Eastern Lake Ontario Launch Sites
West Barrier Bar Park Fairhaven – On the west side of the Little Sodas Bay. Very end of west bay Rd behind Fair Point Marina. Go all the way to the end of the dirt road. NW is dead on shore. Good in N fantastic in NE with swell. I have sailed in W when I was too cheap to pay to get in the State park. If you sail in a W launce soon as the road hits the water so you are away from the sea wall. Easy sand launch Sea wall keeps the shore break mild in NE. Free. Use to be a favorite of Kiters .
Fairhaven State Park – Off 104A east side of Fairhaven. My all time favorite place in a W, NW. Lost favor from the Syracuse Clan because it is typically 4 knots less in a W than points west but I still go there because it is a safe easy launch especially when the water is cold. The east part of the beach has got more round stone in the past few years but still easy. Fairhaven can be sailed in a slight SW say 260 deg. Nice waves. $7 park fee unless your a Sr. like me and get in the Golden Park program for free!
Rudy’s Clam bar – On the West side of Oswego State college. Take Fred Hayes Blvd off 104. in Oswego. Park West side of the Clam bar. Steep round rock launch that the water gets deep fast and bad shore break. Good in W, WNW, N,NE. We windsurfed there a lot when we were young because there is always a crowd to show off to plus clams and beer!. Worse in high water. I have not sailed there in years.
Mexico Boat launch – End of RT 40 off 104B in Mexico. This was the go to place for 30 years because there always is a little more wind there. Good in W, WNW. Fee during season. Step over the rocks and launch from a 10 ft sand beach next to the rock entrance of the little salmon river. The channel entrance protects from bad shore break but there is little room for error and no place to exit down wind. High water covers the little beach and makes it dangerous.
Selkirk Shores state park – Is just around the corner a few miles on Rt 3 on the east shore. Go to the Southern most part of the park and launce near the parking lot where grindstone creek enters the lake. Good in a NW or NNW when Mexico gets closed out. Starboard launch. Launch is a gentle rock beach.
Sandy Island Beach State park – end of Rt 15 off Rt 3 up the lake 15 min. South of North Sandy Pond. This is a nice sand beach and was a favorite place to take girl friends before it became a state park because it is the first nice sand beach up the lake. Good in NW NNW but the wind seldom blows there.
Southwick Beach State Park- Up the lake 20 min off rt 3 where 193 intersects. Good in a S,SW, NNW . SSW is dead on shore but can be manageable because the water is shallow and it is an easy launch. Southwick is the nicest sand beach with the best launch on the east side but good sailing days are rare because the wind never blows there. I bet I have stopped at Southwick beach a hundred times it was blowing SW 12 and it was 20 farther up the lake at Rays or Henderson. We use to sail there on crazy SW or S forecasts or very cold because its safe. Enjoy it if you get it.
Black Pond management Area – Never sailed because it is too long a walk to carry. Understand it is a favorite of kiters because of easier carry. Always plan to make a wheeled cart to roll the half mile needed.
Rays Bay Beach – Is on Rays bay near Boomer Cove. Rt3 left on 178 at the Cherry Tree Inn Take a left on Lighthouse Hill. Take a left on unmarked road after power lines cross. Rays bay Beach is marked on Google maps but it is just state owned land with no facilities at the end of a long dirt road. The rock shoals at the corners of Rays and Sawyers bay are the best waves on Ontario but hard to get at. launch is a 20 yard walk down a steep hill with and shallow slippery shale launch. Good in SSE, S, SW. Worth the effort. Google earth Satellite will show the shoals I’m talking about. Secret spots and special parking permission for a few to get to the shoals caused a lot of bad feelings in the Syracuse clan 25 years ago
Henderson Harbor – Wescott beach State park. Good in SW WSW. launch on the nice beach south of the boat ramps. Most of us sail from Joe Cushman’s camp on Rock Ledge Dr. Only log cabin. SW forecast use to be a guarantee up there 25 years when Dick Gafney owned it and had a fridge full of Coors. But just has not been firing like it use to
Northern Bays – From Pillar point to Point Peninsula seem to get a lot more wind. Mike Moran has a camp up there and gets way more windsurfing but I am not knowledgeable. Just too far to drive. You can see that there is more wind there on WindyTTY
Fairhaven State Park – Off 104A east side of Fairhaven. My all time favorite place in a W, NW. Lost favor from the Syracuse Clan because it is typically 4 knots less in a W than points west but I still go there because it is a safe easy launch especially when the water is cold. The east part of the beach has got more round stone in the past few years but still easy. Fairhaven can be sailed in a slight SW say 260 deg. Nice waves. $7 park fee unless your a Sr. like me and get in the Golden Park program for free!
