Identification & Site Information

  • Vessel Name: Skinner’s Sloop (Actual name lost to history)
  • Other Names: None documented
  • Vessel Type: Sloop
  • Date Built: Exact year unknown, but presumed early 1800s (pre-1804)
  • Builder: Unknown (likely locally built at Niagara or York, Upper Canada)
  • Dimensions: Estimated based on regional sloops of the era:
  • Length: 40-50 feet (12-15 metres)
  • Beam: 12-15 feet (3.6-4.5 metres)
  • Tonnage: Estimated 10-20 tons
  • Registry Number: None recorded (pre-dates official ship registries in Upper Canada)
  • Date Lost: 1804
  • Final Location: Lake Ontario, between Niagara (modern-day Niagara-on-the-Lake) and York (modern-day Toronto)
  • Coordinates: Exact location unknown, likely somewhere along the established sailing route between the two ports. Estimated vicinity: 43°20’N, 79°20’W

Vessel Type

Sloop

The vessel known only as Skinner’s Sloop was a small, single-masted sloop, the workhorse vessel type used extensively in the early 19th century for short-haul trade across the Great Lakes. Sloops were ideal for navigating the relatively small harbours of the era, offering good cargo capacity while requiring only a small crew.

These vessels formed the lifeline of communication and trade between Niagara, York, and other settlements along the upper lakes, transporting everything from supplies and lumber to passengers and correspondence.

History

Skinner’s Sloop (often referred to as simply “the sloop belonging to Skinner”) was in regular service between Niagara and York in the early 1800s. In 1804, during one of these routine crossings, the vessel was lost under unknown circumstances, vanishing somewhere along the route.

The loss was significant enough to be recorded in local historical accounts, but no detailed reports of weather, cargo, or the number of people aboard have survived. Skinner, the sloop’s owner or master (or both), was a known figure in regional shipping, though personal details about him have also been largely lost to time.

Final Disposition

  • Cause of Loss: Unknown. Potential causes include:
  • Severe storm (common on Lake Ontario)
  • Collision with uncharted shoals
  • Structural failure (given the relatively primitive shipbuilding materials and techniques of the era)
  • Final Resting Place: Somewhere along the well-travelled route between Niagara and York, across western Lake Ontario.
  • Status: Presumed completely lost, no confirmed recovery or discovery.

Site Description

No archaeological discovery or physical site has ever been documented for Skinner’s Sloop.

If any remnants survive, they would likely consist of:

  • Scattered timbers, iron fastenings, and possibly ballast stones.
  • Potentially cultural cargo items such as trade goods or tools.
  • Likely widely dispersed by storms and currents over the past two centuries.

The heavily trafficked area between Niagara and York has been repeatedly dredged, disturbed, and affected by shoreline development, further reducing the likelihood of locating identifiable remains.

Experience Rating

⚠️ Not a recreational dive site — Historical Archive Listing Only

Without a known or accessible wreck site, this is preserved strictly as a historical record.

NOTMARs & Advisories

  • No current NOTMARs apply to Skinner’s Sloop.
  • Any discovery would fall under the jurisdiction of the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport and would be subject to Ontario’s Heritage Act, protecting underwater cultural heritage.

Located By & Date Found

  • Never officially located.
  • Loss documented in historical accounts dating to 1804.

Current Condition & Accessibility

  • Depth: Unknown; likely within 10 to 30 metres (33-100 feet), based on typical sailing routes of the time.
  • Bottom Composition: Sand, silt, with occasional glacial erratics and submerged cultural debris.
  • Visibility: Typically low to moderate (3-10 metres / 10-33 feet), highly weather-dependent.
  • Condition: Presumed completely deteriorated, with only scattered, unidentifiable remains possibly surviving.

Resources & Links

Conclusion

The loss of Skinner’s Sloop is a stark reminder of the hazards faced by early Great Lakes mariners. Before the advent of modern navigational aids, weather forecasting, and sophisticated shipbuilding techniques, even the short hop between Niagara and York could be a dangerous undertaking.

While no physical trace of the vessel has ever been found, the story of her loss remains part of the maritime heritage of Ontario, highlighting the essential role small vessels played in connecting and supplying new settlements along the lakes.

Keywords & Categories

Skinner’s Sloop, Niagara to York, Early Great Lakes Shipping, Sloop, 1804 Shipwreck, Lake Ontario Maritime History, Great Lakes Trade Routes, Colonial Vessels, Early Ontario Maritime Heritage