Oneida Lake to Lake Champlain (and back…)

Begin: Great Chazy River (NY)

End: Burlington (VT)

Yesterday my parents arrived and we spent the night on the boat at the marina.  We made plans of sailing to Burlington on Saturday and meeting up with Leila and her family for a picnic on Sunday at Valcour Island.

Day 16 started very early, we wanted to make it to Burlington by the end of the day, with time for my parents to go ashore.  My parents who were still on real-world time and woke up before 6:00am much to my disliking.  We got ready and headed out down the river into the lake.

We started sailing and there was a gentle breeze, which picked up as the day went on.  It was a north breeze which meant that we flew the spinnaker for most of the day.  The much over-sized spinnaker was perfect for this lighter air, as it kept the boat going at hull speed.  We made our way south, and were eventually being passed by a 40′ Hunter that was running jib only, supported by the motor, properly named ‘Money Pit’.  We talked with the owner at the marina the night before and he was heading to Burlington as well, this is my fathers’ new dream boat.  We don’t have many boats this size on Oneida Lake.

We passed by the ferries and were one of the faster boats on the water due to our over-sized spinnaker.  Once in the open water between Plattsburgh and Burlington the wind increased and we were making great time.

Clinton County Community College across from Valcore Island on Lake Champlain. Whiteface Mountain and the Adirondacks in the background.

We sailed into Burlington and headed to the docks.  We saw an open slip and pulled into to see how this marina worked.  We were greeted by a gentleman that said that this was a private slip and that we could use the 6 slips in front of the floating boathouse for free for no more than 30 minutes.  This was a joke, there were dozens of boats waiting to use these slips, and moreover there were some slips reserved for the sailing races that were going on.  Furthermore they had no docks for overnighting either.  Very discouraging!

The Burlington Lighthouse on the north end of the break wall.

We decided that my parents would get off the boat and go into town while I go anchor the boat nearby.  They would call me when they wanted to be picked up.  They went and walked around while I anchored nearby, this worked out well and I met up with them later, again using a private slip as a place to pick them up.  We anchored just south of the boathouse area, still behind the break wall for the night.  This was a good sailing day, turned somewhat sour by the lack of docks at Burlington.

We watched some TV and headed to bed.

Begin: Point Au Rouche State Park (NY)

End: Great Chazy River (NY)

Today I am supposed to meet Leila and join her and her family for the next few days.  Its about 17 miles away so given some wind I should be there by 3:00 and have dinner tonight at Leila’s parent’s house.

I headed out early and set sail, it was another light wind, but enough to sail.  I sailed the genoa all day and after passing many lake houses and marinas I made it to the Great Chazy River.  I plan on keeping the boat at a slip for a few days to spend time with Leila’s Family.  This is the only time that I paid for dockage the whole trip, and at $1/foot, it was not too bad.  In hindsight, I would have kept the boat at Point Au Rouche on the moorings at the fixed $14/night (2007), which was closer to Plattsburgh, and just as secure.  The only downside is that getting to and from the boat would have been more difficult (via Leila’s Parents’ kayak)

A lakeside farm in Chazy.

I stayed with Leila for 2 days and then was joined by my parents late on the night of Day 15.  We all met at Leila’s Parents’ house and then my parents and I went to the boat for a weekend of sailing.  We wanted to go to Burlington and then back to Valcore Island.  Leila opted to stay at her parents as she is only able to see her family a few times a year.  No Day 14 or Day 15 logs since we were away from the boat not doing all that much, so jump ahead to day 16.

Begin: Plattsburgh Canal Terminal Wall

End: Point Au Rouche State Park (NY)

Day 12 began pleasantly with a gentle breeze and sunny skies.  I was glad I moored out in the cove, there were tons of fishermen at the terminal wall when I woke up.  I had breakfast and then set sail.

There was a light (10 mph) east, south-east breeze, exactly what I did not need.  Before heading north I had to head directly into the wind to get out into the main part of the lake (around Cumberland Head). It took too many tacks to count and about an hour and a half to make it the 3 miles out of the bay.  Once I made it out of the bay the light wind, now blocked by the Vermont shoreline, was even lighter in spots and made progress slow.

