Circumnavigating The Great Lakes

electricaldoctor

electricaldoctor

Well-Known Member
TECHNICAL Contributor
May 14, 2008
3,538
Thousand Islands, Rockport, Ontario.
Boat Info
1988 390 EC
Engines
454 Mercruiser Gassers
We are contemplating this trip in the summer of 2023. We will be embarking on this adventure from the Kingston, Ontario area and have no definite timetable in mind. All information & advice will be greatly appreciated.
 
Aw man, you are making me soooo jealous. After I retired we planned on towing our 330 Dancer to the Chicago area, launching it and spending an entire summer touring the lakes. It didn't happen because we traded the 330 in on our 550DB and just couldn't make the trip work.

Please post lots of photos so we can all enjoy your trip with you.
 
What's your current thinking? Ontario-Georgian Bay-Huron-Erie then back to Ontario, or are you thinking of getting into Superior and Michigan?
 
I would order a copy of Bonnie Dahls Superior Way. She’s a sailboater but her book has a ton of information about Lake Superior. Very interesting read.
 
IMO, you need more time. It certainly can be done, but we know several loopers that felt they had to do it twice because they missed too much the first time. You don’t want that.
Considering your location, I will assume you’ve been around the golden triangle cruise so leaving from Rockport/Kingston, I would go to Trenton about the end of June and run with the loopers through TSW, Georgian Bay and North Channel. This is the most beautiful part of the Great Lakes except for maybe Isle Royale so don’t hurry through it. Mackinac then down the Michigan coast over to Chicago. Running with the loopers will allow you some company and someone to do things with if you choose. When the loopers head south down the rivers it will be around the 15th of September. You go north up the Wisconsin coast, Door county and over to Sault Ste Marie. I would leave the boat there for the winter and do Superior in the early summer. We did it early June through July and the weather was amazing. Less wind then. Back out to Huron and down to Erie, through the Welland to Toronto or if you have the 390 you could go through the Erie Canal to Three Rivers up to Oswego and home.
Our opinion is Superior is the prettiest Lake and Michigan is the lake with the most to do and the best towns to visit. That schedule would have you giving them the time they deserve. We’ve done it all except for the Canadian shore of Superior. We would have liked to have done T Bay, Red rock and the slates but our two countries bungled the Covid thing and we did Superior last year so no Canada. Be sure to post some pictures of the caribou in the Slates. At this stage of the game I doubt I’ll get there.
 
my3sons said:
IMO, you need more time. It certainly can be done, but we know several loopers that felt they had to do it twice because they missed too much the first time. You don’t want that.
Considering your location, I will assume you’ve been around the golden triangle cruise so leaving from Rockport/Kingston, I would go to Trenton about the end of June and run with the loopers through TSW, Georgian Bay and North Channel. This is the most beautiful part of the Great Lakes except for maybe Isle Royale so don’t hurry through it. Mackinac then down the Michigan coast over to Chicago. Running with the loopers will allow you some company and someone to do things with if you choose. When the loopers head south down the rivers it will be around the 15th of September. You go north up the Wisconsin coast, Door county and over to Sault Ste Marie. I would leave the boat there for the winter and do Superior in the early summer. We did it early June through July and the weather was amazing. Less wind then. Back out to Huron and down to Erie, through the Welland to Toronto or if you have the 390 you could go through the Erie Canal to Three Rivers up to Oswego and home.
Our opinion is Superior is the prettiest Lake and Michigan is the lake with the most to do and the best towns to visit. That schedule would have you giving them the time they deserve. We’ve done it all except for the Canadian shore of Superior. We would have liked to have done T Bay, Red rock and the slates but our two countries bungled the Covid thing and we did Superior last year so no Canada. Be sure to post some pictures of the caribou in the Slates. At this stage of the game I doubt I’ll get there.
Click to expand...

WOW!! Great info and suggestions ... lots to think about for sure. At this point in time, we have zero plans ... just the itch to go. We will have all winter to hammer out a sail plan.

I will need to have Laurie have a daily blog of our travels. Keep the info coming guys.

~Ken
 
“we will be floating in a Neptunus 650E.”

Wow….that will change the comfort level somewhat and limit some of the nooks and crannies you can poke around.
 
my3sons said:
Very nice!
Forget the part about the Erie Canal:)
Click to expand...

I don’t mean to derail this thread but it might add some interesting discussion. Since you guys have been all over the lakes what would be your vote for a 3-4 week trip but knowing we had to return home at the end (Rochester)

In the next couple years we might do something like that, just need to let the kids get a bit older. We would leave early July to try and be back early august or so

I’ve never done the Trent so maybe bay of quinte up the Trent and into the Georgian bay, then back? Or maybe just lake simcoe if Georgian bay is too far….
 
Strecker25 said:
I don’t mean to derail this thread but it might add some interesting discussion. Since you guys have been all over the lakes what would be your vote for a 3-4 week trip but knowing we had to return home at the end (Rochester)

In the next couple years we might do something like that, just need to let the kids get a bit older. We would leave early July to try and be back early august or so

I’ve never done the Trent so maybe bay of quinte up the Trent and into the Georgian bay, then back? Or maybe just lake simcoe if Georgian bay is too far….
Click to expand...
How do you feel about doing locks? I’d consider the golden triangle cruise. Down the St. Lawrence to Montreal, up the Ottawa to The Rideau and down to Kingston. No backtracking needed. You could really do that right in 3-4 weeks.
 
my3sons said:
How do you feel about doing locks? I’d consider the golden triangle cruise. Down the St. Lawrence to Montreal, up the Ottawa to The Rideau and down to Kingston. No backtracking needed. You could really do that right in 3-4 weeks.
Click to expand...

I hadn’t considered that route, only the triangle loop through Champlain. Thanks!
 
I am on Georgian Bay and know the area from Port Severn to Parry Sound very well. Happy to give you some advice on anchorages or marinas through this stretch.
 
my3sons said:
How do you feel about doing locks? I’d consider the golden triangle cruise. Down the St. Lawrence to Montreal, up the Ottawa to The Rideau and down to Kingston. No backtracking needed. You could really do that right in 3-4 weeks.
Click to expand...

We did that years ago. Dozens of locks to keep you busy. We have never boated past Montreal, but a trip to New York City via Montreal & Lake Champlain is also on our bucket list.
 
Being located in northern Lake Huron, I was close to committing to a season long trip in 2020 or 2021 through the North Channel, Georgian Bay, Trent/Severn, Rideau, Erie Canal, and back through the lakes...or in reverse order. Covid restrictions delayed that plan and now costs and time have me mulling over how much that is all worth to me. Not sure I want to invest an entire season to boating only.
 
play dough said:
Being located in northern Lake Huron, I was close to committing to a season long trip in 2020 or 2021 through the North Channel, Georgian Bay, Trent/Severn, Rideau, Erie Canal, and back through the lakes...or in reverse order. Covid restrictions delayed that plan and now costs and time have me mulling over how much that is all worth to me. Not sure I want to invest an entire season to boating only.
Click to expand...
I love my 330DA but that is a lot of time in a small place!
 
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