Grindstone Island, NY Boating: Canadian Waters

Accounts of trips taken in Boston Whaler boats; organization of rendezvous for Boston Whaler boats
rtk
Posts: 122
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2015 7:06 am

Grindstone Island, NY Boating: Canadian Waters

Postby rtk » Tue Aug 02, 2016 8:38 am

I am heading up to a buddies family house on Grindstone Island, NY this weekend. Bringing my 1966 16' up there.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Clayton,+NY+13624/@44.225731,-76.1479667,12z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x4ccd49996bc88203:0xa00970185386a496!8m2!3d44.239491!4d-76.0857759

I have been reading on boating/entering Canadian waters as a US citizen. If I am reading things correctly- do I have to report to officials when entering Canadian waters?

http://cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/pb-pp-eng.html

The border is very close to the island. I have no desire to make landfall in Canada but I would like to simply just ride around the area for sightseeing and some fishing. Any reciprocal fishing license agreements as there are on Lake Champlain (New York/Vermont)?

Looking forward to the antique boat show in Clayton also. Looks like a really cool area!

Thanks for any insight you have to provide with regard to travelling the waters of this area and fishing tips are always welcome!

Rich

Hoosier
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Location: Indiana and Eastern UP

Re: Grindstone Island, NY Boating: Canadian Waters

Postby Hoosier » Tue Aug 02, 2016 9:27 am

You have to call in to CBSA when you cross the border in a boat:

"If you are visiting Canada, you can report to the TRC from your cellphone from the location at which you enter Canadian waters when you:

do not intend to land on Canadian soil, and
will not be leaving any people or goods in Canada."

Make sure you, and anyone else on the boat, have travel documents or ID. There have been incidents where a person's boat was seized because they failed to report entry.
1978 Outrage V20 with 2004 Suzuki DF-115. 1992 23 Walkaround with two 2010 Yamaha F-150s.

rtk
Posts: 122
Joined: Fri Oct 16, 2015 7:06 am

Re: Grindstone Island, NY Boating: Canadian Waters

Postby rtk » Tue Aug 02, 2016 8:49 pm

Thanks Hoosier that's how I read it. It is consistent with the experience depicted in a recent post- cruise New York to Canada- the Lake Champlain segment brought my attention to it regarding the border crossing by water. I've spent a fair amount of time the past 3 years or so trailering boats up to Lake Champlain, Island region (North Hero, Alburgh, etc.) Avoided the Canada waters for exploration because of my perceived "hassles" of reporting.

That's not a swipe at Canada- they're monitoring their border as they should.

I'm really looking forward to exploring the area by boat. I have really enjoyed Upstate New York and Vermont. It's a trailer boaters wonderland. Water tastes funny though- it ain't salty!

I've never boated on one the US Great Lakes either- looking forward to nosing the bow into Lake Ontario. One off the list.

Rich

mdono
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Joined: Thu Oct 29, 2015 5:16 pm
Location: Baltimore, Maryland

Re: Grindstone Island, NY Boating: Canadian Waters

Postby mdono » Wed Aug 03, 2016 6:24 pm

Have your and your passenger's passports handy as they will probably ask about them. Boat registration number too. Also, have pen and paper ready as they will give you a number to be displayed on your dashboard when and if you go into town on the Canadian side.

Kingston, Ontario located where the St Lawrance begins is worth a boat ride from Grindstone. Take the "Bateau Channel" on the North side of Howe Island for a (mostly) smoothe ride.

I Reccomend the Museam of the Great Lakes which is located there and not a far walk from the City Dock.

Most of all, have fun.

Be Safe out there.

M

jimh
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Joined: Fri Oct 09, 2015 12:25 pm
Location: Michigan, Lower Peninsula
Contact:

Re: Grindstone Island, NY Boating: Canadian Waters

Postby jimh » Mon Sep 05, 2016 9:49 am

Regarding boating in Canadian water by citizens of the USA:

This summer we trailered our boat into Canada, entering Ontario at Sault Ste. Marie by highway. Later we launched our boat and began to cruise northern Lake Huron. Several days later we were at the port of Little Current. At that particular time there were agents of the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) checking boats with USA registrations to see if they had properly reported their entry into Canadian water. Proof of proper entry was typically supplied by the boater providing the "report number" they received from CBSA when they telephoned upon arriving at their first Canadian port. Of course, we had no such number because we crossed the border by land.

The CBSA agent was pleasant about this, and took my word for the manner of our entry, probably because our boat's size was reasonably appropriate for being towed on a trailer on a highway. He advised me that on the next border crossing by highway where I intended to then launch the boat into Canadian water, I should ask the CBSA agent at the highway border for an "E-99" form.

I suspect that if I were to do that, I would then be directed to pull over and report to some other agent to get this form. I doubt that the typical CBSA agent at a highway border crossing sitting in those little booths has the forms or access to the registration database to get a number. In other words, I anticipate a delay and a lot of rigamarole will be necessary to get the "E-99" form (CBSA Report) and report number. I think I will adopt a different method. I will just call in via the telephone when I launch the boat. That should get me a number in about 30-seconds. I expect getting a number at a highway border crossing would take more like 30-minutes.