Cruising Lake Winnipeg

Recently I was shown a book entitled SAIL LAKE WINNIPEG:A CRUISING GUIDE by S. Whitley. It is a listing of harbours in the south basin with pertinent information. It goes into great detail about each harbour and includes navigational conditions, safety, weather etc. I immediately thought it could be a useful tool for our boaters. Thanks Jean-Guy for allowing us access to your book.

Please note that this book was produced in the spring of 1979 with some of the data being already at least 10 years old at that time and it may contain errors. So PLEASE read the forward in the document carefully. It is going to be a long winter so you will have time to look over the maps and pictures to see which ones interest you. Even if you aren’t a boater the information is interesting.

When you are out on the lake, use navigational charts, GPS aids/chart plotters, Fisheries & Oceans Aerial photos, Google Maps, as well as the following harbour information. Always have the proper safety equipment, including a VHF marine radio. Be sure to tell others where you are heading and be prepared. Water levels may be vastly different now than they were in 1969; wind direction affects lake levels as well. A lot of pictures are out of date but we are hoping to remedy that.

I have heard from a boater that Standard Horizon is the only chart plotter that has a map cartridge available for Lake Winnipeg; the cartridge is a separate item that must be purchased in addition to the plotter. It is approximately $500.00 for the plotter and the map cartridge is about $150.00. He has been very happy with unit. Cargo East marine on Marion Street is the only place in Winnipeg that carries them but there are several places on line that do as well. Below is a link for more information on the plotter. Thanks Gil for the above information.

Following is the original book’s Table of Contents and links to that document. Just find the section/harbour you want to read about and click next to it. Note part 17 has the new information/photos that we are gathering re these harbours.

Remember as captain of your boat you are responsible for the safety of your crew, guests and other boaters as well as yourself. Be safe and be smart at all times when out on the water.

Please send your comments or updated pictures to: cruisinglakewinnipeg@gmail.com

Following are some links to sites which may be of interest to you.

Aerial Harbour Photos – Fisheries and Oceans Canada has a listing of their Harbours in Manitoba. Click on the following site, find the harbour you want, click on the small aerial view and a bigger copy of it will appear.

http://www.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/sch-ppb/list-liste/harb-port-eng.asp?p=mb

Google maps – you can locate the harbour you are interested in and zoom in/out to view it in more detail. http://maps.google.ca

Standard Horizon Plotter & Cartridge (product information):
http://www.standardhorizon.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=84&encProdID=
8C4F9C5570985FD3B3179295AC4D3ECD&DivisionID=3&isArchived=0

SAIL LAKE WINNIPEG: A CRUISING GUIDE