Zig-Zagging On Champlain

Calm winds and warm temps were a perfect time to do another nostalgia tour of Lake Champlain. Instead of dealing with wakes and tubers on Lake George, we headed to the launch ramp at Westport, where there was only one other boat trailer in the parking lot! What a tour we had and it doesn't get calmer than this...

Foxie took us north along the New York shoreline and first into empty Partridge Harbor, where we had to laugh about how many boats used to anchor in this small, deep water cove. Then we cruised past the rock cliff called The Cascades, but no water was flowing (only once in all our trips on this lake have we seen significant water cascading). We continued to Split Rock Point and then across the lake to McNeil Cove, where the Essex, NY to Charlotte, VT ferry arrives. 

That's where we discovered the aging Champlain, which is a sistership to the abandoned Adirondack. What a sad sight to see it sitting there with plants and trees growing on its decks. We have heard of no plans for this ferry, but it will probably end up being scrapped like they intend for its sister.

Time to head south and to Point Bay Marina on the Vermont side of Champlain. Although many marinas still have very few boats launched due to most Canadians not being able to come across the border, this marina and mooring field looked like it was business as usual and was filled up.

We then ducked into Kingsland Bay on our way back south, but the water was too weedy and murky for a swim. We found that the lake in this area was quite turbid and a strange brownish green, so we opted to stay in the boat (a very hard thing for Dave to do! 😉).  Zig-zagging back to the center of the lake, we stayed just offshore Diamond Island and its weather station. There are also a couple of dive site wrecks here that are marked with yellow mooring buoys. This water is the coldest in the lake, although right now it is 73 degrees.

We headed back to the Vermont side and passed Basin Harbor and its resort, but first stopped for a look at the forlorn Lois McClure at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum's docks. We had seen it while visiting the museum earlier this year, but it looked even sadder from the water. I sure hope there are plans to get it restored to its former glory. However, all the longboats at the dock were gorgeous.

We finally reached our ultimate goal and destination, Button Island, part of the Vermont State Park, with not a soul around. This is an historical island (lots of fossils and clay 'buttons'), but we have so much of our own history here too, from throughout our boating career. Landing was too difficult, slippery, and weedy, but it was a nice break for reminiscing.

Zooming back to the Westport launch ramp was another quick hop across the lake in these benign conditions. We certainly have so much experience and local knowledge for this part of the lake, and it is always fun to see it all again.