DROP THAT STICK ! We here on the Canadian side of the Great Lakes are blessed with some of the best but most expensive cruising grounds in the world where free docking is unheard of, none of the fuel taxes we pay go back into boating facilities and more nav aids are disappearing each year. Few Canadians seem to realize that the best deal in cruising is right next door in New York State. You sailors are missing the boat. Find out what more power boaters are discovering every year. Drop your mast and come explore the New York State Canal System.

Toronto to Manhattan via Oswego can be done in 10 days with a slow power boat

We have cruised "Isle of Skye" to some beautiful cruising grounds from Georgian Bay to the Gulf of Mexico and the Bahamas but our hearts really belong in puttering along rivers and canals with

our feet up and a cup of tea in hand (the rum only comes out after the hook is set). We love being close enough to shore to talk to kids swinging from trees, watch them playing with the elephant that bathes in the river at Socastee in South Carolina, chatting with bridge tenders and lock masters and poking around small town museums. Among our favorite places for this kind of cruising are the St.Johns River and Okeechobee Waterway in Florida, the Great Dismal Swamp in North Carolina and of course our own Trent-Severn system. If this kind of cruising appeals to you then drop that stick for a couple of weeks and check out the best bargain in boating and its right next door.

If you enter (or leave) the system at Oswego make sure you stop in a Patz -on- the-River for the best crab cakes you'll ever taste. Patz is the waterfront restaurant immediately south of the video phone check-in and the fuel dock of Oswego Marina. These great people invited me in to their family easter dinner after finding me half frozen tying to their wall with an ice covered boat after a miserable crossing from Coburg. The photo below is me with Pat & Pat's (ergo Patz) family and the ice covered 52' Fairline I was delivering to Alexandria Bay. try the meatloaf it's as unique as the crab cakes.

The New York State Canal system is comprised of the interconnecting Erie, Oswego, Champlain and Cayuga-Seneca systems and has always been a bargain with free docking at pretty little parks at almost every lock, some secluded and others in the heart of small towns. Almost every town and village on the system has free docking and a seasons lock pass is a fraction of the Rideau or Trent system fees. Once into the system you can spend all summer without paying for an overnight slip.

New York State is going to great lengths to encourage cruisers to spend time here and you will be treated accordingly. For some strange reason lockmasters (and everyone else) seem particularly fond of Canadians and are exceptionally friendly, helpful and a great source of information about their local areas. Compare seasons pass fees on the Trent - Severn, Rideau and New York State canal systems shown below and you will clearly see why I prefer to spend my money in New York.

Stop for a weekend concert at Lock 20

Trent - Severn 387 kilometers 40' boat - $781.20

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Rideau 202 kilometers 40' boat - $781.20

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New York State system 2,250 kilometers 40' boat - $100.00

There are also hundreds of spots in the lakes and river sections with room to drop the hook if you prefer and plenty of free or almost free ($1-$2) pumpout stations. Take your bicycles along and enjoy the miles of bike paths skirting the system.

Almost every town has a small museum or art gallery some of which like the one at Canajoharie (www.canpal.org) are far better than you would expect. There are town parks, state parks and parks with weekend concerts all summer. Most towns have some sort of summer festival or events such as classic car nights, square dancing, wine festivals,black smith workshops and of course (my favourite) Waterford's annual tug round-up.

For those who want a little more action there is the Oswego Harbour Fest when over 100,000 people invade this small town for the best fire works show I have ever seen or try out Sylvan Beach on Lake Oneida which is the NY State version of our own Wasaga Beach. There are boaters welcome centers such as the one at Waterford where you will be welcomed like the prodigal son by the volunteer seniors (Ask about the inexpensive all you can eat pancake breakfast at the local seniors center). Imagine that ! there is still a place where boaters are wanted and the NYSC is much less likely to strand you in mid canal due to a lockmaster strike as has happened in the Trent/Severn.

Lots of scenic spots

This extensive system runs from Buffalo to Oswego with access to the Finger Lakes then Oswego and on to Waterford where you can turn north to Lake Champlain and Montreal or turn south and cruise the spectacular Hudson River valley to NY City. Few boaters seem to realize that they can travel from Toronto to Manhattan in 8 -10 days and cruising around NY City is a breathtaking exercise.

Lockmasters tell me they see between 350-450 Canadian boats every spring and fall as they head to and from southern climes but in the summer they rarely see a Canadian flag. So if you'd like to
change that and are looking for something a little different this summer, drop that stick or charter an English style canal barge (www.canalcruises.com) and explore this beautiful and boater friendly system. Take a look at the terrific Official web site of the canal system which provides all the information you'll need for a great cruise or order their excellent cruising guide on line. Try www.nycanal.com/nycanalfacts.html for lots of logs, blogs and cruising tips for the canal system or http://nycanals.com/blog/ for a very good and detailed guide to the Erie.
So cruising the Erie has given you the itch ? Check out Primer For First Timers Heading South if you want to travel a little further.
Captain Wallace Gouk AMS® Marine Surveyor Port Credit Marine Surveys
Captain Wallace Gouk AMS®, Survey reports accepted world wide by all financial and insurance institutions for sail and power boats servicing Ontario east, west, south and beyond including Niagara-on-the-Lake, St. Catharines, Grimsby, 50 Point, Stoney Creek, Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville, Bronte, Port Credit, Mississauga, Toronto, Oshawa, Pickering, Port Hope, Coburg, Newcastle, Kingston, Brockville, Penetanguishene, Midland, Barrie and Keswick. I have also worked in New York State, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Virginia, Florida and the Bahamas.