Approximately 99 locks, one marine railway, 3,827 geese, more than 100 tiny towns, and countless new friends and acquaintances. That’s just a small portion of what we encountered on our three-month, 1,600-nautical-mile summer cruise through portions of Canada’s Great Lakes and historic canals: from the Erie Canal into Lake Ontario and the Thousand Islands archipelago, the Rideau Canal to Ottawa, the Trent-Severn Waterway, Georgian Bay and the North Channel of Lake Huron, before re-entering the United States and proceeding to Lake Michigan.
Canada’s inland waterways are renowned as some of the most beautiful cruising in North America. Generally speaking, the water is crystal clear and tends to be deep, often dropping to 50 or more feet within yards of the shoreline. Despite the depth, many of the most popular cruising grounds are dotted with large rocks just above or below the surface—adding to the beauty, but requiring careful navigation. The wildlife is abundant, the people are friendly, and the many small towns are welcoming.
We purchased our 34-foot PDQ catamaran, new in 2005 on the Canadian side of Lake Ontario. Despite this, we had no real experience or local knowledge in Canadian waters. The demands of young children and jobs forced us to transit Lake Ontario to our home’s first trip back to Canada, and our first cruise through the country.
