As you leave Gananoque on this route, you are heading for the Gananoque Narrows.
You first pass Jackstraw Shoal and Gordon Island.If you cruise further past Squaw,Sugar and Prince Regent islands, you pass through the Gananoque Narrows and back into the Canadian Middle Channel.
If you chose to bypass Gananoque altogether,opting instead to continue down the Canadian Middle Channel,from this point you enter some interesting cruising water.
Just past Leek Island,watch for a series of markers beginning with the Red H3014 and the Green Lighthouse on The Punts. You are entering the Lake Fleet Islands.
Here the channel takes a sharp turn to starboard followed by a sharp turn to port. The channel is well-marked,but be sure to pay attention to your chart so that you do not miss a marker going around the corners.
As you round Barge Island,you can continue turning to starboard instead of following the channel and anchor either between Barge and Gig islands or continue toward Mead Island.Between Mead and Grindstone islands is secure holding ground,exposed to storms from the east. Also,don’t go too deep as it shallows quickly and there are power cables.
Once through this dogleg you travel along a narrow but deep channel past Camelot, Dumbfounder and Endymion islands. Camelot and Endymion, both part of St.Lawrence Islands National Park,have docks. Use your charts to navigate carefully around them,especially in the water between Camelot and Niagara islands and Endymion and Sundown islands.It is best to approach south docks from the south and north docks from the north.
To anchor on the south side of these islands,leave the channel at Netley Island and either cruise to the south of it along the south side of Netley, Camelot and Niagara or along the south side of Sunset, Endymion and Sundown.There is a small anchorage along the south sides of Netley and Camelot islands. Watch for power cables.There is also an anchorage between Camelot and Niagara.The water here is shallow and there are numerous rocks.
On the north side of this group you can anchor between Camelot and Niagara.Be sure you are well out of the main channel and watch for rocks.
There are also small exposed anchorages on the south side of Endymion Island. Watch for shallow water and a shoal between Sundown and the extended tip of Endymion. On the north side,you can anchor in the bay formed by Sunset and Endymion. However,this anchorage is exposed to boat traffic and poor weather from the east.
The channel is wide and well marked through the Lake Fleet Islands and the Navy Islands.
There are a number of anchorages and two St.Lawrence Islands National Park islands accessible in the Navy Group.Use your chart to make your way through the small navigable gap between Stave and Downie Island to the area just east of Stave and Hickey islands.There are shoals here and the islanders are not friendly to strangers,but the bottom is mud.
Mulcaster Island,a St.Lawrence Islands National Park island,has docks and boaters often anchor off its east side.
If you proceed past the Navy Islands, you will see two markers at Steeple Shoal. The channel narrows here as you prepare to make your way through the winding channels near the Thousand Islands Bridge.
At Sir William Shoal, on your port side along the north shore past Champagne Point, you will see what looks like a single marina. It is actually three marinas tucked in the same bay – Williams, Pecks and River Rat. The water is good all the way in to these facilities. Pecks is accessed by veering to port past the shoals once inside the bay. Williams and River Rat are accessed by passing the docks to your port side.
At Sir William Shoal you will be encountering a current and you have probably noticed your boat speed increasing. Hold on, you are about to need your piloting skills.
In the islands you are approaching, called the Raft Narrows Group, Lake Ontario shallows to as little as 13 feet in the channel and then drops off to 250 feet just beyond the Thousand Islands Bridge. This sets up a series of strong currents.The bottom also rises and falls in several places, creating eddies and currents that require handling skill.Expect a lot of traffic through here, including a number of tour boats that need room to maneouver.
To follow the Canadian Middle Channel you will pass Sir William Shoal and begin lining up for the narrow Fiddlers Elbow entrance,located between Lyndoch Island and Lyndoch Island Light. The channel through here is well marked with lights and markers.
As you pass between Wood Island and Bratt Island, you will begin to notice the currents and eddies tugging your boat in several directions at once. By the time you get beyond the bridge the worst of this is over.
Part of the St. Lawrence Islands National Park System, Georgina Island on your starboard has two public docks accessible near the bridge.
There is another channel,marked with markers carrying the “HV”designation,that follows the mainland to the north of the Canadian Middle Channel on the way to the Bridge.The channel begins at the Yellow and Black Cardinal Marker HV close aboard Sir William Shoal.
At Green HV9,turn to starboard and pass close aboard Ivy Island.The channel then leads you close to Ivy Lea Village. There is a public dock at this village and good water depth,but watch the current.
At Ivy Lea there is a seasonal restaurant accessed from the west end of the dock at the east end is reserved for a tour boat. If you head for Garrett Point and Weston Island instead of turning to pass Ivy Island, you can follow Weston Island into Village Quay Marina.The service dock is accessed by staying close to the marina docks.Do not stray too close to Weston Island once you are at the marina,as there is a mud shoal that comes close to the surface late in the season.
Ahead is a dogleg with a strong current and shoals near Markers HV3 and 4.
This brings you back to the Canadian Middle Channel just before the bridge.
The second alternate route through here is known as the Lost Channel because a navy gunboat sailed through here during the War of 1812 and was never seen again.
At Lyndoch Island Light, bear more southerly so the island and Butts Island both pass on your port side. Cruise around Butts Island and remain south of Wallace,Himes and Bratt islands.
At this point,you can make your way between Bratt and Georgina islands to the main channel or continue along the remainder of the Lost Channel.The second option should not be attempted without excellent boat handling and chart reading skills.You should have your route marked out on your chart beforehand because currents will demand most of your attention.
Instead of turning north to pass between Bratt and Georgina, let Rabbit Island pass on your starboard side.A shoal should pass to your port,then turn to port slowly after passing under the bridge,following the north shore of Constance Island. There are two docks visible here and one on the other side of the island through the small channel between Constance and Huckleberry islands.Turn to starboard at the end of Constance to pass between it and Huckleberry.Follow the south side of Huckleberry Island and pass through the small gap north of Reciprocity Island to get back to the Canadian Middle Channel.
There are several anchorages in this area.
Smugglers Cove is a small route into a campground and a number of expensive cottages.At least one tour boat company runs through here regularly and two others occasionally,so it can be hazardous.
As you cruise down the Canadian Middle Channel,turn to port after you pass Wood Island and the light just off its northeast tip.Let the SH14 marker pass well to your port side as you make your way towards the Niddery Islands.
Let the small group of four islands,as well as the next larger island,pass on your starboard side.The water depth here at chart datum is one metre,and the bottom is mud and rock.
If you follow the Lost Channel,as you are north of Constance Island and south of Georgina Island,you can turn to port once you are past the several smaller islands and anchor close to Georgina.
Past the bridge on the Canadian Middle Channel,Bucks Bay offers good anchorage in sand and mud.It is easy to get into and probably the best place to anchor in this area.
Once past the Thousand Islands Bridge, the Canadian Middle Channel remains a relatively easy cruise past Rockport and out into the main shipping channel just north of Alexandria Bay.
Rockport is a small village with a marina,boat lines and two good restaurants.The restaurants own a substantial concrete dock on the west end of the village.
Ed Huck Marine,with its fuel docks prominent,is on the east end of the village. Watch for a marked shoal just beyond the fuel dock.
In season there is a small gift store here, but no other services.