Larry, Which book did your read that in? There are two issues that Skipper Bob would have had in mind. One, Canada has a well known period called "vacation month" when most of blue collar Quebec shuts down and goes on vacation all at once. That results in the canals becoming very crowded. It generates competition for places to stay, crowded locks, and not always with boaters with good boat handling and seamanship skills. Two, if you're doing the Great Loop long-cruise, you need July and August to see something of the Trent-Severn Waterway, Georgian Bay and the North Channel, and then begin working yourself down Lake Michigan towards Chicago. This is not an issue if you're doing the "Triangle Loop," but could be a factor in the advice you read. Don't worry about the weather in the lower Hudson and offshore New Jersey until later in September. Skipper Bob advised to be past New Jersey by 9/15, or to be off Lake Michigan by Labor Day. Both are conservative, but safe, advisories. But in September in NYC, you'll still have many very calm days through October. You may have to wait a little longer to see 'em. That said, from Kingston, NY, south, be mindful of Hurricanes in the Atlantic Basin, and plan carefully. Hurricanes do not fit comfortably into prognostications about seasonal averages. Hope this is useful. Peg and Jim Healy aboard Sanctuary, currently at Charlotte Harbor, Punta Gorda, FL http://gilwellbear.wordpress.com Monk 36 Hull #132 MMSI #367042570 AGLCA #3767 MTOA #3436