Triangle Canada Historic Canals Mini Loop

Greetings from Montreal at the Old Port end of the Lachine Canal through Montreal!

New pics from the end of the Rideau Canal at the Flight of 8 staircase locks at Ottawa on page 13 of the album (we started at Kingston, Ontario). And some on the Lachine Canal.

We have been impressed with the close-quarters boat maneuvering skills of the avg local Canadian boater compared to Florida boaters (who have a vastly longer season to use their boats). Everyone here and throughout Ontario and Quebec is very welcoming and curious about how a Florida boat got to Montreal.

Locals told us that the alternative St L Seaway canal could have delays of 8 hours at each of two locks because big commercial ships have priority. Recreational vessels pay $30, the avg ship pays $77,000 per lock. There may be something to that old saying, “Money talks….and C-Dory owners don’t have that much.” The guidebooks mention commercial traffic has priority, but not that delays could get THAT bad.

So do whatever it takes to get your air draft under 8 feet and into the Lachine Canal through Montreal...remove radar, arches, etc. (And also the dog, in the unlikely event Mick Romney is reading this post).

We had an engine overheat alarm at one lock, though only 133 degrees at idle and 138 degrees is typical at cruise. 131 on the other. However, these engines have proven over time that they know more about themselves than I do, so we told the lockmaster we had to break out of the group (they like to keep boaters locking through in groups) to troubleshoot. The poor thing didn’t have its typical studly pee stream, only weak and intermittent. We found what looked like primordial slime and algae in the intake strainers. I hooked up the transom shower connector to our pocket hose and used the freshwater pump to flush the intakes for about 10 seconds, when the pump quit. A local boater pulled up and had a wire brush to attack the strainer grates, which got out a lot of sludge and re- established a healthy Yamaha pee stream. That night we removed 5,000# of stuff from the cabinets to access the freshwater pump, which lives at the bottom of the starboard sponson. I found the 12v + butt connector had separated...this will be easy!...NOT. replaced it and all fuses, no joy. Electrically dead. My bad knee was throbbing and I didn’t get around to checking the pump on a known good small 12v battery since Eileen insisted we could get by on gallon jugs of water for flushing and cleaning dishes.

My Nav display is going dead intermittently at the worst times. We can switch Eileen’s display from engine and depth data to Nav Chart, but it is harder for me to see. Troubleshooting to date not revealing of anything. I suspect the 12v power plug, but it’s a 90 degree plug on my unit so I can’t just switch them out. Helm fuse block connections are solid.

The most frustrating issue of this adventure has been my knee injury. I know enough to know it’s not serious, just obnoxious. But our plans to walk our daily 6 miles per day at each stop are stymied and a bit distressing. On the other hand, we should be grateful we could be seen at an Urgent Care clinic and get Xrays with no deductible or co-pay, and an Ortho referral for when we return to the US (probably this week in Plattsburg on Lake Champlain).

Tomorrow we may make over 80 miles cruising, which is easy in a 255 on a calm day.

Next year we plan on being at Bellingham and 6 weeks around the Puget Sound!

Safe travels, and hope to see you there!

John
 
Greetings from beautiful Lake Champlain!

We cruised from Montreal downstream (northeast) on the St Lawrence river to the Montello resort and marina. Transients enjoy all hotel amenities including a pool on the river and 5 star manicured grounds, great food. From there to the Sorel entrance to the Richelieu river there’s not much to see and a lot of ocean going giant ships, total 45 miles. Could be rough if windy. Just stay completely out of the charted shipping channels, easy for a C-Dory.

Sorel is an old industrial city with no great stops. The cute and tiny Chambly canal bypasses some of the Richelieu and uses the original barge tow-path as a bike trail. The Richelieu empties into the northern part of Lake Champlain.

The tiny US Customs dock and un-marked low-bid trailer is just north of the bridge, not south of it like the guides have it by milage past the border, which is not marked except on your chart. If you pass it, they will signal with 3 short horn blasts repeated 3 times. This is the universal nautical signal that ‘You can get a Sno-Cone here.” And they have flashing LED lights on the trailer, which confirms that “you can get a Sno-cone here, just like at your home city.” Don’t expect any VHF call, even if you have figured out to change your VHF radio back to US from Canada frequencies. This procedure is different for every radio, even within the same brand. For my handheld, you merely hold down the ‘16/9’ button while pressing the ‘WX/End’ button to toggle between CAN USA INTL choices. Intuitively obvious at 25 MPH, Eh? Do NOT idle toward the ‘US CUSTOMS’ sign at the first marina just south of the bridge, or you will be wondering why a Sno-Cone trailer looks so much more low-bid than the ones at home. There IS a US Customs sign on the trailer on the US side, but of course one does not stop at Customs when leaving a country, only when entering one.