A pair of ferries crossing the lake at Cumberland Head.

I passed the ferries at Cumberland Head, slowly, and headed north the remaining 6 miles to Point Au Rouche.  I made it into the large cove, but realized that the moorings were only for rent, so I left the large bay and went to middle bay where there was plenty of protection and no charge for mooring.  Its been 12 days and I had not paid for dockage yet, and was not going to start today, especially since there was nearly the same protection only 300 yards away, having the 3′ draft helps a bit.

Sunset from middle bay at Point Au Rouche State Park.

I rowed ashore and streched the legs, I have been here many times before, so there was little new, but plenty to enjoy.

Begin: Valcour Island

End: Plattsburgh Canal Terminal Wall

Day 11 started late.  I had some breakfast and knowing that I had not too far to go I decided to take a trip ashore to see what this new side of the island had.  I rowed ashore and found some overgrown trails, this side (eastern) of the island had much less developed trails than the western side.

Plattsburgh from Valcour Island, the white blip just to the left of the island.

After heading back to the boat I set sail, there was a good west wind and I made it to Plattsburgh in only a couple of hours.  I tied up to the wall and did some cleaning and relaxing.  I’ve been here many times via land, but still took a walk around. There was a neat looking sailing barge from before the invention of motors that was being worked at the wall.  I took some time and look at that as well.

Leila eventually came by and we had some lunch, she also brought some essentials. As the sun went down I decided I would feel more comfortable anchored in the cove rather than tied to the exposed wall.  There was to be a north-east breeze in the morning and I was afraid of the boat hitting the wall in the waves as well as there were a ton of fishermen all over the place.  I slept soundly out in the middle of the bay.

Tomorrow I was heading north, most likely to Point Au Rouche State Park.

Today I stayed at Valcour Island, though I did eventually move to a different cove.  I spend most of the day alone, doing some work, exploring the island, and swimming.  Leila and her family came out late in the day and we all had dinner on her boat, it was nice to see them again, and get some good food.  After they left I relaxed and watched some TV and went to bed.

A slightly foggy morning at Valcour Island.

A crane and sailboat late in the day at Valcour Island, with Vermont in the background.

A strong thunder storm over Plattsburgh, about 10 miles away. It was a trend of the trip that we were always in the right place at the right time. We had dodged storms like this nearly every day.

Tomorrow I planned to sail north to the Plattsburgh Canal Terminal Wall which was only about 10-15 miles away.

Begin: Bay North of Five Mile Point Lighthouse (NY)

End: Valcour Island (NY)

I awoke day 9 to the sounds of waves gently hitting the bow of the boat, something I had not heard in awhile.  I got up and took a look out the window, it was a nice day with a gentle breeze coming from the south/south east, which formed a very slight chop.  I decided that since I wanted to sail, and knew it would be slower than motoring that I should start sailing now.  One advantage about being on the lake it that I could use our auto steering device.  I never would trust something like this on the canal, but on the wide open lake it works nicely.  Therefore I started out, going a very fast 4 mph, but at least we were moving and it did not cost us anything!  Leila got up and we had breakfast, the wind was slowly picking up as well as changing from a south-east breeze to a south-west breeze.

The wind eventually became strong enough to support the spinnaker.  With the large spinnaker up we make great time, going faster than while on motor (7-8 mph, yee haw!).  I was having a blast, I love sailing on the spinnaker and was going to take advantage of it as long as I could.  I jibed the boat back and forth many times as the wind would not come from the south-east or south-west for more than about 10 minutes.

The wind continued to increase and eventually the spinnaker had to some down as we kept turning past 40 degrees and I was afraid of breaking something.  I put up the genoa and which was still too much in some of the gusts, but at least this as more manageable, though by afternoon we switched to the jib for a few hours.

We made no stops today, rather just enjoyed a great breeze.  As we traveled north there were more boats on the lake, especially sailboats.  We decided that we would make it to Valcour Island tonight and Leila’s family would meet us on their boat.  The wind eventually died down and we ended up motoring the last 5 miles in order to make it at a reasonable time.  We did about 50 miles today, but it went by pretty quickly as we went faster on sail by motor, as well as we used the auto pilot while the breeze was light in the morning.

