Duluth to Shediac, NB

[pikebart]

Hello - my first time here. I have just purchased a Tartan 37 in Duluth, MN and plan to sail her east thru the lakes and down the St Lawrence ending up in ?Shediac, NB; ultimately winding up home in Maine. What are likely to be my most rigorous challenges en-route? When bouncing back and forth between US and Canadian ports do you have to clear every time? Any recommended reading material available? I did notice a book by Brazer but it was written in '85 and don't know how helpful it would be.
Thanks

Pike

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Pike.

Check out the CANPASS Private Boats & CANPASS RABC (for Lk Superior) programs:

➥ http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/canp...eboat-eng.html

➥ http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/prog/canp.../menu-eng.html

[Kalinka1]

Greetings!! The hardest part of the trip might be leaving the dock! and getting down Superior. Ontario and the St. Lawrence are really pretty easy. The Welland canal needs to be watched as there are some pretty big holes in the walls.

[marlinespike]

The trip you are planning to make is, at least in part, the Down East Circle Route.

The toughest part is playing the currents on the St. Lawrence River
not the locks. Down locking in the seaway is very easy but you must
plan your daily passage with the tidal currents.

There is an excellent guide book for the entire trip and just last summer the latest edition was released.
Cruising Guide to the Down East Circle Route 2nd ed.

The guide has very good information on currents--what time to leave based on your boat speed etc.

There is a web page yachtpilot.ca The FAQ's may be a good place to start.

[AiniA]

Should be a pleasant trip overall as long as you don't have to rush. One slight problem is that you cannot leave Duluth too early since it is cold, but Superior never really warms up that much anyway, guess you just need to bundle up well. You will need warm clothes in the lower St Lawrence as well.

If you can make the time, spend some time on the south coast of Newfoundland. It is an incredible cruising ground. You need to be confident enough in yourself and the boat to operate independently there - not many people around. Also the Magdalen Islands Quebec City are well worth a stop.

The locks downbound are easy - two people can do it, although three makes it easy. You want a good boat hook and gloves. Certainly use the tides in the St Lawrence below Three Rivers - you will go really fast. We came up the river and were doing more than 10 knots over the ground, upstream at one point.