North America’s ‘Inland Seas’

SETTING A COURSE FOR THE ‘INLAND SEAS’

A journey down the St. Lawrence Seaway offers beautiful scenery with clear, clean waters and endless possibilities for exploration and adventure. Welcome to the Great Lakes!

By Capt. Rick Tasis

ABOVE, THE COLD, CLEAR WATERS OF LAKE SUPERIOR. BELOW LEFT, A SCENE FROM THE THOUSAND ISLANDS, IN THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER AT THE OUTLET OF LAKE ONTARIO. THESE ISLANDS STRADDLE THE U.S.–CANADIAN BORDER AND ARE KNOWN FOR HAVING SOME OF THE BEST FRESHWATER WRECK DIVING IN THE WORLD.

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I’ve been lucky enough to have traveled the world as a yacht captain, but only in the past five years was I introduced to the Great Lakes. I had made some quick deliveries there, but always left as soon as the job was done. So when I had an opportunity to explore the area for an entire summer season, I jumped on it.

Our 130-foot (40m) Westport exceeded the height restrictions for inland waterways, so it was necessary to cruise up the Eastern Seaboard and transit the St. Lawrence Seaway (SLS). Although I had done this before on small yachts, now I had to consider fuel and dockage for a larger yacht. Fortunately, we found many small cities along the way with concrete piers that enabled easy fuel truck deliveries to the cargo vessels they were meant to service, and visiting these cities proved very rewarding. The following is a suggested itinerary based on our voyage.

Your first stop will be Gaspe, which is a Canadian city, so be sure to have passports ready. (We found the port master, John, more than accommodating to our every need.) From there, you will begin your trip through the SLS. Yachts that exceed 98 feet (30m) must take on pilots. You will want to contact the Laurentian Pilotage Authority in Les Escoumins to establish communications throughout the canal system.

The SLS falls under the authority of both Canada and the U.S., so you will have pilots from both countries. They offer a wealth of information for captains and crew; I suggest you ask questions and pay attention to the answers.

Here’s a tip: Have a complete inventory of all bottled alcohol on board ready to show customs officials at any time, and remember, weapons are illegal in Canada.

Within a few hours, you will pass through a famous whale-watching site in an area where an inland river empties into the seaway, creating a plentiful source of food for the indigenous whales. Because these small whales are so abundant during certain times of the year, boats are monitored closely for speeds not to exceed 10 knots. The fines can be quite hefty if you violate the speed parameters.

After an overnight journey, your first stop will be Quebec City’s Bassin Louise Marina, one of the prettiest ports at night that I have ever visited. This marina is very secure and well-equipped for all your yachting needs. To gain access to the docks, you will have to enter a lock — the first of many locks you will encounter

SCAN THIS CODE TO LEARN HOW TO REQUEST A PILOT.

during your transit into the Great Lakes.

Continuing on toward Montréal, you will find dockage for large vessels at the Port d’escale Marina in the JacquesCartier Basin. This marina is nestled alongside the Old Port of Montréal, close to the city’s many attractions.

After leaving Montréal, you will end up in New York, where you can either stop at Clayton, a wonderful little city where there is a maritime museum, or continue on to Oswego, where there is a U.S. Customs check-in. You are now in Lake Ontario.

From there, you will travel 119 nautical miles to Toronto, where you can dock right downtown at Marina Four, along the historic Pier 4. Be sure to take a walk over to the 1,815-foot (553.3 m) high CN Tower, where you can enjoy a view for miles and challenge your crewmates to take the “Edgewalk,” a daring romp along an open-air ledge encircling the tower’s top observation pod.

Once you have survived the tower, you are ready to transit the Welland Canal, which basically parallels the Niagara River and connects Lake Ontario with Lake Erie. There are eight locks that mitigate the 327-foot (100m) difference in elevation between the two lakes. The canal can accommodate vessels up to 230 feet (70m), and you will have to arrange for pilots throughout the entire lock system. Your pilot will notify canal authorities of your arrival and arrange for transit. Your vessel will be expected to pass an inspection, which I suggest you research prior to your arrival (see Helpful Contacts). Depending on the flag origin of your vessel, you may be able to petition the U.S. Coast Guard for a permit allowing an experienced captain to navigate your vessel for the balance of the U.S. portions of the Great Lakes, sparing the expense of pilots. I was able to achieve this on my second voyage.

You will enter the Welland locks at Port Weller in St. Catharines, Ontario. The trip is about 27.6 miles (44.7 km), but it can take as much as 6 to 12 hours, depending on shipping traffic. You will exit at the small Canadian city of Port Colborne. Sugarloaf Harbour Marina is my suggestion for dockage.