Rudy’s Clam bar – On the West side of Oswego State college. Take Fred Hayes Blvd off 104. in Oswego. Park West side of the Clam bar. Steep round rock launch that the water gets deep fast and bad shore break. Good in W, WNW, N,NE. We windsurfed there a lot when we were young because there is always a crowd to show off to plus clams and beer!. Worse in high water. I have not sailed there in years.
Mexico Boat launch – End of RT 40 off 104B in Mexico. This was the go to place for 30 years because there always is a little more wind there. Good in W, WNW. Fee during season. Step over the rocks and launch from a 10 ft sand beach next to the rock entrance of the little salmon river. The channel entrance protects from bad shore break but there is little room for error and no place to exit down wind. High water covers the little beach and makes it dangerous.
Selkirk Shores state park – Is just around the corner a few miles on Rt 3 on the east shore. Go to the Southern most part of the park and launce near the parking lot where grindstone creek enters the lake. Good in a NW or NNW when Mexico gets closed out. Starboard launch. Launch is a gentle rock beach.
Sandy Island Beach State park – end of Rt 15 off Rt 3 up the lake 15 min. South of North Sandy Pond. This is a nice sand beach and was a favorite place to take girl friends before it became a state park because it is the first nice sand beach up the lake. Good in NW NNW but the wind seldom blows there.
Southwick Beach State Park- Up the lake 20 min off rt 3 where 193 intersects. Good in a S,SW, NNW . SSW is dead on shore but can be manageable because the water is shallow and it is an easy launch. Southwick is the nicest sand beach with the best launch on the east side but good sailing days are rare because the wind never blows there. I bet I have stopped at Southwick beach a hundred times it was blowing SW 12 and it was 20 farther up the lake at Rays or Henderson. We use to sail there on crazy SW or S forecasts or very cold because its safe. Enjoy it if you get it.
Black Pond management Area – Never sailed because it is too long a walk to carry. Understand it is a favorite of kiters because of easier carry. Always plan to make a wheeled cart to roll the half mile needed.
Rays Bay Beach – Is on Rays bay near Boomer Cove. Rt3 left on 178 at the Cherry Tree Inn Take a left on Lighthouse Hill. Take a left on unmarked road after power lines cross. Rays bay Beach is marked on Google maps but it is just state owned land with no facilities at the end of a long dirt road. The rock shoals at the corners of Rays and Sawyers bay are the best waves on Ontario but hard to get at. launch is a 20 yard walk down a steep hill with and shallow slippery shale launch. Good in SSE, S, SW. Worth the effort. Google earth Satellite will show the shoals I’m talking about. Secret spots and special parking permission for a few to get to the shoals caused a lot of bad feelings in the Syracuse clan 25 years ago
Henderson Harbor – Wescott beach State park. Good in SW WSW. launch on the nice beach south of the boat ramps. Most of us sail from Joe Cushman’s camp on Rock Ledge Dr. Only log cabin. SW forecast use to be a guarantee up there 25 years when Dick Gafney owned it and had a fridge full of Coors. But just has not been firing like it use to
Northern Bays – From Pillar point to Point Peninsula seem to get a lot more wind. Mike Moran has a camp up there and gets way more windsurfing but I am not knowledgeable. Just too far to drive. You can see that there is more wind there on WindyTTY