Farewell to the 'Champlain'

Dave and I found a new launch ramp on Lake Champlain, which is at Coverse Bay in Vermont. This is a bit out of the way, but very convenient to have our favorite lunch in Vergennes and then paddle off the calories of the 'Heaven on Earth' dessert! We have anchored in this large bay for the night in our sailboat 'Celebrity', back in the late 1980's, but kayaking is the perfect way to rediscover the area. The launch ramp was recently redone and the lake steward on duty was so friendly and knowledgeable. We decided to kayak north for this initial trip and ended up in McNeil cove, where the Essex, NY ferry comes into Charlotte. That is where we found the old 'Champlain' ferry awaiting dismantling last year on a road trip. It is still there but is down to its hull. 

Unless we get a lot of rain to raise the lake level, it looks to be a long time before it will be able to be towed away to NYC for scrap (or at least that is what we heard last summer). You can tell in this photo with the propeller and rudder exposed, that it is aground.

I wonder who will end up with the name plate, anchor, props on both ends, and even the stairs to nowhere? We sure wish they were in our garage! It is sad to see the historical ferries like the 'Champlain' and 'Valcour' being scrapped, but the newer ferries still continue to run (although the Burlington to Port Kent run has been discontinued). 

Farewell 'Champlain'! Too bad it was decided that it shouldn't be sunk as a dive site.

Trifecta!

It has been a trifecta of powerboating these past few days. First, Moxie was on Lake George, which is the only body of water she goes on. Then it was Foxie's turn up at Lake Champlain. This morning we took Flash for a sea trial at nearby Putnam Pond.

Once the 1958 Johnson engine got going, it ran pretty well, although Dave had to reset the idle. A few of the rivets have small leaks around the seams, but we now have photos, so Dave can work on that. 

It is a fun little boat that kept us dry despite the spray shooting out from the sides as we rounded corners. It didn't even squat as we got up on a plane...as long as both of us were in the front seats (it is very light, which is an advantage when trailering, launching, and loading it back up). 

Three boats, three days, three different bodies of water. That doesn't even include our kayaks that we had out yesterday in Northwest Bay on Lake George. We saw a family of loons up close, and I even got to watch one swimming underwater in the clear shallows. We are making up for lost time with our recreating! 

Scenic Rendezvous

Saturday was another good road trip day, so we headed northwest to Saranac Lake for the Runabout Rendezvous at Lake Flower (Lake Flower is actually part of the Saranac River that flows to Plattsburgh). Since this event was for wooden boats only, we left Flash and Foxie home and rode up in style in the Thunderbird.

This was another small show with about 20 boats and some Adirondack Guide Boats, but the backdrop of the lake was gorgeous. Our favorite boat of the day was this 1988 Spencer with its wide planks. You don't have to worry about sun exposure with its full length bimini top enclosure.

Another pretty skiff that had light colored wood grain...

Looks like 1935 was a good year for wooden boats.

This runabout even had wood fins...

This 1911 Mullins launch was wood framed underneath a skin of aluminum.

Triple cockpits...A 1930 Chris Craft 26 footer.

A 1989 GrandCraft made in Michigan, powered by a 360 Chrysler V-8.

Many pre-war classics had upswept foredecks leading to the windshield.

The Adirondack Guide Boat in the foreground was built in 1865...

We decided that we are going to try to get back to Lake Flower to kayak, or even bring up a powerboat to go through the lower locks that lead into Lower Saranac Lake. What a picturesque area! 

Moxie & Foxie

Two days, two boats, two lakes. Our weather has been perfect to catch up on our boating. First we went out on Lake George in our Chris Craft Speedster, Moxie. It certainly is convenient to have the launch ramp a mile away. We cove hopped down and back to the Waltonian Islands and stopped at our favorite bay for a picnic lunch and quick swim. As we looked up, there were two C 130 planes flying up the lake really low. What a view for them...and us! The first plane was so close that I couldn't get my camera out in time to get a photo, but Dave took these shots of the second plane as it gained altitude over our heads...

