Quiet Man

I do a bit of Cruising with the family on Eastern Lake Ontario. From our home port in Fair Haven, we have gone to Sandy Pond, Sacket's Harbor, Cape Vincent and the Thousand Islands, as well as Kingston, Picton, Waupoos and Main Duck Island in Ontario. We have also cruised to Geneva on Seneca Lake by way of the canal system (Oswego/Erie/Cayuga-Seneca Canals). I would love to go from Fair Haven to Lake Huron's Georgian Bay by way of the Trent Severn Canal, with a loop up to Mackinack Island. I think I'll have to wait until I'm retired to do that one as it would be a very long trip. We plan on cruising across the Lake to Cobourg and touring the Rideau Canal (Kingston to Ottawa) for our next trips. Watching the forecast and the sky is the biggest thing to remember and plan on extra time to stay in port if Lake conditions do not permit crossing for a few days. When reviewing wave height forecasts, remember that those are averages, actual waves will be much bigger and can be worse, as it is only a forecast. Probably the biggest mistake made is that folks think the Great Lakes are just a lake, but they need to be respected like the Ocean. Gordon Lightfoot didn't make up the song; the Edmund Fitzgerald really did sink in the mid 1970's. Beyond the waves and weather, there are a multitude of details to know if you are going to be prepared to Cruise the Lakes. If you are trailerable you don't even have to cross the Lake, just trailer it and drop in where you like. Fair Haven is a great spot with easy access to Oswego and Sodus Bay. The Thousand Islands are great, Kingston, Waupoos and Prince Edward Bay, the Adolphus Reach are nice too. I've never been, but Northern Lake Michigan/Huron sound like a great place to trailer to and explore. Where ever you go, like the previous post said, have the charts and know how to use them, GPS can fail, and always let someone know where you are going. Jim Overall I enjoy the challenge of navigating the Lake. To be prepared there are many details