Oneida Lake to Lake Champlain (and back…)

Begin: Scotia

End: Lock E12, Tribes Hill

I made breakfast while Leila ran and got a coffee. We decided not to have a plan today, rather end up where we end up.

Today was very uneventful.  We went through a few locks and decided by Lock E12 that we just needed some time to relax, and not really any amenities.  Therefore we stopped early in the day and moored atop Lock E12.

The Schenectady Gateway Landing on the southern side of the canal near the route 5 bridge. Next time through we plan on stopping here.

This is a nice little area with picnic tables and a large yard.  We decided to play some croquet that we had brought, and have yet to use.  It was a great time and after about 45 minutes we decided to get ready for the evening.  We went to the lockmaster to see what was nearby, and he said there is a store atop the hill and not much else.

We decided to go for the walk and see what the store had.  They sold subs, which we decided sounded alot better than cooking.  We got subs and chips and headed back to the boat.  Unfortunately the hill made us a bit sweaty, and we were offered the shower at the lock house, so we used it.  After cleaning up we had dinner.  The subs were surprisingly good and hit the spot.

While finishing eating, a large trawler heading east came in and decided to spend the night next to us.  We helped them tie up and noticed they had a unique name for their boat.  The boat was named Hollyken, after Holly and Ken, its owners.  I thought this name was very clever and had a nice ring to it.  Unfortunately Leilagreg doesn’t sound nearly as nice.

After talking to Holly and Ken for a bit, they realized Leila was Lebanese, and offered us some Lebanese desert that they were having.  We said great, and that we were going to finish our dinner and be back.  This also gave them time to eat dinner.

After eating and playing cards for a bit, we ventured over to Hollyken where they were just cleaning up from dinner.  They welcomed us aboard and we ate desert and talked for awhile.  They, like most people who have seen us along the our trip, commented about our age.  At 23 we were less than half the age of most other boaters, if not 3x younger.  Being Ph.D. graduate students, we were luck enough to have a few months off at the same time to take an extended trip.

Holly and Ken, from the south, were another great couple that we meet while on the canal.  I have to say, the people are one of the best parts of the canal.

After heading back to our boat it was dark and time for bed. No movie tonight, just bed.

Begin: Waterford

End: Scotia

Day 25 turned out to be a good day.  We got up and headed into town where Leila got a coffee.  Back aboard we called ahead to the lockmaster where he said it would be about 20 minutes.  We at breakfast and we began the flight of locks.

The locks by now are pretty non-eventful.  One nice thing about going up is when you are raised to the point where you can see over the lock wall.  It feels like you are now in a new place and you check out the scenery.  Other than that the process is quite trivial now with over 40 locks completed in the last few weeks.

Now on the Mohawk River we made good time on our way to Scotia.  We arrived where there was a large Trawler taking up the whole dock, the dock is about 50′, and the trawler was about 40′.  Not wanting to continue on I tried something new.  I went upstream of the dock about 100 feet and dropped anchor.  I then set it with the motor and let out enough rope so that the back of the boat was about 5 feet from the dock.  The gentleman from the trawler had come out in the meantime to lend a hand and he tied the stern to the dock.  He suggested using an ‘X’ pattern, which was a great idea that I would not have thought of.

Marina and Public Boat Launch in Scotia.

The ‘X’ pattern meant that I attached two ropes to my stern, one on the port cleat and one on the starboard cleat, and then cross them attaching to opposite dock cleats.  This meant that the boat could be closer to the dock, while still being safe.  It also prevented my stern from swinging towards the river and hitting the trawler’s bow pulpit with my mast, which stuck out a few feet.

