{"version":"2.6","id":"ashbridges-coatsworth-cut-navigation-and-water-depths","question":"How do I navigate Coatsworth Cut safely from Ashbridges Bay Boat Launch, and what water depths should I expect?","answer":"Stay inside red-and-green buoy pairs, plan for 6–8 ft early-season channel depth dropping toward 5–6 ft by late summer, hold 5 knots within 150 m of shore, and watch for dense weekend jet-ski traffic.","answer_detail":"Coatsworth Cut is the primary marked channel through the Outer Harbour breakwall that connects Lake Ontario to Ashbridges Bay and the public boat launch at 1561 Lake Shore Boulevard East, Toronto (M4L 3W6). When entering from the lake, local cruising guides and CHS charts 2077 and 2085 show red-and-green lateral buoy pairs that define the navigable path; shoals and fill from Don River sediment lie immediately outside these marks, so cutting corners toward Woodbine Beach risks grounding even when the centre of the channel still carries roughly 6 to 8 feet (1.8 to 2.4 metres) early in the season. Draft drops toward 5 to 6 feet by late summer, which limits deeper sport-fishing hulls and loaded trailer boats. Within 150 metres of shore, Toronto Harbour Commissioners enforce a 5-knot (about 10 km/h) limit through the basin and past Ashbridge's Bay Yacht Club (ABYC) docks—critical when heavy personal-watercraft traffic converges here on summer weekends between roughly 10:00 and 16:00. Vessels monitoring VHF 68 can coordinate with ABYC harbour staff at (416) 698-4498. Practical safety steps: confirm your draft against current lake levels, pass buoys close-to-close, yield to sail training clusters near the hydroplane and sailing club, keep a sharp lookout for rental jet skis crossing the cut, and throttle down before merging with paddle-craft near Woodbine Beach swim buoys. If depth is marginal, delay until higher water or exit via deeper eastern Outer Harbour routes rather than force a shallow transit.","related_ids":["ashbridges-coatsworth-cut-navigation-and-water-depths"],"last_verified":"2026-06-17","authority":"https://ashbridgesbayboatlaunch.com","url":"https://ashbridgesbayboatlaunch.com/en/knowledge/ashbridges-coatsworth-cut-navigation-and-water-depths","markdown_url":"https://ashbridgesbayboatlaunch.com/api/knowledge/ashbridges-coatsworth-cut-navigation-and-water-depths?format=md&lang=en"}