2013 Erie /Oswego/Richelieu/Champlain Canal loop

A

aubv

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Jan 10, 2005
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16042
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Hi all,
I am in the early stages of planning a trip next summer and looking for any and all input. The trip is from MV up the Hudson River to the Erie Canal. Thru the Erie canal to the Oswego canal up to the St Lawrence Seaway to the Richelieu river/canal down to Lake Champlain. Then Champlain Canal back to the Hudson River and onto MV. In 2004 I made the trip from MV to Burlington, Vt in 2-1/2 days and the reverse trip also in 2-1/2 days.(23'cc) That trip including camping on the open deck in a tent in torrential thunderstorms! This trip will be a little more civilized.

I am really interested in getting any kind of local knowledge including docks for overnighting, places to eat, places near docks for things like groceries and doing laundry. In addition fuel, marinas with facilities like showers and any other information you care to provide. Including maybe places to stay away from. Customs information and cost for Chambly, Richelieu and St Lawrence Seaway locks including any specifics about how to accomplish clearing customs, etc.

The plan is to take the trip some time between late June to mid August.
From what I have gathered so far the total trip will require locking thru almost 60 locks and encompass approximately 1400 miles.

I have a copy of reacreational chart 14786 NYS Barge Canal System and have a copy the NYS Canal corp booklet.

Open to any and all information. I will be compiling the info into a binder that will serve as a reference guide along the way. Thanks for any help you care to provide and open to the idea of companion boats for all or part of the trip.
 
Aubv, having done the Trip up the Hudson to Lake Champ and back this summer I have a lot of info about that part of the trip. The NY Waterway guide is very helpful. I also had a cruising guide called the Cruising guide to Hudson River and Lake Champlain. It was okay but somewhat out of date. The most useful thing ended up being Active Captain on line. Also synching it up with eSeaCharts and my Ipad proved very valuable as the info could be used off line and was much more up to date than any cruising guide.

Some thoughts and I'm happy to answer any specific question. I was doing the trip with 4 kids. We tried to keep legs around 4 hours cruising at 20knts where possible. But even with that we had a few 6+ hr days. We took two days to go from Narragansett Bay to Manahattan. From their it was 8hrs to Waterford NY and the start of the canals. Plenty of fuel available prior to the canals. We overnighted in Roundout and fueld there. Fuel is scarce and expensive in the Champ Canal. Can't speak for the Erie but I be it's similar. Try to be full upon entering the canals. The Champ canal takes about 10hrs to run. We did it in 1.5 days. We overnighted in both Waterford and Ft Edwards. Waterford has an easy place to get supplies. Ft Edwards is a little more of a hike but nice o/n facilities. Just watch the rocks on the way in!

In Lake Champ we o/n'd in Colchester at Lk Champlain Marina. Nice facility with quick taxi access to Burington and cheapest fuel (diesel) we found on lake. While on subject, another note on fuel. Fuel was cheaper on the VT side and we didn't have any trouble finding it. But there is very little diesel south of Westport NY. Whitehall at top of canal has diesel but price was out of sight. And to my knowledge there is only one marinal with Diesle on the Champ Canal and price is also hight.

On the lake we spent nights at Burton Island (mooring or slip), Deep Bay (mooring), Valcour (anchor), and beneath Ft Ticonderoga (anchor). All highly recommended. We also crossed the boarder into Canada and went up the Richelieu to the first lock of the Chambly Canal which was as far north as we went. Stayed at Nautique Marina. Okay, nothing special. City of St Jean has full access to suppplies.

The hardest thing to find info on was customes as everything I read seemed pretty outdated. Bottom line. Have passports. Clear into Canada at customes dock just north of the Korean War Memorial Bridge at Rouses Point NY. Customes dock is on Western Shore. When crossing into the U.S. clear US customes at a relatively new (5 years) customes dock also on the western shore at the base of the same bridge. Be prepared to have your boat searched while you are completing ppwk. You only have to visit the customs dock of the country you are entering.