We talked with the gentleman and his wife for a bit, and then headed into town.  We wanted to go to Jumpin’ Jacks again, as well as do a geocache that was in the area.  We first went to Jumpin’ Jacks for lunch, which was great again (stopped on the way up to Lake Champlain), and then went in search for the geocache.  The geocache turned out to be much further than I had realized, as there were no connecting roads to the park and the road was lined with houses.  My plan was just to go through the woods as I assumed there would be an entrance, but the road was house after house, and filled with ‘No Trespassing’ signs.  We then took the loooooooong way around via road and found the cache.  We were the second people to find it which was fun.  We ran into someone local who said there was a trail that we could take back into town.  It turned out to have ‘No Trespassing’ signs on it, but only from the other direction.

We stopped at a store and got some food and then meandered back to the boat, walking through the large park.  Back aboard we decided to use the nice park and brought our portable grill to a picnic table and cooked dinner.  I like this town, its very friendly and the docks are nearby everything.  Its too bad the dock is not larger, and that the local motorboats did not speed by throwing a large wake all evening.

Back aboard we played some cards, watched a movie and headed to bed.

Begin: Mechanicville

End: Waterford

Day 24 was another sour day on the boat, we had all intentions of making it to Scotia on the Erie Canal but due to motor problems, that did not happen.

We left very early for us, wanting to beat the heat of the day, and headed off towards Lock C2 without eating breakfast.  Unfortunately within a mile we where having engine problems.  The motor ran, but it would not operate above 1000 RPM, rather it just went back to idle it the throttle was pushed further.  This meant that the boat would only go about 2-3 mph, a very dangerous speed on a river.  We then limped along at a blistering 2-3 mph and made it to the next lock.  With no great spot to tie up, we pressed on, knowing that there is a nice boat launch and dock at Lock C1.

We made it to the dock and then assessed the problem.  After looking through everything, all seemed to be in order.  The motor ran fine at idle and up to about 1000 RPM.  The the throttle was pressed further, then the motor would just go back to idle, but ran fine at idle.  This was very discouraging.  After about a half hour of taking the engine apart, I found what was wrong.  The throttle is connected by a piece of plastic to the motor.  This plastic part broke off at about the 1000 RPM mark and if the throttle was pushed further then the engine’s throttle lever would fall off the plastic part and the engine would return to idle.  This was good and bad.  The good part is that it is a small issue, and the main engine/carb is not damaged in anyway.  The bad is that a small issue is a big issue when you are motoring along and have no car to get to the local dealer.  Furthermore this is a part that I doubt is carried in stock.

I decided that instead of trying to find the part, we would fix it using some ‘puddy cement’ that I had aboard.  This play-dough type cement harden to a rock, and I hoped would work well enough to get us home.  I applied it and let is cure for about an hour.  I then put the engine back together and gave is a go.  It worked!  After testing the engine many times at the lock I decided that there would be no harm in continuing on to Waterford.  It was only a few miles away, and if the fix broke, we would still make it there at the 2-3 MPH.  Plus, Waterford is closer to our friends in Troy who would have given us a ride to the dealer if necessary.

We made it to Waterford without issue.  We arrived and grabbed the only spot left, it was on the high wall, between two large tugboats.  Its a shame that they allow people to dock for extended periods here when there are transients who would gladly use the wall.  Many people use the $10/night rate (free for first two days) as a cheap way to keep their boat somewhere while they head off for days at a time.

We made it by 4:00, but unfortuantely wasted most of our day fixing the motor and motoring slowly.  We walked into town, but did not get anything more than fuel and a slushy.  Then we decided we needed some time away from the boat so we walked across the bridge to Peebles Island State Park.  This was a nice change of pace after being frustrated all day.  Back aboard we decided just to call it a day, had dinner and watched a movie.  Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Sorry, no photos today.

Begin: Fort Edward

End: Mechanicville

Last night, while hanging out in the boat, a gentleman who owned a local diner (PJs) greeted us and let us know about his diner and gave us a menu.  We did not think much of it at the time, but by morning it sounded like a great idea.  Leila and I love the true country diners.

