Endymion Island
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The Thousand Islands lies in the St. Lawrence River, running along the Canadian side of the border from Kingston to Brockville, Ontario, a distance of less than 80 km (50m). [map] The St. Lawrence National Park is on the Canadian of the Canada/U.S. border in the middle of the river. This area is one of the best cruising areas anywhere in the world with protected anchorages, beaches, fishing, tour boats, riverside towns, campgrounds, and parks on both sides. Remember to check in with government officials before you dock, moor or anchor in the country on the "other" side of the invisible border!
General:
The actual number of islands in this area is closer
to two thousand - the official count is 1,793. The Park spans islands and waterside
parks from Kingston, where the river is about 24 km. wide (15 mi) to Brockville,
with the river 5 km. (3 mi) wide. Some years back, the Rhinoseros Party promised
to ban winter, breed mosquitoes to hatch in January so "the little buggers will
freeze to death", and count the Thousand Islands - to make sure none was missing.
(I'm sure they got a few votes from boaters!) A dry year with low water
levels can cause islands to appear, and of course causing other rocks to
contact more boat bottoms. Charts are quite important here! Remember to stay
out of the path of the tour boats - ships have the right of way over most of
you any they move fast! Watch for "My Way" a 46 Skater equipped with twin 2000
hp Lycoming turbine engines.
Travel by car:
Drive here from the U.S. by ferry at Cape Vincent,
NY, or cross the Thousand Island Bridge near Clayton, NY, or the International
Bridge at Ogdenburg, NY. The Thousand Island Parkway curves beside the St. Lawrence
River just west of Brockville to Gananoque, home of the 1000 Islands Playhouse. Brockville is a large town at the
eastern end (toll-free 1-888-251-7676) and Kingston at the western end of the
National Park. Mallorytown Landing, with visitor centre, is the only shoreside
part of the national park; the rest are only accessible by boat.
Bike path:
Beside the road is a 37 kilometre bikeway for
cyclists, joggers, walkers, and roller-bladers. There is very little shade and
terrain is hilly. There are campgrounds, marinas, resorts, restaurants, and
scenic stops along the way - bring a camera and bathing suit. The north-east
section is more rural, the south-west has more ammenities. [MAP]
St. Lawrence Recreational Path:
There are 70 km of trails along the St. Lawrence River from Lancaster, Ontario, Gray's Creek, City of Cornwall, Long Sault, the Long Sault Parkway, through the Upper Canada Migratory Bird Sanctuary, Upper Canada Village Heritage Park, and Morrisburg, Ontario. [www.visit.cornwall.on.ca]
Lake Ontario:
In 2007, the Canadian Coast Guard station in Kingston received about 80 calls from late March to mid-December. Be sure to check weather forecasts, safety equipment and leave a sail plan with someone before you start out on Lake Ontario. The eastern end of the Lake is famous for weather changes, which can quickly create large chop and waves in heavy winds. Even in Quinte, it's considered wise to reef before you eat lunch to save a scramble when the afternoon SW winds pipe up.
Ecology:
There is poison ivy in the island, beside trails it's usually marked with signs or yellow tape.
Raccoons are common so don't leave out any food to attract them - they have been known to get into boats through velcro and even zippers!
Bald Eagles are slowly returning to the islands - there were none in the area from 1937 to 1998, but an estimated 100 birds now winter on the St. Lawrence River, eastern Lake Ontario. (birdscanada.org) There's a well known nest at the top of a tree on an island east of Mulcaster dock. Watch for osprey platforms around the islands - these are flat platform on top of tall poles or even nav light structures (Gananoque Narrows has one). From 1992 to 2007 ospreys increased from 2 pair to 100.
Hill Island has the largest stand of pitch pines in Canada - one of our rarest trees in Canada - deer eat the young trees so few survive.
Endymion and West Grenadier islands (and others) have another rare plant called the Deerberry bush - looks much like a blueberry bush without the sweet berries. Most of Endymion has been closed to visitors because of this plant. [People don't eat deerberry bushes, ironically, and deer don't read signs. In my observations over 30 years, closing trails, and removing facilities has not improved islands' ecology, just annoyed visitors. --Pat]
Park Statistics:
Half of visitors are from Ontario, a quarter from Quebec. Visitors spent an average 5.6 nights in the park. 27% completed the survey in French. 20% were first-time visitors. [Parks Canada news Spring 2008]
St. Lawrence Islands National Park
, with only 9 square kilometres
of total land area, is the smallest park in Canada with 21 islands and numerous
islets. Most of the Park islands have docks, picnic tables, and walking paths
which can only be reached by private boat or water taxi.
Weather: average temperature in Celsius
(max/min) average Rainfall:
June: 17C (21/12) 75mm rain
July: 20C (25/16) 60mm rain
August: 20C (24/15) 83mm rain
September: 15C (20/11) 93mm rain
Packing:
Sunscreen, bathing suit, hat, sunglasses, camera, ...
