I feel that the Great Lakes are a fantastic way for Ship Sim too see a whole New Area. You can sail from Southampton to the St Lawrence and into Lake Ontario too the western nd oo meet up with The Welland Canal and the 8 Lifts and into Lake Erie where you travel left for the Niagara River and right towards the Detroit River and the Lake St Clair (The Forgetten Great Lake) but up too Lake Huron north to the entrance for Georgian Bay on the right and the Straits of the Mackinaw for Lake Michigan.Travel northstill into the St Mary's for The Soo for another set of locks called The Soo Locks and north for Whitefish Bay and Lake Superior.
As you head south from The Soo you traverse the Rock Cut and bring your ship into lake Huron once again.
Traditional Lakers are Pilot House Forward and 730' x 80'x 40' and a few Ocean style of the same dimensions.Then there are the Land Locked 1,000 footer Lakers that are all Ocean style except they are 1,000'x104'x40' or more.The Soo locks are the only locks that can accomodate the mighty 1,000 footers.The Welland does not.
European ship can trverse the St Lawrence Seaway as long as they are of Seaways Sizes.