My Board

Hi,

I am a documentarian who is interested in taking a cargo boat, ideally, from the Atlantic through the New York State Barge Canal to a port in Lake Superior, traversing all of the Great Lakes in the process and documenting the experience along the way.

Right now I am gathering information and doing research to see if my goal is achievable. I'm curious if anyone could give me any helpful information on how to move forward? I'm wondering-

1. If there are cargo boats that traverse the route that I am looking to take?

2. If there are cargo boats that take passengers aboard on this route?

3. If anyone has any leads or points of contact that they can reference as a jumping off point so that I can start having conversations with potential parties.

 

I am unfamiliar with the cargo industry, so please forgive me for my ignorance as I try to learn.

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

Charles

Unfortunately the route you want to take is not a very feasible one. While there is certainly an amount of cargo still moved on the New York State Canal System, it is primarily used for recreation, and the chances of a cargo moving from the Atlantic all the way to Lake Superior via that route is... slim. Not impossible, but not a frequent occurrence.

The most realistic way to get a freighter cruise on the Great Lakes would be looking into the segment of the cruise industry that books travels on cargo ships. Such a thing really does exist. These would be saltwater ships that would probably bring you from someplace in Europe to a port on the Great Lakes via the St. Lawrence Seaway. I know the shipping company Polsteam used to offer this, though post 2020 I have no idea if freighter cruising is a viable option anymore.

Finally you could contact a shipping company directly and make your  pitch for your documentary and see if they will be receptive to helping you. Normally the general public has a 0% chance of getting a freighter ride. It is not a service offered, they are not cruise ships.

But, having said that, I have seen plenty of local news stories and read articles where somebody got a ride and reported on it. Maybe if you can get your idea to the right person at the right company you'll be lucky. Probably the best you can realistically hope for is the right person hears you. Good luck.

DCN

There is no regular cargo shipping on the Barge Canal between Albany and Buffalo or Oswego.  In any event, low bridge clearance in some sections limits passage to tugs so the prospects for passenger carriage is very limited.

Local tour boats do excursions over limited sections of the canal but there is no through service for the entire canal.  The only possibility would be a charter of a special trip.

If you want a "do it yourself" trip, bareboat charters are available for the canal:

https://www.discovertheeriecanal.com/ba ... rie-canal/