1000 Islands NY

[haley]

Thinking of spending a weekend in the 1000 Islands this Summer. Camping at NYS or Ontario parks. I have kayaked to a few of them, have sailed there once or twice but this will be my first visit there with my 16' Outboard bow rider. I understand that they can be rocky / treacherous at times.

Would welcome any tips. Aside from the usual safety gear I have rolled nav charts (awkward) and fishing maps (handy). Currently do not have VHS - that sounds like a good idea since this is a commercial seaway.

Any parts good for water sports - Lake of the Isle's maybe? Something out of the main channels?

Any preference for boat access camping?

John

 

[biglurr54]

Re: 1000 Islands NY

I went to the 1000 Islands a bunch while growing up. They have an awesome flea market and boat show in august in Clayton. We had a 16 footer at the time when we went. Some advice is to be very very very careful at night on the water. The big freight ships are hard to see at night. The hulls are dark and at night you think its open water. My father, a very experienced boater, had never seen anything like it. It is like a mirage. By the time you realize you are coming up on a Ship it?s too late. Get a portable radio. They are handy to have. Keewaydin has a great boat launch, tons of parking, and nice camping sites. They also have very reasonable slips available. That?s where we always stayed and never had a bad stay. Good location and decent prices for camping. As for water sports we stayed in the boat most of the time because of the currents but we love the water and threw a buoy on a 50 foot rope and jumped in and held on to it with someone in the boat to get us if we got swept away. It was a lot of fun swimming in the current but it is really dangerous. The bays there offer plenty of protection for water sports. It?s a great boating destination. Endless opportunity to go explore. With a chart and a depth finder you'll be fine. All we had were paper charts and we would be on the boat all day. I?m bringing my fianc?e there this year.

 

[eastont]

Re: 1000 Islands NY

Lake of the Isles is a great place to anchor andswim. The bottom is mostly sand and it's not too deep, from 7 - 15', and it's US waters. To dock or camp on any Canadian Island you need to contact Canada Border Services and get a landing number from them and then when you leave you need to let them know you are exiting Canada waters and then then I think you need to contact US Border Control to let them know.....it can be a hassle some times.

One thing to be very aware of, because of the record high water levels. many rocks and shoal that are normally above water are now just under....maybe about 6". There is a group of people that mark as many as possible, but this year there are far too many to mark.
If you have charts....USE THEM!!!!!

But I hope you have a great time. I'm cruising around every weekend at least.

 

[haley]

Re: 1000 Islands NY

Thanks for the tip. Lake of the Isles sounds perfect.

I have the charts and the commercial waterproof foldable fishing maps. I will compare the two to see if one is more recent than the other and if there are notable changes (wrecks/obstructions, etc.). The rolled charts are more for trip planning - I think they are just to big for the boat, especially if the info is close to the fishing map (which in every way resembles the chart except it has where the fishies lurk). I usually pick up a map / chart before launching just to familiarize myself. I am in the NY Finger Lakes region so hop around a lot to different lakes.

On another thread chartplotters are mentioned. Great idea but a bit pricey for me. Will stick with paper, invest in VHS, and think about the chartplotter later on. They are expensive but probably cheaper than a new low end!

Good point about the border thing. I am thinking Canoe Point or Wellesley Island. I have camped both at least once before.

Great point about the water level too.

jh