CRUISING THE GREAT LAKES – AN OVERVIEW

THE WATER

The Great Lakes contain one-fifth of the world'sfresh surface water. If spread evenly across the con-tinental US, the Great Lakes would submerge theentire country under about 9.5 feet of fresh water.

It is truly fresh—in areas away from populationcenters in northern Lakes Michigan and Huron, oranywhere on the open waters of Superior—stop,drop in a bucket, and take a drink. The water willbe clear, cold, and fresh. It’s a special treat of theGreat Lakes. Most people, in our bottled-water-happy world, will now think this writer is crazy;but in a number of remote locations the water of theLakes is used without processing.

The total coastline of the Great Lakes in the UnitedStates and Canada is 10,900 miles (including con-necting channels, mainland, and islands).Michigan's portion of the shore-line totals 3,288 miles, morecoastline than any state butAlaska.

THE WEATHER

The ice is off the lakes in Apriland will not return tillDecember. It does take a lot oftime for that much water towarm up, so expect cool daysand cooler swimming till Julybut comfortable temperatureswell into September. Early cooltemperatures give a greaterchance of fog.

Weather systems generallymove from west to east, butthere is no prevailing surfacewind pattern so you will see

winds in all directions controlled by frontal pas-sages. Expect an occasional two-day blow. Therewill be periods of calm to light winds when a high-pressure area stalls.

VHF marine weather is provided by both the USand Canada. Nearly every broadcast includes thewords “Winds and waves may vary considerablydue to shore line effects.” Marine weather providesgood warnings for the occasional thunderstorms(which can be violent), and in the late summerthese storms can produce water spouts.

The Great Lakes are known for the way they devel-op a short and steep wave train. Respect any fore-cast above 20 knots when crossing a fetch of 20miles or more.

THE AREA

From the thumb of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula,draw an east-west line on a chart of the wholeGreat Lakes. South of that line are most of the major

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This report is intendedas a very brief introduction

for newcomers to the Great Lakeswhether they are arriving

by water from the Atlantic or Gulf of Mexicoor by truck or trailer from the Pacific.

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The Oswego Canal meets Lake Ontario. Photo by Jim Wooll...

population centers. Therefore, you will find devel-oped shores and larger cities on most shorelines ofLakes Erie and Ontario and southern Lakes Huronand Michigan. If you enjoy big cities, don’t missToronto and Chicago—they have spectacular sky-lines, and you can dock your boat and walk down-town.

North of that east-west line you will find decreas-ing populations and, on one shore of Lake Superior,120 miles of wilderness. No roads come to theshore, no cabins, and no boating services, but thereare plenty of protected anchorages.

The Lakes are rich in history from early explorationto resource development and finally industrialmight. You will pass historic battle sites, early forts,and more lighthouses than in any other part ofNorth America.

REACHING THE LAKES

The natural drainage is out the St. Lawrence River.The locks of the St. Lawrence Seaway will lift yourboat the 270 feet from Montreal to Lake Ontario.

Canals reach Lakes Erie or Ontario via the HudsonRiver and Erie Canal. A route also exists via LakeChamplain to the St. Lawrence River. Access to theUS river and barge canal system is available atChicago to the Illinois River and the Mississippi.

This system has a 9-foot depth but some 20-footbridges.

All waters of the Lakes are available to boats ofevery description. Currents in the connecting riversare usually less than 2 knots. The large locksaround Niagara Falls and the St. Mary’s rapids areopen to pleasure craft. The Trent-Severn Canal sys-tem with 43 locks links eastern Lake Ontario andSouthern Georgian Bay—limiting depth is 5 feetand boats drawing more than 5 feet must sign awaiver to attempt the canal.

CUSTOMS

All the Lakes except Michigan are an internationalboundary. Checking in at customs means arrivingat a designated Customs Port and reporting. InCanada there are many ports and reporting is usu-ally by phone-—not your cell phone but designatedphones at marinas. You may be told to wait for aninspector.

The US has fewer ports and does not allow phonecheck in. There are some video phones on the lowerlakes, but in general, plan on visiting a US customsofficer on entry to the US.

You must check in every time you cross the border.

SERVICES

On the southern lakes itis a rare shore that hasmore than 20 milesbetween marinas. OnlySuperior has a shortageof marinas, so plan aLake Superior cruisewith services as yourfirst priority. Tow-boatservices also thin tonearly zero as you headnorth. Yacht clubs areabundant in the popu-lated regions.

Your boat will need tobe equipped with aholding tank in both theUS and Canadian wat-ers of the Great Lakes.Y-valves for overboarddischarge must besealed shut. Pump-outs

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Cruising grounds in Lake Huron’s North Channel. Jim Wooll photo...

are always available. Grey-water discharge isacceptable. You may also wish to set your VHFradio to US or Canadian channel settings.

CHARTS

US charts are available in all formats and freeonline. Canada has a copyright on its charts, andthey are expensive in paper and electronically. MostCanadian charts are excellent, but in several remoteareas, charts are still done in fathoms; you will alsofind notes telling you to correct the chart for GPS

offsets. There are some wilderness areas inGeorgian Bay, the North Channel, and LakeSuperior where there are uncharted (no soundings)waters for the explorers out there.