We got ready and headed over to the diner and had breakfast.  We were eventually accompanied by a couple from another boat heading north and had a great breakfast.  We only ate out a few times on the trip, and homemade type food hit the spot.  After a great breakfast it was time to head down the canal to Mechanicville.  We had already stayed there on the way to Lake Champlain, but we needed supplies and Mechanicville has them nearby.

The tour boat Caldwell Belle moored at Lock C5.

Back aboard it was a nice trip down the Hudson River.  This area is quite scenic with farm fields and the occasional house.  The further down the river, there are more houses.  Passing through the 4 locks was a breeze and we made it to Mechanicville in what seemed like no time.

We tied to the north end of the wall, realizing from last time that it is much quieter, and headed into town.  There is an informational board showing what is nearby.  We wanted to go to the library and check our emails as well as head over to Price Chopper and get some fresh food.  Bikes would have been nice here as it is a medium to long walk, though not nearly as far as what was in Whitehall.

Back aboard the boat we had the steak that we had just bought and relaxed.  Before long we were shutting the doors to keep the bugs out and it was time for bed.  Some days the time just goes by without you noticing.  I guess they saying holds, ‘Time flies when your having fun’.

Begin: Whitehall

End: Fort Edward

Day 22 started early for us.  Since we had relaxed the previous day we were not very tired.  We got up and going, deciding to eat on the canal.  We made great time and the man-made part of the Champlain Canal flew by.  We stopped in Fort Ann to get a bit of fuel, ice, a slushy and other odd and items.  We were to Fort Edward by noon which gave us the afternoon to enjoy the town.

The bridge in Fort Edward on the way to the boat basin. BE CAREFUL & WATCH YOUR DEPTH! Note the green can on the right side just after the bridge.

With plenty of time to walk around, we decided to just relax and have a nice barbecue at the Fort Edward Boat Basin (the terminal wall).  After enjoying some food from the grill we both showered and such and then took a walk around.  We stopped in a few of the local shops.  There was a consignment shop which had nearly everything, we looked for some board games but found nothing that we did not already have or were interested in.

We then headed back to the boat.  We were playing cards when the couple aboard the boat ahead of us stopped by and asked if we wanted to share some wine.  We joined them for a few hours having a great time.  They were from Pennsylvania and had trailered their boat up to Sylvan Beach.  There they journeyed the same path as us, down the Erie Canal and up the Hudson River/Champlain Canal to Fort Edward.  They were planning to continue up to Lake Champlain and then return to Sylvan Beach.  Their trip was all too similar to ours.

They were aboard a 21′ boat with a large outboard motor and had their cat aboard.  The cat jumped in the water about an hour earlier and almost drowned.  Still wet, he was not very social with us, and hid up front.  Another great afternoon on the canal.

UPDATE: As it turns out I saw them moored to the Sylvan Beach wall a few weeks later, they ended up going to Whitehall and then a day out on Lake Champlain and then turning around due to the waves, and heading back.  What a small world!

Soon it was dinner time and we went back and did our normal routine of dinner, movie and bed.  We planned on making it to Mechanicville tomorrow, another short day.

Day 21 we stayed in Whitehall.  We wanted to checkout the town a bit more as well as just relax.

We awoke late, and everyone was gone.  We then milled around, taking a walk around the lock and marinas area.  We noted the museum was opening shortly, so we went back aboard to have breakfast and get ready for the day.

The first thing we wanted to do was to check out the museum, and then go up and see the mansion atop the hill.  We walked through the museum and it was very informative.  We learned about the history of Lake Champlain, the Champlain Canal (new and old) and of the town of Whitehall and its importance to the country.  I recommend this to anyone who is at all interested in the history of the canal or our countries independence.

After spending a few hours in the museum we ventured up to the mansion.  Although it was closed to the public today we just wanted to go up and take a look at the property.  It was a hike up the hill, but once atop we were rewarded by the mansion and a great view of the surrounding area.  They serve meals here on certain days of the week, just not today.

