Another Twist Of Fate

Yesterday the weather prediction was sunny and warm with light winds from the southwest. It is always hard to find something to do on the water on the weekend with so many other boaters out there, so we decided to head back to Lake Champlain with our kayaks. Dave remembered that there was a nice little beach next to the Port Kent ferry docks where we could launch and then go south to the bay that is protected from the southerly quadrant winds. As we drove north, we could see that the lake was still calm but the clouds were moving in (that was fine with me due to less sun exposure). What a surprise we found when we arrived at the ferry terminal and beach. We knew the Port Kent to Burlington ferries were not running this year, but everything, including two of the ferries and the gift shop, were left abandoned. The Adirondack and the Valcour looked really decrepit and forlorn. This made Dave especially sad because he was invited down into the engine room of the Adirondack one time when we made the lake crossing.

The gift shop was all grown in and eerie.

To top it off, the beach was closed, although I doubt no one would have cared if we launched the kayaks. However the sky was gray and the wind was blowing 15 knots out of the southeast and right into the shore. Time for a change in plans, so we got back in the van and headed further south along the shore, hoping to find the calm conditions we saw before. We stopped to check out the launch ramp at Port Douglas, across from Schuyler Island, but there was no lee there either and the boats on moorings were jumping up and down in the waves. We ended up eating our picnic lunch in the van and I couldn't even open up my widow because the wind was blowing so hard. 

Southbound still, we stopped south of Essex on the Shore Rd. by Spilt Rock Point Beach, where Dave remembered a spot that said "Anglers Park Here". Dave discovered that this is a local beach access, but since the parking area is up high, you have to go down some rock steps and through a path that leads through a tunnel under the road to a rocky beach. This was a first for us, and quite a portage. The cobblestone beach is where people leave their dinghies to access their boats on moorings just offshore. 

Once we were floating, the wind was still blowing a bit, but it got calmer and calmer as we got into the lee of the crescent shaped bay leading to Spilt Rock Point. There were more boaters than we had ever seen in this area, but then again, that may have only been about a dozen, which is nothing compared to Lake George. By the time we got to the Point, there was no wind at all and we ventured out into the main part of the lake to see the spilt from that side. The water is exceptionally low for this time of year, even with the recent run off from the tropical storm.

Heading back to the beach, Dave decided to chase away some seagulls and explore this rock island and go for a swim, while I lazed in my yak. This water is the coldest on the lake due to all the rocks, but a fisherman we talked to said it was 77 degrees and it actually felt that 'warm'. 

Another cave-like spilt rock we found paddling close to shore with its see-through hole...

For awhile the lake was flat calm and you could barely tell the water from the hazy sky in the distance.

However, as we approached the beach we launched at, the wind picked up...from the north! The many moods of Lake Champlain make it unpredictable and challenging, but at least we know how to adapt.