Kingston Canada

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Revision as of 05:02, 24 July 2014

Kingston, Canada

An online cruising guide for yachts sailing to Kingston, Canada.

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	44°13.50′N, 76°29.15′W
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	Local chartlet
Kingston. Click for larger view'

Kingston is among the oldest permanent settlements on the Great Lakes, and is sometimes referred to as the "freshwater sailing capital of North America". Situated where Lake Ontario meets the St. Lawrence River, Kingston supports a population of about 150,000. A university town for over 150 years, the city has a compact, bustling European-style downtown with a wide variety of shops and restaurants. Dozens of museums and historical sites are located throughout the town. Marinas, anchoring space and marine services are plentiful, and downtown Kingston is easy to navigate on foot or by bus.

Local Weather

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Sources for Weather forecasts:

Charts

• Canadian Hydrographic Service chart 1439 covers Kingston and the immediate surroundings. Charts 2018 and 2064 cover the approach from the west; charts 1429 through 1438 cover the approach from the east via the St. Lawrence River. Chart 1513 covers the Kingston inner harbour and the approach from the north via the Rideau Canal.
• CHS electronic chart pack CEN-C (St. Lawrence River) includes ENC vector charts of the Kingston area. The city is also reasonably well covered by CM93 charts and is roughly covered by the American NOAA ENCs for Coast Guard District 9.

Radio Nets

Also see World Cruiser's Nets.

Approach and Navigation

Kingston's waterfront rests above a large magnetic anomaly; compasses may be out by as much as 30 degrees between Kingston and Wolfe Island. The approach should be made visually, with GPS and radar backup if available.

Approaching from the east, yachts should turn north through the channel marked by buoys PV1 and PV2 to go north of Wolfe Island; the channel south of the island is dominated by large ship traffic. The channel is wide and relatively clear; a handful of notable obstructions are well marked.

The approach from the west includes several shoals and small islands that must be avoided, but the safe channel is well marked and is at least half a mile wide.

Yachts approaching from the north via the Rideau Canal can follow the channel buoys from Kingston Mills to the Inner Harbour. The navigable channel is quite narrow, and vessels drawing more than 60 cm should not leave the marked channel. A no-wake / 5 knot speed limit applies near Kingston Mills and when passing Rideau Marina.

Check-in facilities (for Customs and Immigration)

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Berthing Options

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Marinas & Yacht Clubs

• Confederation Basin - Large city-owned marina in the heart of the downtown. Transient slips for boats to ~10 m are usually plentiful on all but the busiest summer weekends, and this marina often has space for much larger vessels if you call ahead.
• Kingston Yacht Club - Private club within walking distance of downtown. Minimal transient space, call well in advance of arrival to see if they're accepting visitors.
• Portsmouth Olympic Harbour - Another large city-owned marina. More services than at Confederation Basin, but farther from downtown.
• Rideau Marina - Private facility at lake level on the Rideau Canal; mainly powerboat-oriented.
• Collins Bay Marina - Large private marina in the city's west end, welcomes transient visitors and has (or is convenient to) repair and supply facilities.

Anchorages

• Anchoring in the immediate vicinity of downtown Kingston is not recommended. There is a lot of boat traffic and a rocky lee shore along the Lake Ontario waterfront.
• The inner harbour, north of the mooring field and west of the Rideau channel, is well protected and calm. The area is weedy and shallow (1 to 2 m depth).
• Navy Bay at N44.232036, W76.464078, located between Fort Henry and the Royal Military College to the east of Kingston, is reasonably well protected, but can get choppy in southerly winds.
• Deadman Bay at N44.232407, W76.45075
• The shoals to the east of Simcoe Island at N44.183093, W76.498625 offer depths of 1 to 3 metres and are well protected from the prevailing westerly winds. This is a popular spot, and often hosts about a dozen anchored yachts and powerboats.
• Big Sandy Bay at N44.109391, W76.453028, is a 13 mile trip from downtown Kingston. There is a nice sand beach, and the bay tends to be fairly calm. The bottom is relatively hard sand with generally good holding. The prevailing westerly winds put you on a lee shore here. From late May to early September, there is a per-person fee to use the beach, and large swarms of bugs are common.
• Cataraqui Bay at N44.215337, W76.542399 is tricky to enter, but might be suitable for some shallow-draught boats. It is well protected but is immediately downwind of a chemical plant.

Offshore Islands and Groups

This section does not apply for most ports, if that is the case for this one remove it. You may, however, list ismall islands near this port.

Yacht Repairs and Services

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Marine Stores

• Pride Marine is a well-stocked independent chandlery in the west end of Kingston. They have a dock on Collins Bay at N44°14.466' W076°36.497' and road access at 4032 Bath Rd. Phone 613-634-1900.
• Vandervoort's, located in the downtown at 77 Princess St, stocks commonly needed charts, guidebooks, marine hardware and safety gear. Phone 613-548-7783.
• West Marine has a store at the Kingston Centre plaza, 1036 Princess St. Phone 613-549-3658. It is a 15-minute bus ride from downtown on bus routes 1, 4 or 12.

Repairs/Yards

Fuel, Water, & Electricity

Fuel

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Water

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Electricity

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Things to do Ashore

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Grocery & Supply Stores

Eateries

Internet/WiFi

Available?

Laundry

Motorbike & Car Rentals

Garbage Disposal

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Transportation

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Routes/Passages To/From

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Cruiser's Friends

Contact details of "Cruiser's Friends" that can be contacted for local information or assistance.

Forum Discussions

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External Links

• Kingston

References & Publications

Books, Guides, etc. Use the Reference template or not at your discretion. For example:

{{Reference|Rod Heikel|Greek Waters Pilot|Imray Laurie and Wilson, Cambridgeshire|9780852889718}}, expands to

Rod Heikell, Greek Waters Pilot Imray, Laurie and Wilson, Cambridgeshire, ISBN 9780852889718

• Author, Title, Publisher, ISBN ISBN number
• Author, Title, Publisher, ISBN ISBN number

You may want to remove the above entries and use instead a link to the Country or Region that lists the relevant references. If so enter, after removing {{MagentaText|xx}}, the following:

See [[Country or Region#References_&_Publications|Coutry or Region]].

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Personal Notes

Personal experiences?

Last Visited & Details Checked (and updated here)

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