Great Loop: Lake Ontario to Clayton New York

- June 25, 2022

Departing Oswego to cross Lake Ontario

June 22nd, 2022

We are always a bit anxious prior to crossing a large body of water. It is probably a control thing. What makes us anxious is weather. Conditions can change. You can start a voyage with acceptable weather, and then Mother Nature changes her mind. The longer the duration of your voyage the higher the risk that conditions can change. To counteract this, you prepare for the worst and hope for the best. We did our preparations, put everything away that could get tossed around in rough seas, triple checked the forecast against our criteria of winds less than 15 knots and seas less than 2 feet. All looked good, so we cast off and headed 54 miles north to the far side.

We were fortunate. Mother Nature was kind. The winds remained between 10 and 15 knots, and seas we mostly less than 2 feet. All in all - a good passage. One of a Ranger Tug's characteristics is that travel comfort in wind waves is often better at 12-15 mph than at at normal economical cruise speed of 7-8 mph. We did take advantage of this characteristic and crossed Ontario at high speed cruise. Our fuel efficiency dropped from ~ 4mpg to 2mpg, until we entered the St. Lawrence Seaway and wave heights reduced due to shorter fetch. The remainder of the trip to Clayton New York was pleasant and scenic. As the St. Lawrence River drains the Great Lakes to the Ocean, you can expect a nice speed boost as you head in that direction. We found that Amy Marie achieved a fuel efficiency of 6 mpg at 8 mph for the remainder of the day due to the current push.

Clayton has a number of marinas from which you can choose. We tend to wait to the day prior to make reservations. We can do this as we are a smaller cruiser. Most boaters seeking reservations are on 36 foot and up boats. Slips for larger vessels sell out first. Our experience has been that smaller slips are almost always available. Another advantage for cruising in a smaller vessel.

Clayton has much to offer. It is a very walkable and bikeable city. We berthed at the Clayton Harbor Municipal Marina. From there, it is an easy walk downtown. There is a good hardware store downtown and a supermarket is located about a 10 minute bike ride from the marina. Check their civic guide for local events. There is much going on in town during the summer cruising months.

The Oswego Light house

Lake Ontario beyond

Entering the St. Lawrence Seaway and the area known as Thousand Islands

We regularly encountered large commercial ships on the St. Lawrence

Amy Marie at dock in Clayton New York

Notice the wonderful water Clarity

The Clayton Antique Boat Museum is a "must see"

In the canoe section of the museum was an example of the collapsible Linkanoe. My parents purchased one for our family in the mid 1950's. It was my first command as a youth!