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.
No comments:
Post a Comment