Oneida Lake–Mile 130 to Mile 149

Oneida Lake is 20 miles of open, shallow water. It is often too rough to cross in prevailing westerly winds. Sailboats with masts down are particularly vulnerable when the west wind is up. Crossings have to be delayed until the waves calm down as they pile up on the east side of the lake to heights in excess of 6 feet. The lake is also prone to fog and is large enough to require course plotting before a crossing when visibility is poor.

NAVIGATION: Use NOAA Chart 14786 and 14788.

A series of flashing red and green buoys (mainly green ones) mark the course across the lake. A few buoys are far apart and difficult to spot even in clear weather. You will want to keep a close eye on your plotter and your chart to keep track of where you are, especially in limited visibility.

When you leave Sylvan Beach, the breakwall may be underwater and barely visible but it is well marked. It extends several hundred yards west on the north (starboard) side of the passage heading west.

Follow the marks closely on departure and follow the markers to take the dogleg to starboard. Be aware of Messanger Shoal between green buoys “111” and “115.” Also note Shackelton Shoals between green buoys “119” and “125.” The large lighthouse on Frenchman Island helps you locate green buoy “133,” which is a good distance from red buoy “130.”

Dockage:

There are over 20 marinas lining the north and south shores of Oneida Lake. Most cater to smaller outboard vessels and seasonal clients but just about all offer transient dockage to those interested in spending some time on the lake to explore and fish. Among the facilities with dockage are Johnnie's Pier 31 Restaurant & Marina, Fisher Bay Marina, Anchorage Marina and Aero Marina Conway Inc. Call ahead for dockage details.

Anchorage:

While few see this lake as a destination spot, keep in mind that it contains many good anchorages and terrific fishing opportunities. It is always recommended that mariners locate anchorages of refuge before crossing the lake in the event of a sudden storm. A quick examination of NOAA Chart 14786 reveals many bays and coves that provide protection from any given quarter. Of special note is South Bay , which provides plenty of room with good holding and place to land a dinghy. You can dinghy just west of Lewis Point in South Bay to a marvelous and popular beach.

Billington Bay, Fisher Bay and Maple Bay on the southern shore also provide good holding; however, be prepared to collect masses of water grasses on your anchor. On the north shore, Bernhards Bay and Three Mile Bay have at least 5 feet of water with good holding.

Lock 23 (Brewerton) to Three Rivers–Mile 150 to Mile 160

At Brewerton (Mile 150) on the western end of Oneida Lake, the Erie Canal leaves Oneida Lake to join the Oneida River. Provisioning here requires a car. Several area marinas provide loaner cars, making provisioning easier.

The Oneida, Oswego and Seneca Rivers meet at Three Rivers Point at Mile 160, giving you some options for your voyage (described below).

NAVIGATION: Use NOAA Charts 14786 and 14788.

There are four bridges and a guard gate with a controlling vertical clearance of 21.7 feet before E23 Brewerton Lock at Mile 153.65. At about Mile 151, the Oneida River continues northwest, while the Erie Canal turns southwest between red buoy “158” and green buoy “159.” You will pass under Bridge E-66: Caughdenoy Rd. (CR 50) before reaching the Brewerton Lock. This is the last lock that lowers you when traveling west. Locals enjoy fishing at the west dock here. Weekend traffic can also be heavy; expect occasional delays. (Lock 23, by the way, is one of a very few locks where the Lockmaster maintains a small book exchange.)

Pretty waterfront homes line the banks for the next 7 miles. Watch your wake. The Black Creek Junction is at Mile 154 just past Bridge E-67: Black Creek Rd. (CR 239). A shallow oxbow is at green buoy “171A” with 2- to 3-foot depths and another at green buoy “179” with even less water....Don’t try it!

Near green buoy “183” (before Bridge E-68: Morgan Rd. (CR 10)) look for a perfectly preserved example of the Erie Canal stonecutters’ workmanship. At Mile 158, the backwaters of the Oneida River are bypassed by Big Ben Cut, which created Horseshoe Island. Bridge E-69: Horseshoe Island Rd. at Mile 158.31 has 22.4-foot fixed vertical clearance; Bridge E-69A: SR 481 Twin has 22.6-foot fixed vertical clearance; and Bridge E-70: CSXT has 22.6-foot fixed vertical clearance.

Immediately west of Bridge E-70 and Bridge E-71: Oswego Rd. (CR 57), the Oneida, Oswego and Seneca Rivers meet at Three Rivers Point at Mile 160. Here you must make a decision: take the Oswego Canal north to Lake Ontario, or continue south and west on the Erie Canal (Seneca River) to Buffalo and Lake Erie. These options are discussed in the following sections.

Dockage:

Bradbury's Boatel and 43 North Marina are here with slips. Brewerton Town Dock, east of Bridge E-64: Brewerton Rd. (US 11) on the northern shoreline, can accommodate transient vessels and is free. You can tie up east or west of the lock on the south side with the west being the preferred side with new fixed wood docks at Brewerton Riverfront Park. There is a large park on the east side with tables and grills. In addition to the large on-site waterside bar and restaurant, a convenience store is located about a block north on SR 11. Be forewarned, however, that the entire boating community of Syracuse seems to congregate at the dock on weekends.

Brewerton Boat Yard Inc. is west of Brewerton Road Bridge (E-64). While they maintain some transient slips, there are few cruiser amenities at this full service boat yard. In addition to offering all types of repairs and maintenance, they have a well-stocked marine store (with over 80,000 new parts in stock).

To the west is Ess-Kay Yards Inc., a long-established, family-operated facility with full services including transient dockage, indoor storage and modern amenities. They specialize in repairing, refurbishing and restoring boats and yachts of all sizes. They also have a fully stocked store that sells both U.S. and Canadian charts.

Farther west on the canal is Winter Harbor Marina on the north shore, which offers dry storage, heated winter storage, high-speed gas and diesel pumps (24-hour pay-at-the-pump service), boat repairs (70-ton lift), a marine store and two courtesy cars as well as transient space to 160 feet. They also have an on-site brokerage. Fuel prices at these marinas are some of the lowest on the canal.

There is additional state dock space along the south side of the canal between the Lock E23 Brewerton and Bridge E-65: CSXT. Tie-ups at both the north and south docks are limited to 48 hours.

The full-service Pirates Cove Marina is at Three Rivers Point with dockage in a well-landscaped area and offers some repairs plus has an on-site restaurant, Docks Grill (315-695-3901), offering casual dining and music on the deck every Friday, Saturday and Sunday (seasonal).