Cruising Areas

Catalina Direct Discussion Topics / Catalina 22 Discussion Area / Cruising Areas / Cruising the Upper St. Lawrence River
 
 
Author Cruising the Upper St. Lawrence River
Chip Lee
Utica, NY

Boat Name: Martha Pearl

Model/Year: 1980 C-22

Hull No. #9742

Hailing Port: Black River Bay, NY
01/24/2004 9:52 AM Pacific Time

For those want variety in their cruising experience, The eastern shore of Lake Ontario and the first 25 miles of the St. Lawrence River are hard to beat.

If you want to sail on "big water", you can start or end your trip from the three major bays on the eastern shore - Henderson, Black River and Chaumont(pronounced "Shuh-moe" by locals).

These bays open into Lake Ontario, where the prevailing west-southwest winds give you a wonderful reach down to the start of the St. Lawrence at Tibbet's Point, near Cape Vincent, NY.

The river is broad at the start, with nice towns to visit on both sides of the river. Kingston and Gananoque, Ontario are great stopovers on the Canadian side, while Cape Vincent, Clayton and Alexandria Bay, NY bracket the southern shore of what is known as the Thousand Islands region of the river.

As you sail downstream (ENE),the river is broken into two main channels and many secondary channels by the hundreds of islands, ranging in size from large rocks to a few massives miles in length with roads and villages.

The water is crystal clear green, the scenery breathtaking and the night life ranges from serene to hopping, depending on where you decide to stop.

On the U.S. side there are several NY state parks, including island parks, with overnight facilities and the villages all have visitor docking, though this can be crowded and noisy in Clayton and Alex Bay, the two perpetual party towns on the U.S. side.

If you want peace, there are several islands and bays nearby with quiet overnight anchorage.

The Canadian side is much the same, with great sailing in front of Kingston (a former Olympic racing site), and many islands, including a beautiful Canadian National Island Park, between Kingston and Gananoque.

This summer I had a dozen public launch points to choose from in N.Y. alone, all within about 40 miles of each other. We could choose from big water and sheltered water sailing; fishing, birdwatching or swimming; solitude or night life; anchorage, onshore camping or resort hotels, all in about 40 miles of water.

It's hard to think of a better freshwater cruising spot for trailersailors, so I thought I'd share it with you.
Jimmy Lotufo
New Jersey

Boat Name: brisey_h

Model/Year: C-22 1984

Hull No. 12275

Hailing Port: Alki Beach
01/25/2004 5:22 PM Pacific Time

Chip,
I was just talking to a friend of mine about exactly this! How wonderful it must be to sail the St Lawrence. Thanks so much for this insight on the area.
Jimmy Lotufo
Olde Bourbon
# 12275
Chip Lee
Utica, NY

Boat Name: Martha Pearl

Model/Year: 1980 C-22

Hull No. #9742

Hailing Port: Black River Bay, NY
04/16/2004 6:30 AM Pacific Time

Jimmy, I'm terribly sorry. I got so engrossed in some of the "how to" message boards I completely forgot to watch this one.

You know, from NYC you are only a few hours away from the St. Lawrence. If you trailer-sail at all, or would rather charter up here, it really if one of the most beautiful places in NYS to sail. There is a marina in Sackets Harbor (Navy Point Marina) that my brother rents Beneteaus from almost every year, and if you want info on where to launch closer to where you would like to be, I'd be happy to tell you more.

Best winds are June, July and September. August varies from dead calm and hot to line squalls. I'm a lover of quiet, so September is my favorite time up on the River. The rest of the season I sail mostly in the moonlight on Lake Ontario.

Chip
 
 
Cruising Areas
Catalina Direct Discussion Topics / Catalina 22 Discussion Area / Cruising Areas / Cruising the Upper St. Lawrence River