Vermont mountains while sailing.

We met with Leila’s family on the boat and Leila left to spend some time with her family.  I was to stay on the boat and bring it north to the Chazy River where I would dock it for a few days and then spend time with her family.  It was getting late so I just cleaned up a bit, planned my next few days and called it a night.

Begin: Whitehall Terminal Wall, Whitehall

End: Bay North of Five Mile Point Lighthouse

Day 8 began at about 8:30, I had got up and looked out the window to see a large barge/tug only 20 feet from the boat.  That woke me up pretty quickly, I expected to see the ball fields on the other side of the river, perhaps with some people playing.  The barge was waiting to lock through, so it was just idling in the channel.  I got up while Leila slept a little longer.  I walked around and to see what was nearby.  I found that there was the remains of a formerly busy ‘Main Street’ that was now somewhat run down, and without any shops of interest to us (antiques, etc.).

I went back to the boat where Leila had woken up and we had breakfast.  We discussed out plans for the next few days and decided that we would just do what the weather/wind allowed.  Being on the lake meant that we had to content with not only the weather, but waves and wind availability as well.  I have seen all the worst of Oneida Lake in our 25′, but I know Lake Champlain is bigger, and being in unfamiliar waters, we planned on playing it very safe.

We took a walk around and went to the two local marinas, one was closed until later in the morning and the other was open early so we went in and grabbed a map of the lake.  We also checked out the lock and then headed back to the boat.  I had a digital map of the lake, so I knew what to expect, but I took some time and verified our plans against the map, and marked the map so I could find things easier while on the water.

We called ahead to the Lock Master and were on our way.  On our way down it was a good and bad feeling to be out of the canal, we had enjoyed our time, but were also glad to be on the lake.  We exited the lock passed the marinas and were on our way on the lake, sorta.

Entering Lock C12, the last lock for a few weeks.

The first 10 miles felt almost like the canal, it was narrow and felt more like a river rather than a lake.  Eventually it started to widen and we felt like we were on a lake now, albeit a smaller one.

Bridge that separates the 'river' portion of Lake Champlain from the southern open part. We did not try and fit, clearance looked tight and we did not have a depth finder.

Bass boats on Lake Champlain for the annual Pro Bass Tournament.

At this point I figured its time to put up the mast, in hindsight we should have done this while in the river section as we were now in a bit of chop and drifting, but it was not too difficult.  We got the mast up in about 15 minutes and then started to sail.  We had a strong south west wind, perfect direction for flying the spinnaker, but a bit too strong, so we sailed on the main and genoa for awhile and then downgraded to the jib.  The strong wind made nice sailing as the waves were small compared to what we were used to on Oneida Lake, but we were able to sail at hull speed in almost every necessary direction as the lake twisted and turned.

Weed collection crew.

Weed collection crew unloading into a dump truck.

As we passed Fort Ticonderoga, we noticed that there was a reason for the strong winds, there were thunder clouds forming to our southwest.  Not overly concerned as we were still in a relatively narrow portion of the lake we pressed on in the strong breeze, not steadily 25mph+.

Our decision to not seek cover caught up with us and we noticed a black wall of rain coming over the hill/mountain to the west about 1-2 miles away.  We were in front of the International Paper Company Plant.  We quickly got the motor going, sails down and tied and headed straight for it.

Storm coming while we were still sailing.

My goal was to see refuge from the storm’s waves by heading to the western shore.  We were doing okay and Leila buttoned the last of things up as we motored in.  We eventually switched places and I sat on the bow checking the depth first by and then by dragging the anchor at about 6′ while we were going about 4 mph waiting to feel the bottom.  This is the third time we absolutely NEEDED a depth finder!  It is nearly impossible to tell the difference between 12′ and 6′ in this clear water.  Fortunately we only draft about 3′ so unless there is a large rock sticking up we were not likely to hit, and if we did we were going slow to the point of hopefully only minor damage.  This doesn’t sound bad until you realize that it is a pouring rain now and the waves are starting to kick the bow up and down.  Eventually I say good enough and Leila killed the engine, I waited for us to stop our forward momentum and threw the anchor.