Once you have rested, set out across Lake Erie to a special place I discovered from a local boater: Put-in-Bay. This popular boating resort on South Bass Island, Ohio, offers restaurants, parades, and lots of fun. There are many docks, but I recommend calling in advance to make arrangements. When you are ready to move on, turn north and head toward Detroit.

There, you will pass through Lake St. Claire into Lake Huron via a very narrow shipping channel, where use of a local pilot is advised. Try to make it to Port Huron before dusk because it will be an overnight journey to the next port of call: Mackinac Island. (If you are really adventurous, prior to making landfall at Mackinac Island, you can head north through the Sault St. Marie Lock to enter the vast Lake Superior, large enough to contain all the other Great Lakes combined.)

Once you get to Mackinac Island, it

SCAN THIS CODE TO GET INFO ABOUT THE MARINA AND MAKE RESERVATIONS

THE MARINA IN DOWNTOWN TORONTO BOLDT CASTLE ON HEART ISLAND IN THE ST. LAWRENCE RIVER

HELPFUL CONTACTS

Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System

+1 613-932-5170 | greatlakes-seaway.com

Great Lakes Pilotage Authority

+1 613-933-2991 | glpa-apgl.com Canadian Customs reporting requirements for private boaters +1 888-226-7277 cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/pb-pp-eng.html

ABOVE, THE COVES ON LAKE SUPERIOR AT PICTURED ROCKS NATIONAL LAKESHORE IN MICHIGAN. BELOW TOP, THE OLD PORT DISTRICT OF MONTREAL, CANADA. BELOW CENTER, A SCENE ON MACKINAC ISLAND IN LAKE HURON, MICHIGAN. BOTTOM, CAPT. TASIS SCORES SOME MOOSE ANTLERS.

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will feel like you have taken a journey back in time. Everything is done by horse and buggy, and there is not a motor vehicle in sight. I have always docked at the commercial docks in Haldimand Bay where the island’s cargo supplies are unloaded. Rent a bicycle and tour the island; you never know who you might run into — Ron Howard, Vince Vaughan and Bob Seger are just a few of the celebrities who have homes there.

At this juncture, you will continue on into Lake Michigan. The east side of the lake, from Harbor Springs to Traverse City, Michigan, has much to offer. If you are lucky enough to be there on the Fourth of July, there is a fabulous air show. Plan on anchoring out. If you cross over to the Wisconsin side of the lake, you will find many quiet, smaller islands without the crowds.

And there you have it, just a glimpse of the fantastic experiences the Great Lakes have to offer. It’s a long way to get there but well worth the effort, and the journey itself is as rewarding as the destination. ‹

PHOTO COURTESY CAPT. RICK TASIS

LEGENDS OF THE GREAT LAKES

From monsters that lurk in the depths and haunting ghost stories to urban legends and unscientific claims, the myths surrounding the Great Lakes are almost bigger than the lakes themselves. Here are three, courtesy of the Alliance for the Great Lakes, a nonpartisan, nonprofit group working to protect the fresh, clean, natural waters of the Great Lakes. You can read more on their website: alliance@greatlakes.org

LAKE MICHIGAN TRIANGLE

Sure, you’ve heard of the Bermuda triangle, but did you know that Lake Michigan has its own triangle? The triangle spans from Manitowoc, Wisconsin, to Ludington and Benton Harbor in Michigan. Many say it’s responsible for missing ships, sailors, and UFO sightings.

SOUTH BAY BESSIE

Loch Ness has Nessie; Lake Erie has Bessie. This lake monster first made headlines in 1793 and has been making a splash more frequently in the past three decades (average lifespan of lake monsters is unknown). From time to time, she makes waves by trying to tip and sink boats. Bessie, described as a serpent or a sturgeon with arms, clocks in at 20–50 feet in length, depending on whom you ask.

GHOST SHIP

More than 6,000 shipwrecks litter the bottom of the Great Lakes, but an even spookier phenomenon is the ghost ships that haunt the surface. In 2016, a videographer captured a tall pirate ship cruising Lake Superior. Are these floating mirages filled with the spirits of sailors lost at sea, UFOs, or simply water spouts? We’ll let you decide.

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE LAKE MICHIGAN TRIANGLE

READ MORE ABOUT THE LAKE ERIE MONSTER

HERE’S A CNN NEWS REPORT ABOUT THE GHOST SHIP