Field Guides/South Glengarry/Sailing & Boating
Strong
Best WindowMay through October
Variantssailing · motor-boating
RegionSouth Glengarry, Ontario

Sailing & Boating.

Lake St. Francis is the wide St.

Lawrence pool between Cornwall and Valleyfield, formed years ago by damming the river at Cornwall and Valleyfield, and the Charlottenburgh Park boat launch is the in-township access point onto the lake. From the launch, open-water cruising runs east toward the Quebec border at Bainsville and west toward Cornwall, with the Akwesasne ancestral island Tsikatsinakwahere (Cairn Island) visible in the lake.

Sailing & Boating in South Glengarry
01 — What to know

The brief.

The Charlottenburgh Park boat launch operates seasonally (May to October). Lake St.

Francis is large enough for power-boating and small-craft sailing but is wind-exposed — afternoon winds affect open-water handling and small-boat trim. Tsikatsinakwahere / Cairn Island has been under co-stewardship since 2022 by the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, Parks Canada, and the Township of South Glengarry; the island is part of Akwesasne traditional territory and is not a public landing site.

Boaters crossing the lake should be aware of the Quebec border at the eastern end and the Cornwall–Massena shipping context to the west.

02 — Locations

2. places.

  1. 01

    Lake St. Francis

    Wide St. Lawrence pool formed by damming the river at Cornwall and Valleyfield; supports power-boating and small-craft sailing.

  2. 02

    Charlottenburgh Park boat launch

    RRCA-managed boat launch on Lake St. Francis at 19788 SDG County Road 2.

03 — Conditions

Today's read.

Air Quality
19
eu-aqi · low
UV Index
1.9
scale 0–11
Humidity
62%
relative
Visibility
31.1 km
clear
Temp
+6.9°
H 14° · L 2°
Sun
05:31 / 20:17
14h 46m daylight
A+
Prime conditions for sailing & boating

Cool but comfortable for layered effort · light winds · clean air.

Sources

Further reading.

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