WPSU

Thursday, May 10, 2018

SlowBoat Cruises Again!

Hello, friends! We're excited to share that Dragonfly, the 14-ton steel-hulled solar canal boat that cruised America's 6,000-mile-long "Great Loop" eight years ago, will depart soon on a new adventure. Call it the "Little Loop": 1000 miles through the canals of Canada. Here's our route (map courtesy of GIS expert Ben Carlsen):
We leave June 1 and aim to cross our wake at the end of August.  Starting from our home port of Macedon, New York, about 15 miles southeast of Rochester, here are the key sections and approximate dates.

  • East on the Erie Canal to around Baldwinsville  (Beginning of June)
  • North on the Oswego Canal to the shore of Lake Ontario (second week of June)
  • Around the east shore of Lake Ontario to the Canadian port of Kingston (third week of June)
  • North to Ottawa on the scenic Rideau Canal (late June - early July)
  • East to Montreal on the Ottawa River (mid-July)
  • Still further east on the Saint Lawrence River to Sorel (mid-July)
  • South on the Richelieu River to Lake Champlain (late July)
  • South through Lake Champlain to the Champlain Canal (early August)
  • The length of the Champlain Canal to the Erie Canal (mid August)
  • West on the Erie to Macedon (late August)
Tomorrow I'll share some details of Dragonfly's innovative new propulsion system.

2 comments:

  1. It was so nice to meet you both. Jennifer & I met you at the marina in St. Johnsville NY. thank you so very much for sharing the design and mechanicals of you boat. Love to hear about any changes in the battery/electric system. Look forward to maybe seeing or talking to you both again. Matt & Jenn

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  2. Great to hear from you, Matt and Jenn, and we enjoyed talking boat systems with you! We aim to cruise the Erie/Champlain Canal back to Lake Champlain next summer, keep in touch!

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