SHIPPING

Commercial shipping is light, but you will see someships over 1000 feet in length. These freighters arelonger than many aircraft carriers and even lessmaneuverable. Stay out of their way. Commercialfishing is minimal, but sport-fishing boats arenumerous.

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WHERE TO CRUISE

LAKE ONTARIO

Size—193 by 53 miles, average depth 280 feet.

The shores of Lake Ontario are generally low andwooded. You will see some rural areas on the east-ern end of the lake. The western end in Canada ishighly developed, with the cities of Toronto andHamilton and suburbs. If you like to harbor hop,the Canadian shore offers more choices and finefacilities. If you like to anchor, only the eastern endof the lake offers protected bays.

LAKE ERIE

Size—241 by 57 miles, average depth less than 60feet.

Because it is shallow, Lake Erie will produce steepwaves quickly. A sustained blow fromthe west can lower the western end ofthe lake by several feet and raise theeastern end.

The shore line is generally low andwooded. The Canadian shore has ascattering of small towns. The USshore has several large urban centers,including Cleveland.

Most of the harbors on the Lake areriver mouths that have been protectedby breakwaters. Erie, PA, andRondeau Bay, Ontario, are good natu-ral harbors. The Lake Erie Islands area pleasure boat mecca in the westernend of the lake and are heavily usedduring the summer.

THE DETRIOT RIVER, LAKE ST. CLAIR, AND THE

ST. CLAIR RIVER

This connecting channel between Lake Erie andLake Huron is highly developed, with Detroit at thecenter. There are a number of marinas, heavy useby boaters, and limited places to anchor. Of the 3.7million registered recreational boats on the GreatLakes, nearly 10% of them—from runabouts tomega-cruisers—have their home dockage here.

LAKE HURON

Size—186 by 203 miles, average depth approxi-mately 200 feet.

This Lake has a major extension to the east—Georgian Bay—sometimes called the sixth GreatLake.

The historic ghost town, Fayette, Green Bay. Jim Wooll photo...

It is possible to harbor hop up the western LakeHuron (Michigan) shore, stopping at a number ofriver mouths that have been converted to harbors.Few spots to anchor exist south of Alpena. Thelower Canadian shore is similar.

Georgian Bay has exciting shorelines with lime-stone bluffs on its western side and rounded gran-ite sculptured by the glaciers on the east and north.

An excellent cruising ground offering both marinasand wilderness can be found along the north andnortheast shores of Georgian Bay and the NorthChannel. The north and east shore of Georgian Bayis called the 30,000 Islands. The area betweenManitoulin Island and the mainland of Canada iscalled the North Channel. Both areas feature smalltowns with marinas as well as wilderness anchor-ages with spectacular scenery.

At the Straits of Mackinac (pronounced mackinaw)where Lake Huron joins Lake Michigan isMackinac Island. This historic site is a draw fortourists and boaters. Motorized travel is forbiddenon the island, so bikes and horses prevail.

LAKE MICHIGAN

Size—118 by 307 miles average depth of 290 feet.

The eastern (Michigan) shore of the lake is markedby sand dunes and natural harbors with theSleeping Bear section preserved as a NationalSeashore. You can travel down the eastern shorestopping every 10 to 20 miles with a choice ofanchoring or multiple marinas at each harbor.

The western (Wisconsin) shore is low and har-bors have been formed in the mouths of riversat a series of largely industrial cities, includingMilwaukee and Chicago.

The northern end of the Lake features excellentcruising in Green Bay and Grand Traverse Bay.The Beaver Island area offers a getaway space.Cruising along the north shore of LakeMichigan is difficult as there are few harbors.

LAKE SUPERIOR

Size—350 by 160 miles, average depth over 500feet.

Spectacular shorelines with sand dunes andsculpted rocks and rocky highlands and forest-

ed shores, wildlife, two national parks, and twonational seashores, and not many people makeLake Superior special.

You can harbor hop along the Michigan andWisconsin shoreline to Duluth but hops are longbetween marinas. If you go up the Canadian shorefrom the St. Mary’s river, there are only two placesto get fuel before you reach Thunder Bay—this istrue wilderness cruising. The Canadian shore hasmany places to anchor where you may see a mooseor watch a beaver bring back branches to the lodgefor dinner. A boat trip to this lake takes planningand warmer clothing.

FURTHER READING

The most extensive set of cruising materials is pro-vided by the Port Pilot and Log Book of the GreatLakes Cruising Club. It produces detailed harborreports and cruising guides for all of the GreatLakes and connecting waterways. The paperreports reach nearly a foot high, filling three or fourthick binders. These reports are also available on asingle DVD.

The Great Lakes Cruising Club can be contacted at:

Great Lakes Cruising ClubPO Box 611003

Port Huron, MI 48061-1003810-984-4500

810-984-4565 (fax)glcclub@att.net

Report by Jim Wooll

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The Chicago Harbor light. Jim Wooll photo...