You all should be proud of me for biting my tongue and not suggesting to the officers that their trailer be turned 180 degrees so it had a sign that re-entering US citizens might possibly see with a very good pair of stabilized binoculars and some luck.

Now you can avoid this sad border adventure. At least we’re not in handcuffs.

You’re welcome.

Lake Champlain is gorgeous with clear water and mountains all around. Treadwell Bay marina north of Plattsburg is the most well-protected from all winds. We rented a car a few days for provisions, Wall-Mart supercenter, farmer’s market and arranging an appointment for my Orthopedic referral, but the next appt is in November. Lucky for me, I have gone from hobbling around slowly with a cane to hobbling around slowly without a cane. Some mornings I can put on my sock and shoe, some not. We’re both glad we didn’t abort this adventure yet so far. If only Wal-Mart carried bigger needles I could look up where to insert it in my knee and...well, Bob would not advise that so I won’t do it.

The guidebooks are right that you should visit the Inland Sea of Lake Champlain, a 25 mile long (n-s) landlocked section on the Vermont side. Burton Island State Park has a marina and day-use $8 docking in a beautiful setting of blue water and green mountains. You could spend weeks gunkholing in the Inland Sea while avoiding the Trailer Trash Loopers like us.

Burlington, VT on the East side is a nice day or two visit. Cute and touristy in the nice way.

Today Lake Champlain was a bit sloppy, with whitecaps everywhere with a 15 MPH NE tailwind, but we glided over the slop at 23 MPH burning 13GPH combined or 2MPG combined in safety and comfort 53 miles in a couple of hours to the south end of the lake at protected Lake Champlain Bridge marina. In a 22 it may have been a no-go day except for the most determined.

Although I am on record here re the disadvantages of the TC255 (extra expense, wgt, complexity, towing expense, 2MPG combined mileage, ¾ ton diesel 4wd tow truck, etc), we have had several days on this adventure where we were very glad to be on this 255 and not a smaller C-Dory. Eats typical chop without a drop on the windshield.

Colby has an equally compelling and eloquent argument in favor of the 22, and you should hear him if you’re looking for the perfect boat.

We both found one, isn’t that neat?

Cheers! Again, any C-Dory with enough time to wait out weather (ie retired) can do the Triangle Loop safely and securely.

John
 
There is a slight possibility that you'll meet 3 C-dorys on the Erie Canal. C-Otter, Tully B and Mystery Girl will be launching near Syracuse on August 29. Not sure of their itinerary.

Your adventures bring back fond memories of our trip in 2012. So glad you followed up on the Lachine. One thing you missed was Cirque de Solel in Montreal. They were located within a short walk of the marina when we were there, but have since moved to Vegas.

Pat Clow
Meri Aura
 
Colby has an equally compelling and eloquent argument in favor of the 22, and you should hear him if you’re looking for the perfect boat.
Click to expand...

Well, you already made my argument. lol

Although I am on record here re the disadvantages of the TC255 (extra expense, wgt, complexity, towing expense, 2MPG combined mileage, ¾ ton diesel 4wd tow truck, etc)
Click to expand...

However, this would definitely be an advantage in salt water!:

Eats typical chop without a drop on the windshield
Click to expand...

But in the end:
We both found one, isn’t that neat?
Click to expand...

Personally, if it's a C-Dory, it's the right one. :D [/quote]
 
Greetings from the southern terminus of the beautiful Champlain Canal at Waterford, NY (the oldest incorporated village in the US).

We found the Champlain canal to be the overall least developed of all and liked it best, although the water is opaque and not the clear down to 10 feet like the lake. The lower portion is the upper Hudson River and quite serene and bucolic. We’re docked at the free town wall (free dockage, power, water, showers, restrooms…get a key with a $10 deposit), $2 pumpout. $25C was the max pumpout we paid, free the least. The vast majority of restrooms have signs prohibiting emptying your pee buckets for you Airheads. So there.

