OSWEGO – Oswego Expedition’s owner Jenn Mays leads a group of kayakers through the gentle waters of the Oswego Harbor; the evening skies ablaze with fiery shades of yellow, orange and pink as the sun slowly sets over the expansive Lake Ontario horizon. This is what you might expect from one of Mays’ Sunday evening Sunset Tours.
Mays, the sole owner and operator of Oswego Expeditions, offers kayak tours of the Oswego harbor, river and canal to area residents and tourists who are interested in exploring the city’s beautiful waterways.
This year, Oswego Expeditions has changed it operations somewhat, now partnering with the New York State Canal Corporation’s “On the Canals” Program.
“These super fun and educational tours are also blissfully empowering,” Mays said. “So, throughout the entire 524 mile canalway corridor, there are several vendors that are offering different excursions from boating to water-biking, biking, paddling [and] painting – anything related to support the canalway corridor and the communities within that corridor.”
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul announced the start of this summer’s “On the Canal” initiative on May 31, now celebrating its third year of ever-expanding events.
According to a press release from Hochul’s office, “On the Canals” is funded through the New York Power Authority and Canal Corporation’s Reimagine the Canals initiative – a $300 million effort to revitalize the Canal system as a tourism and recreation destination while simultaneously boosting economic development and improving the resiliency of canalside communities.”
Mays applied to the program, thus becoming an excursion vendor with the state back in February of this year. She held winter events that included snowshoeing tours along the canal trails up to Lock 7 in Oswego.
With summer now in full swing, Oswego Expeditions is offering kayak tours during the week and weekend for adults and children, kayak and paddleboard rentals, and introductory instructional classes for beginners and/or those who want to refresh their skills.
Mays found that the “On the Canals” program had pretty much the same goals in mind as her own – to support and encourage outdoor water recreation for local communities while giving New Yorkers the assistance they needed to navigate the state’s numerous and area-specific waterways.
“Honestly, everything that the ‘On the Canals’ program promotes and stands for is everything we have been promoting and standing for over the past eight years,” Mays said.
Mays opened the doors to her unique business in 2014; a distinct contrast from her previous role in law enforcement. Thinking of this project as a possibility after retirement, Mays found her idea front and center in a business competition semi-final, only then realizing the true value of her plan.
With 12 kayaks and a trailer, Mays started Oswego Expeditions renting out her water vessels at the Sandy Island Beach and Selkirk Shores State Parks, eventually moving operations near the H. Lee White Maritime Museum on West First Street in Oswego. The business currently operates out of a shop at the Oswego Eastside Marina located by the Port Authority.
Mays is an American Canoe Association (ACA) Certified Paddling Instructor. A typical tour last two hours, with paddling basics addressed before guests are fitted with appropriate sized kayaks, paddles and life jackets.
Before and during the water launch, Mays discusses what to expect while out on the waterways, giving a few more paddling instructions once on the water to support and reassure kayakers as they encounter water currents, wind, and/or incoming or outgoing boat traffic.
“As we exit the marina, we just make sure everyone is comfortable and what I call ‘river ready.’ And then we’ll go out and we’ll just immediately start discussing some of the historic sites that we might see,” Mays said. “We’ll talk about the Port District and all the commerce that we have coming through as an International Deep Water Port here in Oswego. And depending on the wind and the overall ability of the group, [we’ll] determine if [we want] go into the canal first, stay in the river, or head out to the harbor.”
The Oswego River is slowed during this time of year, allowing for boaters, kayakers and paddle boarders to enter the river without fear of incurring swift moving water.
According to Mays, the water is at a Class 1-2 Level, meaning it’s a relatively slow-moving current without rapids; also saying the river and canal waters blend into one another up to the Lock 8 area, thus becoming solely the Oswego Canal after that point.
If weather permits on the Sunday Sunset tours, the group will travel out along the Oswego Lighthouse, sometimes even venturing to the outer breakwater walls.
“At sunset we like to go out towards the lighthouse, because obviously that’s where you can get the best view of the sun setting,” Mays said.
Following is the list of tour activities and times Oswego Excursions offers:
- Kids on the Canal tours are held Mondays and Wednesdays: time frames are from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. with four excursions daily
- Tuesdays and Fridays are Urban Paddle Tour days: time frames are from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. with four excursions daily
- Sunset Tours are held Sundays only
- Kayaking and Paddleboard lessons are held every other weekend, three times a day. These are specific, skill-building lessons.
- Private paddling lessons
- Bike rentals
- Kayak rentals
- Paddleboard rentals
- All excursions are free
Mays encourages everyone to take advantage of the free tours no matter their age, circumstances or limitations.
“I’d just like to stress the point that it really is open to all ages and abilities,” Mays said. “You don’t have to have experience; you don’t have to have gear; you don’t have to play and look the part to come to paddling – and I really want everyone to realize that it’s entry-level… And then hopefully from there we plant the seeds and show the opportunity that is out there for you, and if individuals want to take it to the next level, then they can take it to the next level with paddling instruction and see all the opportunity that exists on the water.”
For more information on Oswego Exciursions, please click here. For information and a list of activities in the New York State’s “On the Canals ” project, please click here.
All photos below courtesy of Oswego Expeditions.
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