St Lawrence River Planning

[daninPA]

So we still don't have our C-Dory yet (Hopefully next weekend!) but one Grand Adventure I would absolutely love to do is a St Lawrence River trip. I'd be fine putting in at Plattsburgh and heading north on the Richelieu, but our downstream objective would be Quebec City (where we have vacationed several times and from whence my mother's family hails. And Oui, je parle francais!)
Has anyone traveled down and back from Sorel to Quebec? I assume a 22' C-Dory would be fine as long as weather and tides were consulted.

[Robert H. Wilkinson]

I've visited Quebec City(on the hard) and across the bridge to the Ile d Orleans where we stayed for a week. Beautiful place!

On the water we have done the Poker Run from Gananoqua to Rockport and back twice. That area of the St. Lawrence is a great cruising area but can be quite choppy with a good breeze.

Enjoy the new boat.

Rob

[daninPA]

Excellent! I appreciate the feedback. When we visit we see all sorts of watercraft (including sailboats on the fairly narrow St Lawrence between Quebec and Levis) so I assumed it would be a good cruise.

Now let's get that border opened!!!

[gulfcoast john]

Best on your C-Dory boat search!

We have no significant boating experience west of the Miss river.

East of that, we say you could and should take your C-Dory anywhere you want with a weather window, reasonable preparation and no ‘get home schedule’ except:

From Florida to the Bahamas across the Gulf Stream in winter.

From Key West to Dry Tortugas in winter.

Across any large body of water (which Eileen perhaps rightfully defines as ‘when I can’t see any land anywhere’); when Small Craft Advisories are expected or in effect, or when you OR your crew (YES YOUR CREW) are not comfortable with the situation.

In summer, you can go head out there on a Jet Ski or SUP and we wouldn’t worry too much about you if there are no hurricanes in your future.

But who wants to go there in the summer?

We cruised from the Erie canal to the Oswego, across Lake Ontario, up the Rideua to Ottawa, up the Ottawa river to Montreal, into the Chenene canal through Montreal (max 8 foot air draft), down the St Lawrence to Sorel and into the Rideau and Chambly canals to Lake Champlain, Hudson and back into the Erie canal at Waterford on the Triangle Loop Adventure.

It was the best of all our cruises to date, and we would do it again!

If you are lucky enough to not be a working stiff on a schedule, we would suggest (AFTER CANADA IS OPEN) to start up the Rideau at Kingston, CA and pull out at Rouses Point US to avoid the largest bodies of water and thus your most likely delays. Plan on every third day as an ‘option day’.

There are no tides past 3 Rivers, and they are only 2 ft or less. However, the snow melt makes a YUGE effect, and if the St L is 6 feet above datum, many marina docks may be under water. Worry more about and research that.

Best on your travels and plans!

John

[daninPA]

Ah, the Bahamas -- now THAT would be a trip!

We usually visit Quebec in September, so an August/September trip would be most likely (high water also unlikely).

I would also like to travel the Erie canal and Lake Champlain.

Sadly, I'm still very much a working stiff so some of those longer cruises will have to wait!

[Baxter]

Did Rideu Waterway in Canada and planned on St. Lawerence.
It was winter with great snow in CA. Made it virtually impassable
In spring for small boats.

So check on flood stage which of course not as predicable as tides.

Was to do Arkansas River couple years ago. Had been before.
It was month after hurricane and the River was wide and Corp of Engineers
Said could not find channel markers.

Over the years we have learned lots of variables and the weather seems less regular. Sometimes the hard way.

Seems planning goes well until it’s weather or COVID.

Safe travels.

