Canada and US canal trip 2022

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ris
Captain
Posts: 676
Joined: Sat Feb 28, 2015 4:27 pm
Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
Location: Frostproof Florida

Canada and US canal trip 2022

Post by ris »

We have been home 2 weeks from our 8 month land journey and I am starting on the boat slowly. Our plan is to visit entire Eire Canal and finger lakes, Lake Champlain, 1000 islands, Trent Severn Waterway, Georgian Bay and North Channel in 2022. Wife is cleaning up yard, pond, birdfeeders and a lot of other stuff. I started at the back of the boat under the cockpit. Changed all the fittings and hoses from motor well to glassed in throughhull. We also replaced the propane line to stove. They were installed in 2015/2016. The black line that loops up slightly is the propane line. Also bought a new propane regulator and put fittings in place. Having your propane regulator go out is a pain as it takes a while to get a new one. So now we carry a spare. We also moved the Dickenson Stove back to the boat after using it in the trailer. If you notice the outlet above the engine well drain exit, it was the bilge pump water outlet but we removed the bilge pump. Caused more trouble than it was worth, and the Jill Kristy has a dry bilge we do have 3 battery powered water alarms in different areas of the bilge. It is amazing how dirty a boat can get after 8 months sitting under a pole barn in Florida.

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dlandersson
Admiral
Posts: 4531
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2010 10:00 am
Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
Location: Michigan City

Re: Canada and US canal trip 2022

Post by dlandersson »

Don't forget Michigan City :P
ris wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 12:24 pm We have been home 2 weeks from our 8 month land journey and I am starting on the boat slowly. Our plan is to visit entire Eire Canal and finger lakes, Lake Champlain, 1000 islands, Trent Severn Waterway, Georgian Bay and North Channel in 2022. Wife is cleaning up yard, pond, birdfeeders and a lot of other stuff. I started at the back of the boat under the cockpit. Changed all the fittings and hoses from motor well to glassed in throughhull. We also replaced the propane line to stove. They were installed in 2015/2016. The black line that loops up slightly is the propane line. Also bought a new propane regulator and put fittings in place. Having your propane regulator go out is a pain as it takes a while to get a new one. So now we carry a spare. We also moved the Dickenson Stove back to the boat after using it in the trailer. If you notice the outlet above the engine well drain exit, it was the bilge pump water outlet but we removed the bilge pump. Caused more trouble than it was worth, and the Jill Kristy has a dry bilge we do have 3 battery powered water alarms in different areas of the bilge. It is amazing how dirty a boat can get after 8 months sitting under a pole barn in Florida.

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OverEasy
Admiral
Posts: 2012
Joined: Mon Sep 28, 2020 11:16 am
Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
Location: NH & SC

Re: Canada and US canal trip 2022

Post by OverEasy »

Hi Ris-JillKristy

What a nice name for your boat!

It sounds like you have a great trip planned for 2022!
It sounds like you are seasoned travelers with a well thought out itinerary.

If you don’t mind our asking a few questions as that is the sort of trips we are preparing ourselves and Over Easy for….

- How long do you anticipate your travels will take?
- How far do you think you will be traveling overall? Daily?
- Will you be motoring, sailing, both? How much of each and where?
- Are you planning on using Marinas, mooring, anchoring out, friends/relatives?
- How are you planning your fuel and facilities stops?
- Are you using a guide book(s) or on-line resources for planning and during your trip?
- How many days of supplies do you normally carry aboard?
- Do you plan on using just a cooktop alone or do you use other appliances like a microwave or outdoor grill? Other?
- Do you have a refrigerator or do you use an ice cooler?
- How do you address battery recharging? Motor, solar, generator, shore power? Inverter?
- Computers, laptops,iPads, phones?
- Navigation aids, GPS, chart plotter, paper maps?
- Border and Customs in/out of Canada and US?
- Laundry and showers? On board or shore facilities?
- Are you planning on keeping to a set schedule or are you planning on a general loose set of objectives and adapt as you go? Something in between?

As you can see we have a host of questions. :) :)
We don’t want to be a bother but we figure as newbies to the MacWorld of cruising travelers there is a bunch to learn from those that have already been there and done that. If there are things to be taken into consideration, things to be avoided, things to prepare for, attitudes to hold and constructive perspectives to develop we are open to learning them in as much as possible ahead of time.🤔🤔

While there is no way to plan and prepare for everything the adage of ‘ Failing to plan is planning to fail ‘ holds true for most of life.
The other adage of ‘no plan holds true when contact with reality of the situation has been made’. :D :D
Adaptability and a balance reality backed ‘can do’ attitude can generally turn Lemons into a meringue pie ( I like pie :) ).

Thanks in advance!