The storm came and went in under about 30-45 minutes.  We took the time to clean up the boat, which was a mess from getting all the sailing equipment out a few hours earlier and had a bite to eat.  Heading to the western shore turned out to the worth the trouble, the waves were about 1 foot where we were 300 feet off shore, so they were probally about 2-3 feet on the other side.

After checking that there was no additional storms coming we decided to continue on as where we were was not a great spot to be for an overnight.  After checking the map, I noticed that there was a large bay just north of us on the New York side that would protect us from wind in all but the north and north east directions (which would be a nightmare).  I checked to see what the wind was going to do between now and tomorrow morning and it said north west winds till after midnight and then north/north east winds.  Great, exactly what I did not want.  Fortunately there were to be under 5 mph, so hopefully the waves won’t kick up to anything much.

We motored about a mile around the corner to the bay and did the whole, guess the depth and such until I felt we were close enough to shore for protection from more storms and the now lighter west winds.  We anchored and relaxed for awhile.

I did eventually go for a swim.  The boat has a 5′ swing keel encased inside a 2′ fixed keel which would not drop.  I knew that this had something to do with running aground while in the village of Mohawk a week before.  I just did not know if it was missing or just jammed.  The water was COLD (low 60s), so leila did not join me, but I checked the boat the whole way around including the keel.  The keel was jammed by some smaller stones that must have been forced up in there when we ran aground.  They came out relatively easily enough and it was good to go.  The rest of the boat was also looking good, with nothing to be concerned about, other than a bit of the bottom paint was wearing faster than expected.

From storms to a beautiful sunset in a few hours.

Back on the boat I warmed up and we watched a movie and called it a night.

Begin: Mechanicville Terminal Wall, Mechanicville

End: Whitehall Terminal Wall, Whitehall

Day 7 started early for once.  We were up by 7 and got going quickly.  We knew we had a big day ahead of us, we ideally wanted to make it to Whitehall by the end of the day.  There were also a lot of other boats at the Mechanicville Terminal Wall heading in the same direction as us, so being slower, we wanted to get a head start.

We got going without eating and figured we would eat while motoring along.  Lock C3 was just up the river about a quarter mile, so we called ahead to the lock master and headed out.

The lock was open and ready when we got there and fortunately the people behind up had yet to start so we had no wait and were up in no time.  While exiting, I could see Lock C4 ahead about 1 mile, so wanting to stay ahead of the other boaters we just kept moving along.  We passed under the lowest bridge of the entire trip, at 15-17 feet this railroad bridge is what defines the clearance of the Champlain Canal.  Fortunately for larger vessels the distance between Lock C3 and C4 is short and there is a movable dam adjacent to Lock C3, so they are able to lower the pool level here quickly to accommodate larger boats heading to Lake Champlain.  If you need this, call ahead to Lock C3 via phone to see what they can do. Doing this is not always possible due to high water levels (from rain, etc.) and other river operations.

Other boats heading north.

Looking back at Lock C4. The power plant/spillway is to the right.

Low Railroad bridge between Lock C3 and Lock C4

Lock C4 is a nice lock secluded away from the river in a park like setting.  There were people fishing and walking around.  It would be a nice spot to stop for lunch, but its not even 9:00 and we are trying to keep moving.

Entering Lock C4

Picnic table adjacent to Lock C4.

After passing through Lock C4 there is a short made-made canal section before rejoining the river.  There was a nice house on the left situated at the point of the “island” formed by the canal and river.  Back on the river we we passed many riverfront houses and eventually was passed just before Lock C5 by the powerboats heading north to Burlington.

We had to wait a minute for some boats heading southbound to leave the lock so we caught up the the other boats and did not have to wait until the lock to cycle around.  This was the first times the lock was actually completely full.  There were 8 boats in total, of which we were the second to smallest at 25′!

After leaving the lock we headed out through another man-made channel.  The other boats left us in the dust and we were all by ourselves again.  It was a nice stretch of the river with some houses, but with enough forest and farm fields to make it scenic.

When approaching Lock C6 from a distance we saw the other boats waiting for a southbound vessel.  This was nice since we were able to approach and the lock tender nicely held the lock open for about 2 minutes for us to enter.  That was 4 locks and no waiting a second!  This was a great start to our very long day.