At Waterford one can continue south on the Hudson river to New Yawk, or turn west into the Erie canal 360 miles to the west end at Tonawonda. There is huge blue sign with arrows. Tomorrow we start on the Erie canal. The first lock on the Erie canal is Lock 2, because there is no lock 1 (don’t ask). Many of the towns along the canals have ‘town walls’ with free docking and free restrooms. Free power and showers and wi-fi is less common but can be researched in the guidebooks. On weekends in July and first half of Aug you better have your spot on the wall before noon or they may be gone. Marinas with all that average $1.75 to $2.25 a foot per night and seldom require reservations (Montebello in Quebec always does).

We’ve decided to bail out at mile 160 on the middle of the Erie canal, where we started and left the rig over a month ago. I have an Orthopedic appointment back in Pensacola instead of trailering over to the Alton Gathering. This kind of adventure should not be rushed, and we’re not. New pics in the album. The 160 miles of the eastern Erie canal will be our last segment…report and pics to follow. Safe travels to all of you and us too.

John
 
$2 pumpout. $25C was the max pumpout we paid, free the least. The vast majority of restrooms have signs prohibiting emptying your pee buckets for you Airheads.
Click to expand...

So where does one dump a porta potty? Ok, may not matter as I believe you were in Canada, Ontario to be more precise, and they supposedly do not allow PP's! I'll have to pick your brain on the Erie Canal next March at Hontoon! Colby
 
Nav Aid Trivia:

What is incorrect regarding the nav aids in this picture? (#P1010528, last pic on the last page of album just in case this doesn't work).

Red on Right Returning to sea. This shot is looking East from the Waterford town dock at the start of the Erie canal running West and the Champlain canal to the left and Hudson river to the right running to the Atlantic.

All that is said just to lead you off track.


drat keep losing wi fi!

John
 
Colby:

Porti-potties are legal in the US and Canada as Marine Sanitation Devices.

Instead of dumping its contents in the restroom toilet, they expect you to use the pumpout and pay the fee, if any.

But hey, look at the bright side! For only $25 you can get your Porta Potty emptied at Montebello! And, it would only take about 3 seconds, plus or minus 2 seconds. No prob, man, you will be full up legal legit. Just show your receipts to The Authorities (remember, they carry billy clubs and know how to use them).

I expect you to get the above Nav Aid Trivia correct, so start working on it now, Brother!

Great Expectations!
John
 
I expect you to get the above Nav Aid Trivia correct, so start working on it now, Brother!
Click to expand...

Should have come to this thread first before reading my inbox. So just ignore my two PM replies to you. Now I'll go look at your picture and see if I can make up an answer. lol Colby
 
Well, the color is correct:
"When making the passage on the Erie Canal, red markers are kept to starboard when westbound for the entire length of the Canal."

And square is the correct shape. Perhaps you have issue with it being tipped?
 
Boris is correct, if memory serves me right, 1st lock is on the Hudson, south of the canal, and is named the 'Federal' Lock. I suppose this is to designate it is separate from the Erie Canal System, which is NYS responsible. So-Erie Lock's start at 2. But, not a bad question for Jeopardy!
Jack
 
Boris, Jack and Colby all correct.

Colby, I contend that a green diamond shape is not the same as a 'tipped square' that has been secured in place that way.

Happy navigating!

John
 
John, thanks for the account of your trip. Enjoyed the humor and pictures. Keyboard on my laptop was messed up so I was lurking silently in the shadows! Now using a separate keyboard plugged into laptop - big PITA!

Regards,

Rob
 
Greetings from the Erie Canal final portion of our 1,000 water miles Historic Canals of Canada and New York adventure!

Building the Erie canal was an effort to mainly follow the Mohawk River valley path, although early (1860 era) engineers favored avoiding the riverbed for safety reasons. The stone craftmanship is amazing…see the Waterford old lock pics on page 16. They have weathered brutal winters and seepage freezing etc and still the torrent of water follows their stone path 186 years later without an inch of deviation.

The railroad and highways followed, so there is more train and highway traffic and noise along the Erie compared to the other canals and rivers. There were heavy rains recently, and a lot of floating tree branches and driftwood, especially on exiting locks upbound.

Although many boaters have commented that the Eastern Erie is more industrial than the Western portion, we’ve found it to be mostly tree-lined countryside outside the towns.

