Great Lakes to NYC - May 2020

Tigger

Active Member
Jul 7, 2015
102
Long Island, NY
Boat Info
Azimut 58 Fly
Engines
2 x MAN R6-800CR diesel inboards
Sold my beloved Sea Ray SB400 last summer and now switched to Azimut... HOWEVER, she's in the Great Lakes and I'm on Long Island!... an air draft of almost 20' makes the Western Erie a non-starter, so it's Welland Canal, Oswego, Eastern Erie and Hudson for me (petty much half the great loop!)... I'm thinking a day for Michigan, a day for Huron, a day for Erie, a day for Welland Canal, a day for Ontario, a day for Oswego, a day for Erie and another 2 for the Hudson (7-10 days in all, depending on weather)... I'm interviewing captains to join me, as local experience is going to be crucial, but would welcome any advice you have on:

- Anyone done a similar trip (or part of it?)?
- Places to stop/fuel on the Great Lakes? We are Yacht Club members with reciprocity, so that may be an option.
- The NYS canals don't open until May 15th, so I can't get to Oswego before that date
- What's the weather typically like on the Lakes in early/mid May (anything to watch for)?
- Anyone been through the Welland/Oswego/Erie canals? I read that fender boards are essential to save fenders?
- I hear pleasure boaters are 2nd class citizens to commercial traffic on the Welland... any advice to keep me sane?
- On a more practical note, should I change the magnesiums to zincs before I leave, or when I hit salt water?
- Anything I missed?

A lot to unpack there, I realize... if it's easier, PM me.

Thanks in advance for the help.
 
A day per lake? In May? That seems a bit aggressive. How fast will you plan to run? I assume your 58 can handle 3 footers without concern but may slow you down a bit. Beyond 3 footers and even boats your size will generally stay in port. That may sound strange for big water boaters coming from an ocean but....I guess you have to experience it yourself, maybe? :)

If you're doing the driving (east side of Lake Michigan) I'd suggest that South Haven and Pentwater probably have the easiest in/out gas docks I've ever been to. Broadside ties in the main channels, not in marinas. Nothing but traffic to deal with, of which there won't be a whole lot in early May. If you're on the other side of Lake Michigan, Belmont (Chicago) has a very easy gas dock approach too, Sturgeon Bay is an awesome overnight stop to the north.

Stringing together more than a few days of good lake conditions in May seems a bit unlikely but it could surely happen. The other challenge you may have is the historic high water and the associated debris. You'll want to be extra cautious when out on the lakes and in the rivers to/from fuel. I'm sure your captain would be aware of this, hopefully. Floating stair cases have become pretty common sites :)!

If you find yourself stopping in Grand Haven there are a number of us CSR members there. I wouldn't even know how to properly throw a line to a 58 footer but I do know how to offer a cold beer.
 
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The lakes can still be mean that time of year. An aggressive schedule can be really unpleasant to keep. You're also cruising past some incredible ports. If you have any way to delay/extend...

Pleasureboats are only second class in the Welland because there's no third or fourth class! Commercial traffic gets priority and there's not much we can do about it aside from being patient. It's not unusual to encounter a 12 hour delay. Fender boards are more of a sailboat thing in my experience - they need to mitigate their more curved hullsides and they struggle more to combat turbulence that some of the old locks provide, particularly while filling.

The canal has locks on each side, so you'll slide down both on port and starboard. Keep that in your strategy: if you go with boards, you'll need to swap side or bring a board for each side.

Long ago, the fuel dock in Port Colborne sold burlap bags full of straw to use instead of fenders - you'd just toss them at the far end. I haven't seen those lately. At one point they were selling woven vinyl bags to cover fenders. They worked great, but most people I know use old pillow cases or just sacrifice trashy old fenders.

On the plus side, you'll be transiting downbound, and that's significantly easier than coming up.
 
I could be wrong, but I remember hearing that burlap bags filled with straw was banned as they would get loose or thrown in the locks and foul the mechanisms.
That might be the Erie Canal, not sure.
 

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