From Silvan Beach to Canada
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Matilda at Sea

Georgian Bay sailing

The Trip Home From Silvan Beach to Belleville

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Grampian Photos from 2006

It's For Sale

Pictures through the years

Innisfil Building Lots

Bringing her home !
To start I purchased the Grampian in Silvan Beach, New York where it spent the winter 2001 to spring 2002. This is located just outside of Syracuse New York but more importantly on Lake Oneida which is part of the Erie Canal system.
Motoring west across Lake Oneida about 15 miles your first stop is Brewerton, this is also the entrance to the Oneida Canal.
If you do get into Lake Oneida beware the lake itself is shallow with many hazards,there is achannel marked through the middle but with Islands on the south and a shoal on the North side in bad weather this could cause problems.

Erie & Oswego Canal
Once in the Oneida canal you motor past bridges, the Oneida river entrance, the Senea River entrance , lock 23 and on to Three Rivers.
Note the chart states a government warf is available at Three Rivers, the day we were there there was a tug and barge tied to it, and looking around you found an old motel 300 yards from the river with stripped cars and parts lying around, when we got there the local police were breaking up a fight at the motel (not my favourite place to stay for the night.)
Moving right along, motoring north you enter the Oswego Canal it is about 1 1/2 hr to lock 1. here you find fresh new board walk with tables and chairs to tie up for the night and free coffee in the morning brought to you at your boat. Here I am in the lock waiting for the water to rise.
In the Locks
My friend Joe had never been on a sailboat before but was quite keen.

Lock attendants a very nice keeping track of your progress and phoning ahead to the next lock to tell them when to expect you. We left Henley Park when the lock opened 8:00 am. and sailed north through seven locks to Oswego. Lock 3&4 have now been combined into one very big lock about a 26 ft. lift. Arriving in Oswego in mid afternoon I set about to get the mast raised for us to rig the boat.
First Stop in Canada !
After a full first days sail from Oswego, New York through the Duck Islands we Arrived in Pryners Cove about 9:30 p.m. Motoring in the dark I had to remind Joe to slow down coming in, the dark shadows are boats at anchor. At night Pryners cove is almost pitch dark with no dock lighting or cottage lights showing. A great anchorage, quiet and pieceful, so much so I put out the small anchor and it barely settled on the bottom, we didn't move an inch.
Adolphus Reach Sailing
The whole trip was worth the lovely beam reach down Adolphus Reach the next morning, Joe had never really sailed and the trip across had been in light winds, so with a 20 mile per hour wind from the south we took off down the Reach leading about 15 boats and to my delight the old Grampian proved to be quite a fast boat as I had heard she should be no one caught up to us on this day, as she healed nicely and with the wind in her sail took off nicely.
Youngs Point
We passed Youngs point at a good clip on our way to Lng Reach and Deseronto.
Telegraph Narrows looking westward toward Belleville
When sitting in Deseronto I asked the marina attendant how long it took to get to Belleville, his comment was he takes about 45 minutes, of course that is at full throttle in his power boat with a 75 hp. outboard. Needless to say we took about 3 hours at our 6 miles per hour by motor as the winds had died down as well as the fact I don't like to run a marked channel under sail unless there is just the right breeze. Which we didn't have.
The Narrows lies to the west of Deseronto
We passed through the narrows on our way to Belleville and the journeys end, for now !
 


Photos and info on this area are available at "http://www.cruising.ca/ "