Be aware that the Skipper Bob guidebooks were bought out by Waterway Guide, and the same area editor edits both. We still use both plus the NY Canal book ($20 well spent). We’ve found it best to call ahead in the afternoon to inquire about a transient slip at the next marina, and all had plenty of room. The first time we didn’t, we found that the marina had been sold and merged with another. Best to call ahead, these are virtually all mom and pop marinas with voicemail while Mom is out pumping gas.

Like Lake Ontario and the St Lawrence seaway, Lake Oneida (the largest lake on the Erie Canal) was in a mellow mood when we crossed that 20 some miles. The next day it was blowing 25 MPH with gusts to 33…be prepared for 3 or more weather days in a small craft.

The last 2 weeks in July in Canada is the ‘construction holiday’, when virtually all construction and trades workers take their holiday. It was a madhouse of 40-60 foot yachts in the Thousand Islands. It reminds us of local advice we got 25 years ago : ‘on the Gulf Coast, you can’t get any skilled trades person to work during Cobia Season.’
‘When is Cobia Season?’
‘March 15 to December 15.’
So don’t be in boating in Canada during Construction Holiday or try to get any construction done on the Gulf Coast during Cobia Season.

Since early Aug, the number of cruising boats has dropped to almost none. Since Aug 15 we were often locking alone, and most often encountered only 2 or 3 boats on mini-loops going counter-clockwise. The standard looper advice is to leave Chicago by Labor day, so they’ve been out of this area for weeks. Local skiffs fishing are about the only other boats we’ve encountered since mid August. Many city dock walls have no boats at 3pm, when a month ago they would have been full by 2PM.

Sept 6 we transited our last lock on the Erie canal and crossed our wake at Pirate’s Cove marina on this Triangle loop. Our Locking Gloves and lines will go in the trash. If lye doesn’t clean up the fenders, they will be relegated to bumper dock duty at our wet slip. We’ll save the remaining 150 miles of the western Erie canal and the Finger Lakes for another trip.

It’s been a magnificent adventure! 36 days and nights on the boat.

The statistics:
We don’t have many. About 140 locks, plus we have a lock on the aft cabin door which we hardly ever use. Marinas have averaged $28-$60/night ($1-$2.00)/ft/night) as we prefer an unlimited hot shower, shorepower for electric heat and cooking and protection from wakes and wind wavelets. We made all meals onboard except a few lunches eating out. Groceries and box wine costs the same as if we were home. The new F250 diesel truck gets 11.5-12MPG towing the 11,050-11,600 lb load.

I’m presented with boat fuel consumption data that is twice the actual. I haven’t figured that out yet, and have two Garmin GFS-10 flow meters plus 2 Lowrance adapters hacked into the Yamaha ECMs under the cowling, all 4 on the Garmin N2K network. The boat got at least 2MPG combined based on gallons in while in Heavy Cruise mode with a full load of 30 gallons of unusable water. The freshwater pump never fixed itself, which I find very disappointing.

Even worse disappointment, my 5 year old Home Depot radar mount 4” PVC and commode mount flange (mounted to a Starboard plastic platform base for the radar dome, anchor light and fog horn/loudspeaker) broke off at the base just above the flange after a very rough section of I-65 near Birmingham. Only the radar power and data wires held the platform dangling over the road at the starboard cabin top. We must have been quite a sight. We have slammed through some much, much rougher seas than that particular section of I-65, but perhaps the cumulative fulcrum effect was just too much. A replacement Garmin HDX24 is over 2 boat units, so it would count as ‘bad boating day’ in the Cat O’ Mine chronicles if the radar dome is toast (‘If total damages are under $1,000 after deductibles and no one is seriously injured or killed, then it was a Good Boating Day!). On the other hand, I could make a demanding Customer Service call to Garmin on this 4 years out-of-warranty item, record it, and sell the recording to Comedy Central!
Ours being such a litigious culture, I instead could sue Home Depot for their PVC pipe breaking….
Judge: ‘Mr Highsmith, what made you think that a piece of plastic sewer pipe made to gravity drain toilet waste would be a good idea for a radar mount?”
Me: ‘Bob Austin made one 30 years ago for a non-trailerable 6 knot trawler, and it hasn’t broke off yet!”
Judge: ‘Bob Austin did? Well, hell’s bells man, why didn’t you say so? The Court immediately awards Mr Highsmith a full refund of the entire cost of his PVC mount of the $12.60 Home Depot receipt entered in Discovery, as well as $0.17 for the intervening 5 years of inflation, as well as $40 labor charges for installing the bolts.’
Me and Eileen: high fives, fist bumps, jumping for joy in the Courtroom.
Well, it was just a thought.