Best Regards
Over Easy 😎😎🐩🐈
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dlandersson
Admiral
Posts: 4531
Joined: Fri Aug 27, 2010 10:00 am
Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
Location: Michigan City

Re: Canada and US canal trip 2022

Post by dlandersson »

Not Lake Michigan and Michigan City? :cry: :cry: :cry:
ris wrote: Fri Nov 19, 2021 12:24 pm We have been home 2 weeks from our 8 month land journey and I am starting on the boat slowly. Our plan is to visit entire Eire Canal and finger lakes, Lake Champlain, 1000 islands, Trent Severn Waterway, Georgian Bay and North Channel in 2022. Wife is cleaning up yard, pond, birdfeeders and a lot of other stuff. I started at the back of the boat under the cockpit. Changed all the fittings and hoses from motor well to glassed in throughhull. We also replaced the propane line to stove. They were installed in 2015/2016. The black line that loops up slightly is the propane line. Also bought a new propane regulator and put fittings in place. Having your propane regulator go out is a pain as it takes a while to get a new one. So now we carry a spare. We also moved the Dickenson Stove back to the boat after using it in the trailer. If you notice the outlet above the engine well drain exit, it was the bilge pump water outlet but we removed the bilge pump. Caused more trouble than it was worth, and the Jill Kristy has a dry bilge we do have 3 battery powered water alarms in different areas of the bilge. It is amazing how dirty a boat can get after 8 months sitting under a pole barn in Florida.

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ris
Captain
Posts: 676
Joined: Sat Feb 28, 2015 4:27 pm
Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
Location: Frostproof Florida

Re: Canada and US canal trip 2022

Post by ris »

Overeasy here are my responses to your questions.
We have a outline: leave Florida so we can start Erie Canal around 1 Jun 22. Canal opens 20 May 22, we want them to be open about a week before we start. We want to be off Lake Champlain by mid to end Sept. For sure we will go to Georgian Bay and maybe north channel. this means we will go both ways on the trent-severn water way Plus other canals. Canadian Seasonal lock and mooring pass about $550.00.

A 40 mile day would be about the longest day or 4 hrs. Some days if several locks you might can only go 20 miles. We only use the Mac as a Trawler we have never sailed because of health and disabilities. We still have all the sailing stuff including sails if things change.

Food and Fuel are like driving a car you can find them most places. Exception is Georgian Bay and North Channel, you have to know the miles to your next fuel stop. Not really a problem. they are on aqua maps app.

We do use marinas when several days of bad weather are forecast just so we can get out a bit also when we need to do laundry about every 7 to 10 days. Lots of lock walls, anchoring and we are meeting up with several Canadian boater friends on our trip to Georgian Bay and North Channel.

We have a Engle 30 qrt fridge and can go a week to 10 days on that. We use the stove and a Magna grill, the round one. We just bought a Coleman fold and go grill for cooking off the boat at lock walls. We do a lot of grilling while on the boat.

Website called Pat's Boating in Canada very helpful about Customs procedure, and many other things.

Our Honda 60 puts out 27 amps of which the motor uses 5 amps so the rest charges the batteries. Also we have 450 amphrs of battery which is good for 4 to 5 days before the batteries reach 60 % which is our self imposed recharge point. We are debating a 100 or 200 watt flexible solar panel as we already own a mppt solar controller. We do have an inverter but hardly ever use it. We have 12 volt and USB plugs by the galley (3), in the shelf on the table(3 12 volt plug ins) also one at the pedestal in the cockpit.

We have a laptop, and ipad. Also a small garmin chartplotter with old charts on it. We mainly use Aqua Maps an app that is very good for all of our navigation which runs on the ipad or phone but we use it mostly on the ipad. There used to be a requirement for paper charts while in Canada and there still might be. So we bought a 30" by 16 " chart of Canadian great lakes and waterways of eastern Canada. Hopefully will never have to use it as it is very condensed. :o

For bathing we jump in the water if it is above 67 degrees or we use our zodi shower in the cockpit with hot water from the stove top. If really cold disposable bath towels look like large baby wipes. 8 inch by 10 inch

We really just plan for a couple days at a time. We usually call marinas a week in advance so we have a place( at least 3 days in advance). We just like to amble along enjoying the sights and taking our time. If we see a Mac we just go over and ahoy there anyone home. If so we might be there all day. If not we drop a boatcard to say hello. And we see Macs almost everywhere we go.
Hope this helps
Richard
OverEasy
Admiral
Posts: 2012
Joined: Mon Sep 28, 2020 11:16 am
Sailboat: MacGregor 26X
Location: NH & SC

Re: Canada and US canal trip 2022

Post by OverEasy »

Hi Ris!

Thank you!
This is a great help!

It’s nice to know what experienced Mac26 Cruisers do and have learned.
While each traveler learns along the journey what works for their personal circumstances it doesn’t hurt to at least avoid reinventing the wheel.

Again, Thanks!

Best Regards
Over Easy 😎😎🐩
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