1000 Islands to Bay of Quinte in a runabout???

T

tmh

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Hi. We always vacation near the town of Carrying Place, Ontario on the Bay of Quinte. This is very near whatever canal takes one up to trenton, ontario. We drive from NY state over the 1000 Isl. bridges on rt. 81. Ocassionally, we have taken the Wolfe Island Ferry across. This year I'm considering driving across the bridge, then putting the boat in and boating the rest of the way, West through the islands then along the lake shore (my wife will drive the car and trailer to our destination).

I have a 19' Deep-V with an open bow. Is handles chop OK for it's size (heavy, deep), but I wouldn't want to go far in heavy stuff. I'm wondering what this trip may be like? We would stay very near the shore the whole way for safety AND to see what there is to see. I know we'd go past Kingston which may have some serious big boats roughing things up, not sure about the rest.

My plan would be to only launch if the weather looked VERY good for the day. Otherwise, we'd just trailer the distance, no big deal.
 
Other than a little exposed area in front of Kingston it is mostly sheltered waters. It can be done easily in a day. NW winds are your friend for the ride. I reccomend the Bateau Channel to Kingston entering at Gananoque, scenic and protected, and that you have good charts for the Quinte leg especially Telegraph Narrows and the leg from Ivy Lea to Gananoque.
I love that area. We spend at least a week in the area every summer.
 
Uh oh. You may not get a lot of support for this idea here. I'd give 'er a go, but that's just me. Good Luck, have fun, and bring your PFDs, VHF radio, and flares!
 
tmh,

What you propose is do-able, but a close watch on the weather is important. Gary is right on the money with his suggestions for directions, enjoy the trip!

I'd suggest you keep in touch with your wife in the tow vehicle. By the time you get to Kingston, you will know the conditions on the Lake and whether you should carry on or not. If it's a no-go haul out at Kingston, grab a bite to eat and make the rest of the trip in the vehicle.

Enjoy the trip!

bcat
 
Thanks a ton so far! great info. Just to be clear, I'll have some kids aboard and I do NOT risk it with kids. My intention would be to only set off if very good weather and do as someone said - check in with the tow vehicle as i went along. IF any sign of bad seas, I'd bail out and get towed or just dock/anchor if no pull out area was handy, then wait to pull out.

Looked on a map and the Bateau Channel looks like the way to go! Can I stay on plane in that area or is it "no wake" much of the way?

"Rookie" question - where do I get charts of this area from? Online anywhere? Also, just curious, why are NW winds preferable for this trip? (Not questioning this at all, just trying to learn).

Thanks again.
 
quote:
Originally posted by tmh

Looked on a map and the Bateau Channel looks like the way to go! Can I stay on plane in that area or is it "no wake" much of the way?

"Rookie" question - where do I get charts of this area from? Online anywhere? Also, just curious, why are NW winds preferable for this trip? (Not questioning this at all, just trying to learn).
Click to expand...


Canadian electronic charts (ENC's) are currently available from:

http://www.charts.gc.ca/pub/en/digitalchart/digitaldealer.asp

I don't think any of them are available online. CHS doesn't give them away like in the US, well at least not yet, I'm working on that for the BSB raster charts.

Winds coming from the NW will put you in the lee of the shore for most of the entire trip. In your small boat you'd be able to stay pretty close to the shore for protection. Winds coming from due west or south west have the entire of Lake Ontario as fetch which can lead to some pretty rough water.

You're looking at a trip of just over 70 nautical miles. That's a lot for a small boat. Frequent stops would be recommended especially before heading out from Kingston.

The Bateau Channel is pretty much wide open except when you pass the Trident Yacht club and the cable ferries (3). Watch for skiers and tubie riders, there's plenty of both all summer.

Enjoy your trip.

http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/kbii/gan_to_trenton.jpg
 
ahhhh...I get it with the winds...we'd have to factor that into our "go/no go" decision. I've been on the Wolfe Island ferry when it was really rough out there, likely when winds were W or SW.

70 Nautical miles (about 80 miles to us land folks, right?), we can handle that if it's calm enough. I'd have just two 40 something men and some kids aboard (no women folk) so we can take some pounding for a few hours at a time.

Thanks you all very much. I just wanted to see if the trip was feasible. Sounds like it's a nice trip, weather permitting. If it works out that we CAN fit it in, I'm sure I'll be back for more details.
 
The only area of concern for a small boat is in the Kingston area and then only for about 10 miles or so. If you are on plane it will be less than an hour till you are in resonably protcted waters.If by chance you should get caught one can duck in at Collins Bay marina,
Picton,Nappanee, Bellvile or many anchorages along the way.
 
Don't forget to carry with you the proof of clearing through Canadian Customs. The trip is a good one for your type of vessel if you check the weather before your departure.
 
OK, thanks for the advice. I assume I get the proof of clearing customs when i go through customs...must be one needs to ask for it, as i don't recall such a document when I've goone thru before.
 
Just ask the customs for a clearance number for your logbook. Even though you are going thru a land check in they will give you one.
 
Gary is correct. If you trailer your boat through a land based Canadian Customs post, then ask for the clearance number. You may need it!
 
OK, a few weeks away and we do plan on doing the trip (weather permitting) from Pecks Marina (Canadian side, just West of rt. 81 bridge from USA) to right near Presquile Point area. I am buying a gps for this and other trips. It's a Garmin GPSMAP 76 which includes marine maps, etc.

Looks like a pretty straight forward route through the mostly protected channels on Lake Ontario, up through the Bay of Quinte then through the Trenton Cannal. It will be a Tuesday morning so at least it won't be "weekend busy". I am figuring maybe around 3 hours of cruising time to get to the cannal, no idea how long to go down the cannal as i am sure very low speed limit there.

Looks like Kingston is a fairly open lake area and I assume busy with big wake potential. Any tips for getting through that area as easily as possible?

How do i plan a route for the gps to kinda follow? Can it be downloaded from any map/chart site or something? Will my VHF radio work throughout this area? Is channel 16 the right channel to use for distress calls in Canada?

Any other tips appreciated.

Oh, also looking for some marinas to re-fuel at. 30 gal tank so maybe refuel approx each 40 miles (two stops I think) or so. Suggestions?
 
OK, just changed plans....we are most likely putting in around Bath, shortening the trip and avoiding Kingston. Still a good long ride, probably one re-fuel somewhere in the Bay of Quinte, maybe 45 miles from Bath or so.
 
OK, thanks to all for the help. We just got back from our trip - great ride, no problems at all. Bay of Quinte was a bit rough but the kids like that kinda ride (for a while anyhow). Cruised 27-31 mph, fueled once, stopped and floated for lunch on the boat. About 3 1/2 hr. total trip.
 
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