Yesterday was a fantastic reunion for Jim Ryan, Bill & Lynette, and Dave and I at Valcour Island. We had taken the Sea Fox up and launched at Peru in the morning, and the others joined us in the afternoon. We all used to have camper boats and have so many memories and experiences on Lake Champlain. 

If a bay didn't have a name, we would come up with our own name according to the experiences we were having. For instance, Poodle Bay was when a poodle came to visit, or Bowling Ball Bay when Dave found a bowling ball on the bottom while snorkeling! The cove we were in yesterday didn't have a name so naturally we have to call it Reunion Bay now. It has been many, many years since the 5 of us have gotten together like this (Bill & Lynette's kids were very young and now they are grown up and out on their own). Dave and Jim went for a quick snorkel in the 66 degree water. Then they accompanied Lynette to look for special rocks on the beach while Bill and I chatted in our boats that were rafted up.

We knew a cold front was approaching, and although thankfully there were no squalls, the wind suddenly turned 180 degrees and picked up, leaving our anchorage exposed. This was always so typical of our trips together, so it was almost like it was part of the reunion plan (at least it didn't happen during the night like the one time at Burton Island when it was the worst storm we have ever been in). We upped anchor, and Foxie headed back to the launch ramp while the others continued on to Plattsburgh to spend the night. We met them up there at the Naked Turtle Restaurant for more reminiscing before heading back to Ticonderoga. We all agreed that we have to do this more often. What a great two days!

Mini Road Trip

Looking to stay away from crowds on July 4th weekend, we decided to take a mini road trip, doing a loop from the Fort Ticonderoga Ferry, across Lake Champlain, and back to Whitehall, NY by way of Vermont. The day was perfect for the top down on the Thunderbird, and it was great to be on the Ti ferry that had reopened with new owners this season, after being closed for a couple of years. 

It isn't a long trip across to VT on this stretch of the lake (about 15 minutes), but the interesting part about it is that the motor-powered ferry runs on two large cables to keep it on track. Boats crossing in front or behind it must be very careful to wait until the cables sink. The captain was a woman and ever so friendly! 

When we arrived in Shoreham, VT, we noticed a huge spool sitting on the shore, which we believe is what the cable originally came on.

After a pretty trip though farm country, we ended up at Skene Manor in Whitehall, which is about halfway up a mountain. It is now a tearoom and open for lunch on the weekends. We came for the view but will have to come back again for a tour and light meal. 

We had brought our own picnic lunch and found a perfect spot along the Champlain Canal to take a break. This is the last northbound lock before Lake Champlain starts opening up.

The mansion you see in the background of the above photo is Skene Manor, which is where Philip Skene lived. He founded Whitehall in 1759, which was originally called Skenesborough. Click on the photo below and zoom in to read about him. 

There was also a museum near where we picnicked, and we will have to return to go inside. Whitehall is said to be the birthplace of the U.S. Navy. Outside though, is an old caboose, and the remains of the wooden ship, U.S.S.Ticonderoga from the 1800s.

We took the back roads on our trip back to Ti, passing by the trail leading up Black Mountain, which overlooks Lake George. We have never seen so many vehicles at the base of this hiking trail, so we were glad we chose our "road less travelled." It was another '10' day of explorations!

Sailing In Ti

Jim Ryan joined Dave up in Ticonderoga to go sailing today. He brought his Sunfish and Dave has his Zuma, and they transported the boats with Dave's dolly down the street (and a big hill) to the little public hand launch on Tin Pan Alley. This lake access point is the most northern on the lake and very few people know about it. It has been very overgrown until this spring. For the past two summers, our neighbor Jeff, along with support from Dave, have been trying to make it a known park so it would be mowed. That didn't go over well, so Jeff and Dave attended a town meeting to see if they could at least mow it themselves and finally got permission to keep it useable. Jeff has been weed whacking and mowing it, and it is a great little sandy spot to launch the kayaks and small sailboats (anything motorized or whose trailer has to go in the water MUST be inspected at the state launch ramp to prevent invasive species from entering this pristine lake). 

Happy Independence Day Weekend!