.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lachine_Rapids

[hpeer]

Mike,

We are still hung up in Delaware but hope to be underway Tuesday morning. We may be behind you.

Kuan Yin,
Glad to see you are still around. We met in St Anthony's a few years back. 44' steel cutter. You lead an interesting life.

[tmason]

Originally Posted by Shoalcove

You have a few choices besides staying in Newfoundland itself. You could run over to Cape Breton and leave it in the Bras D'Or Lakes at Baddeck Marine or one of the other local Marinas. It's beautiful in the Lakes and they have a good reputation.
You could check out the boatyard in Souris PEI to see if that suited. I believe they have a big travel lift for the fishing fleet. Or, closer to the St. Lawrence, you could check out the shipyard in Shippegan NB. It handles some pretty big vessels so shouldn't have any troubles with the weight of your boat.
The marinas in the Shediac/Moncton area don't have a travel lift but rent a crane for organized haul outs. Storage is also more difficult for transient boats but they are pretty friendly and it may be convenient depending on your plans as there is an airport handy.
Hopefully, that gives you a starting point. Let me know if you have more questions!

We have considered hauling out in NS during our proposed lake Ontario to NS trip this summer and Baddeck marine (Google it) was recommended. However, since the Canadian authorities are now enforcing the 12 month rule, Baddeck has gone out of business as their base was US yachts. At least that's the news as of this time last year. A real shame, sounded like the perfect spot.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by hpeer

Mike,

We are still hung up in Delaware but hope to be underway Tuesday morning. We may be behind you.

Hi Howard, hope you're able to get going soon. Since posting my OP here we've run into new diesel problems, so we're stuck here in Belleville. Hopefully we can get this one sorted soon, and be off maybe next week or the week after. If not, we may be exploring Lake Ontario this year .

[Shoalcove]

Originally Posted by tmason

We have considered hauling out in NS during our proposed lake Ontario to NS trip this summer and Baddeck marine (Google it) was recommended. However, since the Canadian authorities are now enforcing the 12 month rule, Baddeck has gone out of business as their base was US yachts. At least that's the news as of this time last year. A real shame, sounded like the perfect spot.

Baddeck Marine has not gone out of business!! I just talked to them this morning! It is true that the government had announced a clampdown on US yachts but there was some pushback and I'm not sure if that is actually being enforced or not. In any case, it's not an issue for us Canucks. If you were thinking of keeping your boat there, they may have more insight on that for you.

[hpeer]

Denison,
Glad to hear from you. We met in St Anthony's a few years back. 44' steel cutter.

Mike,
Sorry to hear of your woes. We were held up by steering issues and now have to wait for some weather to pass. We are still hoping to make Lewisporte.

But it's Rimunski or Bust!

[hpeer]

I kept our small boat at Nort Sydney Yacht Club for a couple of years. Their lift was limited. But they might be worth a call as my info is dated.