St. Lawrence Seaway

Any motor yacht 35 M or greater requires pilots for St Lawrence River to Montreal and Montreal section of seaway to Lake Ontario and then the Welland Canal.
The cost for a one way trip to Great Lakes was approx $ 20,000 four years ago and if yacht is foreign flagged you will also need Lake Pilots all the way to Port Huron.
Note a US flagged yacht is not considered foreign flag. Two years ago it cost approx
$ 60.000 for a return trip fr a foreign flagged yacht to the great lakes. Approx five year ago it use to be 500 tons before you require a canal pilot but the seaway went to the 35 M rule. I use to take these large yachts through the canal but not anymore. At one time lots large yacht came to Great Lakes but now only about five every year.

If I remember Ken you were the last big yacht through when the rules change.

TOLLS WELLAND CANAL $ 5022.00
Column 1 Column 2
Item Pilotage Service Basic Charge ($)
1 Through the Welland Canal, if the pilot is changed at Lock 7,
(a) for that portion of the passage between the northern limit of the Canal and Lock 7 2,511
(b) for that portion of the passage between Lock 7 and the southern limit of the Canal 2,511
2 Between Southeast Shoal and Toledo or any point on Lake Erie west of Southeast Shoal 2,684
3 Between points on Lake Erie west of Southeast Shoal 1,585
4 Between Southeast Shoal and the Port Huron Change Point or any point on the St. Clair River, if the pilot is not changed at the Detroit pilot boat 4,669
5 Between Southeast Shoal and Detroit, Windsor or any point on the Detroit River 2,684
6 Between Southeast Shoal and the Detroit pilot boat 1,942
7 Between Toledo or any point on Lake Erie west of Southeast Shoal and the Port Huron Change Point, if the pilot is not changed at the Detroit pilot boat 5,412
8 Between Toledo or any point on Lake Erie west of Southeast Shoal and Detroit, Windsor or any point on the Detroit River 3,485
9 Between Toledo or any point on Lake Erie west of Southeast Shoal and the Detroit pilot boat 2,684
10 Between Detroit, Windsor or any point on the Detroit River and any point on the Detroit River 1,585
11 Between Detroit, Windsor or any point on the Detroit River and the Port Huron Change Point or any point on the St. Clair River 3,513
12 Between the Detroit pilot boat and any point on the St. Clair River 3,513
13 Between the Detroit pilot boat and the Port Huron Change Point 2,727
14 Between points on the St. Clair River 1,585
15 Between the Port Huron Change Point and any point on the St. Clair River 1,942