See our boat packing list for more.
St. Lawrence warms up by the end of June - great swimming until end of September.
Take off your watch and adopt a relaxed attitude!
In 1535, Jacques Cartier was barred by the Lachine Rapids (in Mount Royal, now Montreal) from proceeding up the St. Lawrence River. It became a dream to build St. Lawrence Seaway from the Atlantic Ocean throughout the five Great Lakes to serve trade to Ontario and Quebec in Canada and New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota in the U.S.
Canada and the U.S. failed to agree for 30 years, mainly due to lobbying by powerful rail and industrial companies in the U.S. In 1895, the first joint U.S.-Canada commission was to study seaway feasibility. In 1909 an International Joint Commission was formed to look into the matter. In 1932, Canada and the U.S. signed the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Deep Waterway Treaty, and in 1941, they signed the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence Basin Agreement. In 1949, another commission studied the idea, but again no progress was made in construction of the Seaway.
In 1951, Canada finally got tired of waiting after Washington shelved the joint project, and announced it planned to build the Seaway alone. Canada passed the St. Lawrence Seaway Authority Act and the International Rapids Power Development Act to begin work from Montreal west to the Lakes. The ploy worked, and the U.S. joined Canada in power works in the International Rapids section of the river - the first joint work on the Seaway.
In 1954, the United States joined Canada in building the Seaway with the passage of the Wiley-Dondeo Act. The agreement reached between the two countries estimated the cost of the project at $470.3 million, with Canada paying $336.5 million, and the U.S. paying $133.8 million.Canada's Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent started construction with an historic groundbreaking ceremony in Cornwall with Ontario Premier Leslie Frost and New York Governor Thomas E. Dewey.
The St. Lawrence Seaway was completed in 1959, officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II and U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower. The Seaway now serves some of North America's largest ports. Although a marvel of engineering, recent economic problems have been caused by a decline in shipping and invasive species like zebra mussel.
Statistics:
The Seaway system is connected by 6 canals with a total length about 100 km.
The 19 locks are filled and emptied by gravity. Each lock is 233.5 metres long
(766'), 24.4 metres wide (80') and 9.1 metres deep (30') at the entrance sill.
Ships are raised more than 180 m. above sea level. In about 45 mintues, a lock
fills with approximately 90 million litres of water. Channels are maintained
at 8.2 m (27') minimum over chart datum.
"When I read about the evils of drinking, I gave up reading." ~ Henny Youngman
"To some it's a 6-pack. To me it's a support group. Salvation in a can!" ~ Dave Howell
"24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not." ~ Stephen Wright
"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." ~ Benjamin Franklin
American visitors entering Canada must report to Canadian Customs & Immigration before they can legally stop at an park island or anchor in Canadian waters. You may phone from designated telephones at most marinas and town docks.
Entering the US, you will find that many towns have yellow immigration phones in special boxes equipped with two-way video terminal for interactive conversation with an immigration officer. Previously the captain had to check in before the crew could set foot on U.S. soil, but now your crew must accompeny you to be seen on camera and answer questions. Take your ship's papers and photo ID and any other papers required for everyone on board.
Landing at islands:
Boaters arriving from Canada to visit
Potters Beach (Grindstone Island) or Waterston Park (near Ivy Lea) must report
to U.S. Customs before landing or anchoring, unless they have an I-68 form (or
NEXUS in some areas) and report their arrival (there are no phones at either
location). Boats heading for the St. Lawrence Islands Park must first check
in with Canada Border Services - you may use phones located at most marinas.
Check the latest regulations before you go.
Lyme Tick information is posted in the St. Lawrence Islands National Park, when disease-carrying black-legged (deer) ticks were discovered in grassy areas of some of the islands. (Other types do not carry the disease.) Lyme disease is caused by bacteria transmitted by the bite of an infected tick. Ticks are spreading throughout the islands by deer and other wildlife (and probably visitors' and dogs).
Prevention:
Prevention is similar to mosquitoes.
The tick must be attached (feeding) 24 hours before it transmits Lyme Disease so it is a good to check yourself once a day if you go ashore. The ticks have a two year life cycle, normally becoming dormant during cold weather, but deer and dogs may harbor live ticks well into winter.
Symptoms:
A skin rash that looks like an expanding red ring and/or general flu-like symptoms. The bite is painless so look for the tick (the size of a sesame seed with 8 legs). Remove ticks attached to skin using tweezers or tissue with antiseptic (rubbing alcohol). Give it to the health authorities if you can for testing. (LymeDiseaseAssociation.org)
Treatment:
Lyme Disease can cause permanent disability of the heart, nervous system or joints and pain. Early diagnosis amd treatment with antibiotics is very important.