Every 4th-5th day we’d choose a marina with a laundry. The two clear clothes bags in the bunk at our feet (pic in album) held all our clothes for 6 weeks (except rain gear and jackets). T

The Yamaha 150’s ran great…I am going to adopt the attitude of the former dealer who posted on The Hull Truth re smoking 4 strokes “If it’s peeing and there are no alarms, run it hard. It’s bulletproof. You guys worry too much.”

Our impression of the TC255 as the near-perfect couples cruising non- overwide trailer boat has solidified. At 5 weeks on board we again find that we’re about ready to get back into our home life routine again. (Yes, of course we have already made our usual reservation for 6 weeks at Stock Island Marina, Key West after Thanksgiving.)

IF it’s calm and IF you want to, you can easily cruise 25-30 MPH for 5 hours and make 150 miles on a TC255 (many dis-masted sailboat cruisers we met were incredulous). Or sip gas at 6 MPH on one engine at 1600RPM.

Pics of the last canal (eastern Erie) are in the album. We got home late last night safe and sound.

Signing off on this particular Adventure, and awaiting the next! Best wishes and safe travels to you and yours!

I have enough humility to recognize that many reasonable folks think I’m a bombastic blowhard, just because I am a bombastic blowhard. There is no right or wrong way to go boating, just do it and enjoy! (You guys worry too much!)

John
 
John, I'm looking at ordering one of Skipper Bob's guides. What is the exact title of the book you also recommend? Looking to order these soon so I can start planning for next summer. Thanks. Colby
 
John
I’m sorry your PVC radar mount broke. I’ve found that the road can be harder on the boat than the water. Drawers that never open in the water somehow open on the trailer. We mite have to pass the hat 🎩 at Hontoon to buy you a new one or at least some PVC cement.

Sorry our path did not cross on the Erie. We are still going West and having a great time. Lots of free docks this way with power and hot showers. Yes....FREE

I may have to do this again next year 😇 in September.
 
Sobelle,
I spray painted the whole contraption with 3 coats of Krylon Gloss White before installing, so I don’t think UV played a role here.

Tom,
I was supposed to use PVC cement?

Colby,
We used Skipper Bob ‘Cruising the Rideau and Richelieu Canals’ (includes St L Seaway and river and Ottawa river, Thousand Islands and Lake Champlain/Chambly canal and Lachine canal).
Also Skipper Bob ‘Cruising the New York Canal System’.
And the Great Lakes Vol 1 2019 Waterway Guide includes the entire Triangle Loop.

Best source I’ve found for these is

https://www.waterwayguide.com/shipstore/

E-Book versions are the same price, but you can’t jot notes on the screen.

Amazon charged me $9 to ship another $13 Skipper Bob booklet.

New Garmin G3 US and US Lakes cards covered everything except Canada, had 2 G2 cards for those portions.

This site is also good and has the 2006 guide book with maps of the western Erie canal (there are no charts for that portion, but you can’t get lost).

http://www.canals.ny.gov/maps/index.html

Can sign up for email alerts re closures etc there.

Happy planning!
John
 
Thanks John. I just placed an order with Landfall for the following:

Waterway Guide Great Lakes Vol 1 / 2019 $39.95
Skipper Bob Cruising the New York Canal System $13.00
Skipper Bob Cruising the Rideau, Richelieu Canals $13.00
NOAA Small Craft Book Chart - 14786 New York State Canal System (book of 61 Charts) size NOAA Small Craft Chart Book $34.75

The only book I couldn't find was the New York State Canal Cruising Guide, 3rd Ed, 2006. Landfall listed it, but no availability. I couldn't find it on any of the links you provided either. The State website had a link to it, but been getting an error code 404 that the page doesn't exist...

I've ordered books and charts from past plans that didn't pan out that I just hold onto hoping some day... but I'm hoping this trip pans out as Rosanne is looking at trying to get vacation the last two weeks of August, first two weeks of September. And I think we can get some great recent advice from you, Bill from Mystery Girl, and Tom and Joyce off of C-Otter. Colby
 
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