St Lawrence Cruise

The Good Goose · Post by **The Good Goose** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 3:53 pm

We are thinking of cruising to Canada this year. Anyone know what is involved in crossing the border. Do we need a Q flag and a Canadian flag? Our boat is Documented what paperwork do we need? We would go up the Richelieu and to Quebec city and then work our way north. anyone sailed this route and have any info? We also might leave our boat in Canada for the winter and pick up next spring where we left off. Any one know the repurcussions and paper work involved in this? Anyone know of a good cruising guide for this area?

Thanks in advance for any info:
Brock Richardson

Post by **Tim** » Sat Jun 03, 2006 7:54 am

The paperwork required to enter Canada anywhere is generally extremely minimal for US citizens, but I can't tell you exactly what the process is. The last time I sailed to Canada was 20 years ago or more, and I was just a kid then anyway. I don't remember flying a Q flag; I seem to remember calling in from a port of entry (St. Andrews, in our case).

From my experiences with occasional crossings into and out of Canada, it's always more of a pain to re-enter the US than it is to leave into Canada--particularly with boats. The process is unnecessarily obtuse a lot of the time. People on the Canadian side are often friendlier and easier to deal with. I can only imagine that things are a bit tighter everywhere, particularly on the US side, after 9/11.

My Cruising Guide to the Maine Coast indicates that the Q flag is not in general use, and that the cruiser should contact the Canada Customs office in order to state docking time and location for a Customs inspector to be present, if required. Or you can go ashore and call Customs from there. There are designated ports of entry where you should first arrive in order to complete the formalities.

The text goes on to mention that you need a cruising license, which is issued by Canadian Customs free of charge for 90 days, and can be renewed further for free. Beware of carrying too much liquor or other stores into Canada, as they have limits to what is allowed (it says here 40 oz. of alcohol or 24 beers duty-free).

Note that this info comes from a somewhat older version of the cruising guide, so things may have changed somewhat. But this is essentially what I remember from the 80s, so it probably hasn't changed too much. I also remember my parents having liquor confiscated from a motorhome way back in the 70s when we were going camping in Canada somewhere, a story that has become family legend with us.

You shouldn't need passports, but I'd have them on board anyway.

We hope to do the St. Lawrence route one day in the not-too-distant future, though we'd do it in the opposite direction from you. I look forward to hearing about your experiences if you do the cruise.

Duncan · Post by **Duncan** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 10:54 am

Canadian Customs shouldn't be much of an issue. As a Canadian citizen, I imported the Westwind with just a phone call from the first port of entry, and a promise to stop by the Customs Office once I got home. Pets and firearms are probably the two issues with the most potential for complications. If you don't have either (which I would recommend), things should be pretty straightforward.
As Tim says, going the other way can be a bit more persnickety these days, so you may want to advise them of your plans beforehand, just to see what advice they have to give.

Showing a local flag is a courtesy, not a requirement.

I believe the customs office as you enter the Richelieu will probably be quite boater-friendly, given all the seasonal traffic. You'll have your mast down, and need to watch your depth occasionally in the Richelieu, I hear. The St. Lawrence was also getting silty in spots a few years ago - I don't know if it is still that way, but I wouldn't necessarily count on some of the shallower anchorages.

The Richardson's chartbook is pretty good, and the Quebec tourism office has nice (free) brochures on each region you'll be passing through.

Qu?bec City has more facilities for hauling and storage than most places downstream. You might be ok in Riviere du Loup or once you get to the tip of the Gasp?, as well, as there is a fair bit of pleasure sailing up there. Leaving the boat sounds like a great idea, since you'll just be getting into the good stuff in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It would be a shame to turn around and miss it - I have a friend who still raves about the summer he spent in the Gulf a few years back.

If there's anything I can do from Montreal to assist, please don't hesitate to let me know.

The Good Goose · Post by **The Good Goose** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 9:05 pm

Tim and Duncan

Thanks for the info. Duncan thanks for the offer of assistance. If we make the trip maybe we can link up in Montreal for a cold one. Likewise if your headed down Champlain give a shout were in Malletts bay We'd be happy to help you out any way we could.

Brock

Duncan · Post by **Duncan** » Mon Jun 05, 2006 9:24 pm

Thanks/you're welcome/etc.! Actually, I have the Eastwind not far from you on the other side (Mooney Bay). Not in the water yet, while I dither on other things, but she may make the same Richelieu passage this fall.