We then walked back down to the boat and decided that we would take a walk to the other end of town.  The main commercial district is now a medium to long walk away from the canal.  We wanted some fresh food so we decided to take the walk.  There is a informational board near the terminal wall that shows where things are.

After about 2 hours we returned and had dinner and discussed our plans for the next few days.  We decided that we would try and do many ‘half days’, meaning we would visit each town for roughly half a day and motor the other half, hopefully bypassing towns we had already visited.  This would allow us to see things we had not seen before as well as keep the trip very relaxed.

We played some cards, watched a movie and headed to bed.  We were planning on going to Fort Edward tomorrow.

Begin: Patridge Harbor, Westport (NY)

End: Whitehall, Champlain Canal

Today is our last day on Lake Champlain, we decided that we would bypass the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum and come via car another time.  Furthermore, since there was no wind, we would motor south and probably make it to Ticonderoga or Whitehall.

A lighthouse just south of Westport on the New York Side.

The view of Fort Ticonderoga from the south.

We had breakfast and headed out.  We first stopped at a local marina to fuel up and stretch our legs, it had been about 48 hours since we had last stepped on land.  Once on our way we passed many nice houses and without wind or waves we stayed close to shore to see the scenery.

A dock on the southern end of Lake Champlain.

We stayed on the boat for the rest of the day, eventually making it to Whitehall.  We dropped mast and when through Lock C12 to stay at the Whitehall Terminal Wall again.  Locking through was quite easy and we parked alongside a power pole.  We walked around and talked with a couple from Montreal who was heading down to New York City and then back up through the Erie Canal, Oswego Canal and the Saint Lawrence Seaway to Montreal.  They were very nice and enjoying some wine on the back of their boat.  They had only planned 3 weeks for the trip; oh how life is different when you can cruise at 25 knots.

Back aboard we had dinner, played some cards and then it was time for a movie and bed.

Begin: Jones Pt. Bay, Willsboro (NY)

End: Partridge Harbor, Westport (NY)

Today we awoke to some good sailing weather.  There was a nice breeze coming from the south east.  I decided that we should start sailing immediately to take advantage of the wind.  Leila stayed below enjoying the sound waves hitting the bow.

I weighed anchor and raised the genoa and mainsail.  The wind direction meant that we would have to zigzag back and forth on our way south.  This turned out to be a good thing as we were able to see both the Vermont and New York side of the lake.

We sailed all day without stopping using the auto pilot.  The wind stayed coming from the south, gradually changing to a south west wind.  By late afternoon we were approaching the Narrows section of Lake Champlain.  We would have liked to go over to the the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum (LCMM) and/or Vergennes but we decided not to go to LCMM because of the large waves in the harbor opted to pass by Vergennes as we did not feel like motoring for another hour and a half, plus we laked a depth sounder.

We decided to stay on the New York side of the Narrows in Partridge Harbor.  I had read somewhere that this cove was hurricane proof and indeed it was, assuming you have a relatively shallow draft (~3′).  Once through the small opening, the cove, with high walls on all sides, turns to the south.  This means that for all wind directions, except northeastern winds, that waves would not be an issue.  North eastern waves are not a large worry either as once any waves get through the small opening they would immediately be dampened as they spreadout.  We took the only spot away from the opening, which was on the southern side of the cove.  It was a bit shallower than the other part of the cove, but also had the best protection.

Leila and I went for a swim to relax and cool off.  We also took the dingy for a paddle around the cove.  We then went back aboard and had dinner and played cards on the back deck.  It was a beautiful evening.  As the bugs started coming out we decided to call it a night and we watched a movie and then headed to bed.  All in all today was a great day.  Beautiful weather, great sailing, and a good ancorage.

Sorry no photos today.

Begin: Valcour Island (NY)

End: Jones Pt. Bay, Willsboro (NY)

Today was the start of our journey back to Oneida Lake.  We left our families yesterday and planned on heading back south today.  We had not made a definitive plan as to how long we were to take on our way back, but knew we wanted to go slower than on our way to Lake Champlain.

