Sailing the Erie Canal

[CzechMate]

Has any one ever sailed from the Great Lakes thru the Erie Canal and out to the Atlantic Ocean? I heard there are about 16 locks, and in some places there is a "mast down", and motor only requirement. I think it would be an interesting trip, but I wonder if my Mac 26D is suitable for the trip. What kind of accomodations, and dockage facilities are available along the way? If anyone has made the trip, about how long would it take from Lake Erie (Ashtabula)' all the way to the Hudson, and out to sea. Any special permits, fees or inspections, or pre-cautions to know about? I would be interested to hear from all who have had this experience.

Happy New Year!

 

[Sumner]

The Mac would be a great boat to use for that. We were going to do it 2 summers ago, but bought another boat and got sidetracked.

You will take the mast down for almost the whole trip which I think is about 350 miles if you go the whole way since there are a lot of low bridges. Nice thing with the Mac is you could trailer and put in or take out about anyplace. Also along the route there are a couple lakes and there again you could have the mast up and sailing in minutes, you could also detour down a side canal to some other lakes.

Google it and you will find the other info you need online. We were going to start at Long Island Sound (have family there) and go up the Hudson. The Hudson can be effected by tides a long ways up.

Download OpenCPN or SeaClearII for free and the free NOAA charts for New York and you will have the charts for the Hudson and the whole canal.

I've still haven't heard anyone say they didn't like the trip and we might haul the Mac back there and do it yet,

Sum

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]============================[/FONT]

Our Endeavour 37

Our MacGregor 26-S Pages

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

 

[Chris & Lenore]

Here is the blog from friends of ours that started in Lake Superior and are headed to the Bahamas. They went through the Erie Canal in the fall. Might be some good info in their blog. Their boat is bigger but they don't go much faster than a Mac. And water depth (for them) was often a worry. Our boats would be perfect. I would not want to use our Mac for the open ocean part of their trip (after the canal).
They also went through the Trent-Severn (which people seem to either love or hate).

http://sv-ihana.blogspot.ca/


Chris

 

[CzechMate]

Here is the blog from friends of ours that started in Lake Superior and are headed to the Bahamas. They went through the Erie Canal in the fall. Might be some good info in their blog. Their boat is bigger but they don't go much faster than a Mac. And water depth (for them) was often a worry. Our boats would be perfect. I would not want to use our Mac for the open ocean part of their trip (after the canal).
They also went through the Trent-Severn (which people seem to either love or hate).

http://sv-ihana.blogspot.ca/


Chris

Chris: Thanks for steering me to your friends Blog on their adventure thru the Erie and out to the Atlantic and south to Florida. It was very interesting, and I learned a lot! I hope he writes a summary ( or a book) and details costs, marina recommendations, including those to avoid, and what they would have done differently.. It sounds like it is not a trip for the faint of heart.I wonder if they will have the stamina, and the desire, to sail back, or ship the boat back home by truck. Keep us posted,