Feel free to ask any other questions or even email me otutt1 (at) cox.net. Lot's of BE folks helped me along the way, more than happy to pay it forward...
 
Hiya,
IF you have the time, don't discount the Rideau Canal. Plan an extra two weeks to travel a world heritage site through Ontario to Canada's capital and back to the St. Lawrence. Max air draft ~21' max draft ~5'. WELL worth the effort!
Peter
 
Prospective,
I read your posts while you made your voyage. I will post some questions to you in the next day or two. I may be traveling with a 16 year old and a 7 year old so your insight could be far reaching! Thank you for responding.

Peter,
Thank you for you input. I found a website about the Rideau Canal before my initial post and had not given it any thought. On your suggestion, I will look more into the idea and may consider changing my plans by skipping the Erie and Oswego canals on this trip. Max draft of ~5' = [:-sonar] & [:-turtle]!

Is there really a pentecostal church in the middle of Koojesse inlet, as it appears in google maps? With a boat going around it no less! [:-)]

Looks like you have some large tidal changes.

Brian
 
Hello Brian,

Sorry I dont get to post too often these days but I wanted to check in (was checking hurricane posts tonight!)... I run the Chamber of Southern Saratoga County based in Clifton Park NY and have assisted other boaters on their itineraries for either the lower Champlain or eastern Erie Canal voyages. Please feel free to reach out to me anytime at either www.southernsaratoga.org or my cell at 518-522-7251, or look me up on Facebook. I write a lot of articles in Boating on the Hudson magazine and other publications as well, and have traveled both the Erie Canal as far as Baldwinsville NY and Champlain canal its entire length to Whitehall.

In the Embassy Cruising Guide thats coming out this winter there is a section on "Southern Saratoga Area" marine facilities which may be helpful as you pass this way as well. We are at the crossroads for the waterways and a busy place for "Loopers" doing the big cruise around the eastern USA. Theres lots of cool stuff to see as you come by - historic sites, agriculture, canal related points of interest, etc. Plus fish to catch and the locals are friendly ;)

One BIG caveat on the canals - WATCH THE CHANNELS AND DONT STRAY! Several boaters hit obstructions when they misjudged just a little bit. We' ve had some rough weather here at times in recent years and its caused the channels to narrow as the Canal Corp struggles to keep up with the dredging. Plus there is a lot of rock in the Champlain waterway (Hudson R) between locks 1 and 4. So just be careful!

If I can help further please dont hesitate to ask - we can send you some information of local interest as well if its of help. I love this waterway so much I jumped at the chance to represent canal side towns such as Mechanicville and Waterford when I moved upstate to take the job at the Chamber last year. Its a neat spot. Oh, and if you are into cycling we have lots of trails and you'll be able to check out our newest community development project - rehabilitation of an old 1842 Erie Canal Lock (#19) in Vischer Ferry NY, by the time you get here there will be a bridge in place that resulted from $150,000 in in-kind services and design work by local high school kids - you will be one of the first to be able to walk across it in 100 years!

Have a great winter. Happy Planning for your trip!!!
 
Pete, I traveled the full Champlain canal Saturday with my newly purchased boat. I received inconsistent information on the Mechanicville Bridge, which I cleared by 4-5 inches. Perhaps you can shed some light on the methodology used to regulate the water level. One lockmaster said to call ahead, another said the height of passing boats were automatically measured and a computer in western NY automatically adjusted water level. How does this process actually work? Was I merely fortunate in this instance, or am I safe planning a trip next summer down through the canal to NYC?
 
Hi Gary, glad you made it safe. My best guess is to do it the old fashioned way and call ahead. Or call me a few days in advance and I'll reach out to Canal people for you. I'm actually surprised the clearance wasnt more on Saturday because they were drawing the water down ahead of Hurricane Sandy. Then again maybe they were letting it flow faster so it was higher. I dunno - regardless, the best plan is to call ahead and make sure, giving your best measurement of the height of your boat as equipped.
 
If your interested I have a chart booklet of the New York Canal System
 
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