We woke up late and many of the boats that were crowding the bay were gone.  Some left the night before and others were early risers and left before we awoke.  There were only about a dozen sailboats and a few motorboats remaining in the cove.  We decided that since there was absolutely zero wind that we would stay on Valcore for a bit.

We had breakfast and went ashore.  We explored the western part of the island near where the westward bays are on both sides of the lighthouse.  We hiked up to the lighthouse and peeked inside.  Unfortunately its open only on the weekends and today is Monday.  I love looking at all these old buildings.

We eventually made it back to the boat but not before we were bombarded by frogs.  Walking down the trail they were EVERYWHERE.  The grass was wet and the trail had a bit of a mud to it, I guess perfect for frogs coming out of hiding.  Every few steps another would jump and startle us.

The Valcore Island Lighthouse on the west side of the island.

Back on the boat (close to 11:30 now) we reorganized some things and decided that we would set sail, hoping that there would be an afternoon breeze.  We weighed anchor and before heading south we motored over the the nearby marina for fuel.

While getting fuel a very unique yellow wooden 30′-35′ sailboat came in for fuel.  Unfortunately the operator either was inexperienced or misjudged the approach and came in at about 5 knots!  The dock hands just yelled for him to slowdown, but he did not listen, or know how to.  The crew was ready to jump off and catch the boat, but by the time they would jump and catch the boat, the boat would have been through the dock.  Fortunately he was coming in at an angle and I was able to push the bow enough so that the boat just scraped the dock.  If I did not grab the bow the boat would have easily broken a large part of the dock and/or damaged the boat itself.  This is the type of thing that we have not seen much of on our trip, and it was nice, but it really makes you think how safe you are around other boaters.

The NYS boat launch across from Valcore Island in Peru.

After leaving the marina we headed south and once south of Valcore Island I killed the motor and put up the sails.  The was almost no wind, but I figured I would give it a try.  There were other larger boats in the area sailing, albeit slowly.  This did not work out very well as our sails were not large enough to stay filled.  Large sailboats to have the advantage of sheer sail size and height on windless days.  We ended up dropping sails and motoring for while.  I was able to use the auto pilot which was nice so we just sat and enjoyed the day.

We passed by another island and kept going.  There was still no wind, and the lake was near flat.  We decided that we had enough for the day after motoring for about 5 hours and called it quits in Jones Point Bay near Willsboro, NY.  This was a relatively open bay with a few houses/cottages lining the shore.  We anchored in about 8 feet of water and then made some dinner, played some cards and then watched a movie before bed.  We were now back into our normal routine.

Begin: Burlington (VT)

End: Valcour Island (NY)

Day 17 in Burlington was a little better.  We got up very early again (yay!) and headed to the boathouse.  There was plenty of space at the 30 minute docks and we went ashore for a bit.  We used the bathhouse, and walked around a bit.  This is how the previous night was supposed to go.

The restaurant and bath house in Burlington.

After walking around we headed back to the boat and started sailing across the lake to Valcore.  Unfortunately there was little wind and we made very poor time.  By about 11:00, my father went for a nap and mom was reading, and I was sailing with no wind!  I gave up and figured we would have a much better time at Valcour Island and motored the last 5-8 miles.  We arrived and the place was crowded, it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon.  We motored in and found a spot that worked for us, only 30 feet from shore and very very well protected from all but the worst of south breezes.  We anchored and called to let Leila know where we were.  We went ashore and just relaxed for awhile.

The Adirondack Mountains from Burlington. Our sailboat is on the right.

Leila and her family showed up and rafted their boat with ours and we relaxed and ate.  After spending a few hours together is was time for my parents to leave, so Leila brought them to shore where Leila had their car waiting for them.  They had a 4.5 hour drive to go.

Leila, her mom, and brother came back out and we went tubing until dark.  Then we called it a night and just went to bed.  This was a sad day as it is officially when we start heading back, we were now back tracking.