Date: 12/3/2008, 1:08 pm
Bryan,
Way cool trip! I just read the Niagara river section of your website and have a bit of advice. If you are heading east on the US shore you will want to be inside the breakwall at the mouth of the river as the current is quite swift, 12 to 15 mph in calm conditions. Erie is very shallow and a sustained west wind can raise the water level at the mouth of the river several feet, and increase the current speed to around 20 mph. The harbor inside the breakwall becomes the Blackrock canal which is open to paddlers except for the one lock that returns you to the river, and should be easy to portage as it is quite short. The Buffalo Rowing Club is frequently on the canal because traffic is low, and may be a good contact for you. I personally would not want to paddle the river beyond the inlet to the Erie canal, as the river narrows north of Grand Island and the current is again quite swift. I used to water ski here as a kid, and have intimate knowledge of just how fast the current is, jump off the swim platform and by the time you surfaced you were easily 20' or more from your vessel. Check out the link for a look at the river below the falls.
Best of luck on your adventure,
Tom
Messages In This Thread
- Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition *LINK* *Pic*
Bryan Hansel -- 11/25/2008, 7:41 pm- Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition
PatrickC -- 12/3/2008, 5:30 pm- Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition
Bryan Hansel -- 12/11/2008, 9:39 pm
- Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition *LINK*
Tom Raymond -- 12/3/2008, 1:08 pm- Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition
Dan Caouette (CSFW) -- 12/1/2008, 9:06 am- Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition
Jerry -- 11/28/2008, 11:17 pm- Re: Great Lakes Radio Tracking Equipment?
Michael McMann -- 12/1/2008, 1:17 pm- Re: Great Lakes Radio Tracking Equipment?
Bryan Hansel -- 12/11/2008, 9:43 pm
- Re: Great Lakes Radio Tracking Equipment?
- Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition
John Van Buren -- 11/28/2008, 7:16 pm- Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition
John Monroe -- 11/28/2008, 3:04 am- Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition
Bryan Hansel -- 11/28/2008, 5:54 pm
- Wowie!
Robert N Pruden -- 11/27/2008, 10:28 pm- Re: Wowie!
Bryan Hansel -- 11/28/2008, 5:49 pm- Re: Wowie!
Bill Hamm -- 11/29/2008, 12:53 am- Re: Wowie!
Bryan Hansel -- 11/29/2008, 11:10 am- Re: Wowie!
Bill Hamm -- 11/30/2008, 1:22 am- Re: Great Lake Maps!
Bryan Hansel -- 11/29/2008, 11:12 am - Re: Great Lake Maps!
- Re: Wowie!
- Re: Wowie!
- Re: Wowie!
- Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition
PatrickC -- 11/27/2008, 10:20 pm- Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition
Bryan Hansel -- 11/28/2008, 5:32 pm
- Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition
Justin L. -- 11/27/2008, 10:00 pm- Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition
Scot Norris -- 11/27/2008, 8:05 am- Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition
Bryan Hansel -- 11/28/2008, 5:31 pm
- Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition
Ken Sutherland -- 11/27/2008, 12:25 am- Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition
Glen Smith -- 11/26/2008, 10:06 pm- Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition
Bryan Hansel -- 11/28/2008, 5:27 pm
- Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition *Pic*
Chris Sperry -- 11/26/2008, 9:37 pm- Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition
Bryan Hansel -- 11/28/2008, 5:24 pm
- Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition
Bill Hamm -- 11/26/2008, 1:02 am- Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition
Bryan Hansel -- 11/26/2008, 8:13 pm- Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition
Bill Hamm -- 11/27/2008, 8:49 am- Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition
Bryan Hansel -- 11/28/2008, 5:19 pm
- Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition
- Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition
- Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition
Bill Hamm -- 11/26/2008, 12:38 am - Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition
- Re: Announce: Around the Great Lakes Expedition