[daninPA]

My parents moved to northern NY the week I left for USAF basic in 1980. I've been visiting them up there for over 40 years and not once had I been out on the river. So this year we towed our new-to-us 1994 C-Dory 22' up and spent the week visiting and a few hours each day cruising on the beautiful St Lawrence River.
We found a slip in the Coles Creek marina for $10 per 24 hour period. The marina is very well protected in a small bay off the river. The ramp is excellent and there are fuel and repair services on site.
We arrived early evening Sunday after an all-day drive from southern PA (speed limited to 65, more frequent stops, and a few unplanned stops to deal with loose bunk boards and brackets extended the trip a few hours). We put in Monday and though it was overcast it was warm with a slight breeze. There were a few storms in the area so I took my dad out and we tested everything out on the main channel of the river before a looming storm chased us back into the marina.
On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday my brother joined us and we spent some time fishing. While they fished I tried different engine speeds and thrust angles and explored the many features of the Garmin 942. Otherwise, I enjoyed hanging out on the roof or messing with the anchor. The weather was glorious and even though the wind picked up considerably and the waves were frequent and flecked with whitecaps, the boat shrugged it off and everyone was comfortable.
I hated to put it back on the trailer but eventually she was secured and we headed back south.
I'm very happy with the tow vehicle (a 2020 Chevy Silverado crew cab with Duramax Diesel 3l). We averaged 17 MPG from Southern PA up route 81 (lots of up and down over Southern NY and Pennsylvania's many ridges). The trailer did well, but the new axles, wheel bearings, electric brakes, tie-downs, winch, and coupler all increased the comfort level.
Fuel use for the C-Dory is astonishing Since the last fill-up I've had the boat out 7 times (3x on the Chesapeake, 4 times on the St Lawrence), ran it up to 30 knots, puttered around, cruised a bit between 10 and 15 knots. I refilled it after pulling it out of the river and it took 14 gallons.
All systems worked as expected, and the only challenge I've found is precision trailer alignment or docking with a wind -- when I'm in the boat solo it pivots like a leaf in any kind of wind. I've run out of gear to toss up into the forward berth to help keep the bow down. I'm sure practice will help, but it's the only negative I can think of! All else is more than I expected and we are very, very happy with this vessel!

[Pura Vida]

Sounds like a great trip and a good way to check out everything on your boat! I am thinking of trailering our boat up in a few weeks and launching near Clayton, we hope to travel upriver and will check out Coles Creek Marina. I have never been up there so not sure if there are any sheltered anchorages if the Marina's are full. Did you have to make reservations?

[daninPA]

[daninPA]

"If you’re not comfortable with locks, there is a route through the control dam, one upstream passage and one downstream passage if you do not draw more than 8.5 feet. " From Powerboating (Canada): https://powerboating.com/st-lawrence-river-and-the-1000-islands/

HOWEVER, I think this is incorrect. I *think* (but need confirmation) that 8.5' is the height above water max, not draft.

A couple of useful links:

https://greatlakes-seaway.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/tommy_trent_abc.pdf
https://greatlakes-seaway.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/pleasurecraftguide_en.pdf

[Pura Vida]

Thank you! I was not aware of the Dam there! From what I looked at briefly it looks like going through the lock would mean crossing into Canada. We would not be permitted to do that though as we will be there before it is open to recreational boaters. I need to do more research before the trip!
Thanks again!

[daninPA]

[daninPA]

2022 Update:

We towed our CD-22 up to Coles Creek again this year in July. The weather was spectacular (it had been hot and steamy the week before, turned rainy and hot after we left). We spent every day out on the water. It's a beautiful place to have a boat.

My docking and trailering improve each season (though three successive "great!" occasions invariably result in a subsequent train wreck).

I learned what happens when you put the trailer too far underwater -- the ramp at Coles Creek was wide and long but steeper than our ramp on the Chesapeake so the bunk guides were worthless for alignment. I had it perfectly centered and then -- stern drifts, bow pivots -- ugh.

I really like the super clean water -- no scum line! Also, no tides. Wherever I tie it up at the end of the day is where it will be in the morning. Such luxury!

(The docks at APG are fixed finger style -- big pilings, no cleats, climb up or down from the 18" wide "dock" depending on the tide).

Fuel use was minimal (this is a fantastic feature!). We didn't see much commercial traffic, and we caught no fish, but we didn't mind. Nice days spent on the water in the sunshine under azure blue skies with steady breezes are never wasted!

While the St Lawrence is a favorite destination, we truly enjoy boating on the Chesapeake. Given my schedule this year all our cruises were short-day outings. But it's good to know there's an unlimited potential just beyond the horizon, and that we have a vessel equipped to take us there.