Howdy,
UPDATED 7-23rd.
We left Dunkirk, NY July 17th AM for Port Colburne, ON (42’ 51.4 N, 79’ 15.18 W) to get ready to transit the Welland Canal to get to Lake Ontario. We have been lucky that we have been able to sail at least ½ of each leg. This is our last port on Lake Erie. The canal has 8 locks, dropping you 326’ and takes 12-14 hours to complete. You can’t stop once you go through the first lock and are under full control of the St. Lawrence Seaway Control. You pay around $160 to transit.
Thoughts of our Lake Erie, Welland Canal & Niagara Falls Journey:
– Its time for another hair cut, you never know what they will do. Tom got his cut REALLY short in Port Huron, MI so that he wouldn’t have to deal with my skill level YET.
– Our stay on Lake Erie was safe but not that exciting. We stopped in Put In Bay
– Put in Bay, OH – what a tourist trap that draws a lot of party folk. The cool thing is that there are few cars and A LOT of golf carts. Unfortunately, we saw the results of an accident that a golf cart had with some form of leafy object. There was a National Park with a Peace Memorial tribute to the war of 1812 due to Perry’s success of taking control of shipping on Lake Erie and peace with Canada.
– We experienced our first clothes washing and drying task under way to Erie, PA. We used the suggested bucket, sudsy ammonia and plunger method. Seemed to work out quite well. There was a few water fights during the process. Nobody won!
– We anchored 3-4 times while on Lake Erie just because we were sick of the marina scene. Plus its easier then deal with an ever changing tie up method.
– The Yachting Club membership saved us a ton of money and convenience while on St. Clair River/Lake and Detroit River.
– Now I know why Dale liked sailing nude. Never could do this on Lake Superior!
– Lake Erie has a lot of fishing boats searching for Walleye and Perch. Its depth is 75’ max.
– There is a problem with being the person that is talented at stowing things. You get asked to fetch this and that!
– I see now that keeping the frig/freezer chilled is a challenge for the batteries now that we hit a hotter/humid climate. Making ice for drinks makes this a priority.
– We continue to see different fly/bug hatches. The biting flies are slowly dying off.
– First time I saw geese and duck begging for food.
– I have never seen such a convergence of vessels going through channel at Erie, PA on a Sunday pm. It was amazing!
– The Bascule Bridge in Ashtubula, OH has an amazing bridge with a HUGE cement pendulum that only takes an electric motor to start the lifting motion. That’s balance and built 90 yrs ago. There are only 2 in the country left.
– We stayed in Port Colburne, ON for 3 days. It is a medium city with a nice bike trail which follows the Welland Canal which I took for a ways. We stayed the first night in Sugarloaf Marina for $1.25/ft., anchored the 2nd and tied to the canal report in docks the 3rd. The marina brought us to/from the grocery store. A group of 5 sailboats from Erie, PA provided us some info about the Welland Canal and whether we should purchase straw bags. They said it would be easier than fenders but I I thought expensive @ $5/bag. It has been hot/humid so off we went to shower and as we were coming back we saw 2 of the Erie men holding 8 straw bags. It was quite a sight! They saw another sailboat enter the marina who had just finished going upbound (which is more difficult). So they went over and that boat gave them the bags. They paid $8/each at the other end (Port Welland). So we were really set and thanked the sea gods!
– On the 2nd day we were ready to lock down. We checked into Seaway Welland via there phone box, paid via credit card and were told that it would be a couple hours before entering lock #8. There was another local sailboat (Pam & Jim) that we chatted with about Niagara Falls, ON. They told us that we shouldn’t go into Niagara On the Lake but instead take a bus from here. So we called Seaway back and they told us no problem to delay. So off we went to Niagara Falls, ON. It was awesome! It was hard to believe we were going to drop that 320’ via the Welland. The main downtown is FULL of tourist attractions – almost like a circus side show. The walkway along the Niagara River to the falls was wonderful!
On Friday, July 21st, we called Seaway at 6am and they told us that we could leave NOW or wait till noon. So off we went abit nervous. We motored the first 18 miles to Lock 8 and were told that we need to lock through with another sailboat a few miles back. We chatted while waiting in the locks with the 2 guys from Kingstown, ON and Sodus Bay, NY. They gave us some ideas about Lake Ontario and using Sorel/Richeleau River (Chambly Canal) as an alternative since Lock #10 on Lake Erie may not open till September. Other Canadians think we should go the whole St. Lawrence. There wasn’t a lot of scenery along the canal and most of the locks dropped us about 45’ but was pretty easy to manage the boat/lines. We were held up for about 45 min. by a freighter coming upbound in Lock #1. So it was an easy transit of about 7 hours (versus the 12-14 they suggest you plan for). We tied up to the wall on this end for the night because the wind wasn’t favorable to go the 30nm to Toronto.