We were up and on our way again, we had decided we were going to stop in Fort Edward for lunch.  Its still early, but we wanted to take a look around and see what Fort Edward had to offer, as well as decide if it would be a good place to spend the night on the way home.

A beautiful day to be on the boat, Lock C7 is in the distance.

On our way into the Fort Edward Boat Basin I knew that the channel was tricky, but even being conscious of it, I was a bit confused.  The channel crosses and goes perhaps opposite of where you would think it would, anyways, pay close attention to the markers and depth gauge.  Also when approaching and motoring near the wall, stay very close to the wall, there are submerged rocks in the channel away from the wall.  Not having a depth gauge made this even more nerve racking!

We stayed a few hours in Fort Edward, we ate, showered, and took a walk around.  There is not too much in Fort Edward, but there is a few places to eat and some odd and end shops.  We walked across the river to the visitors center, but it was closed; just our luck!  We took a look at the small fort and walked back to the boat.  After a bit of relaxing it was time to push on, we are only about halfway to Whitehall.  We headed back through the channel, and almost screwed it up again, and called the Lock C7 Lock Master once it became visible.  It was ready by the time we arrived and we were up and into the long man made section of the Champlain Canal.  It was very scenic, with houses towards the beginning, and farm fields and such further along.  The cows would come right up the river.

Which way to go? Left is non-navigable, right is the lock, center is to Fort Edward Boat Basin.

Cows next to the canal.

The rest of the day blurred into a ‘just keep going’ mentality, we did stop at Fort Ann and went to the Cumberland Farms store a block away where I filled the fuel cans and Leila got a slushy and some other food items.  They were having a 69 cent promotion for any size slushy and this would be one of about 15 that Leila got while on the trip.  She’s very easy to please, and a slushy and something to read on a nice day like today and she couldn’t ask for anything more.

Gazebo in Whitehall, camera made it look lighter than it was.

Amphitheater on the water in Whitehall. Photo much lighter than is was.

We arrived in White hall very late, it was pushing 9:00, getting dark and we have only a 12v hand held spotlight and flashlights.  Yet another thing today which made me worry.  We arrived at the Terminal Wall on the upper side of Lock C12, there were a few other boats parked in front of the power outlets, so we parked as close as we could and figured we would just run our 15A extension cord.  I ran a long cord down to the power pole and then we took a quick walk around the vicinity to stretch our legs which was very nice, and then headed back for a movie and bed.

Whitehall Terminal Wall taken the next morning.

We motored for over 12 hours today, fortunately it was very nice out, warm but not too hot, sunny and a pleasant breeze.  We would be on the  lake in the morning and it would be a nice change of pace and we were looking forward to it.

Today was a day off.  Its was opressively hot and we decided to get some things done and stay put.

Begin: Waterford (Guard Gate E2)

End: Mechanicville Wall

Day 5 started late again, we had slept pretty poorly so we were not all that excited to get up.  I got up and took a walk around, and while walking found a fish who was tied to someones fishing line.  I went back to the boat and got my leatherman and freed the fish and gathered the loose line.  There were also workers starting to dredge the area.  I went back to the boat and we had breakfast.  I had wanted to make it to Fort Edward so we got moving pretty quickly.  It was going to be another hot one too, so the more ground we can cover before noon, the better.

Dredger outside Guard Gate E2

Grand Erie also working as part of the dredge crew

It was still early, but it was getting hot and humid. We made it through the locks pretty quickly and stopped at the Waterford Visitors Center. There were some nice people inside who we chatted with and we took showers and cleaned up. Leila also got a coffee as well. We milled around for about 45 minutes and we were off to start our journey up the Hudson. We seriously thought of sticking around, but Leila wanted to be to Plattsburgh to see her family for the weekend so we did not have all the time in the world, and pressed on.

We started up the Hudson which meant that we were going against the current now. We made it through the first few locks without saying much, just plugging away. It was HOT and we were not having a great time. We made it through Locks C1 and Lock C2 and stopped at Mechanicville. We had enough and needed a good break.

We walked into town to check it out and found that there are some handy stores nearby. There was Leila’s favorite, Dunkin Doughnuts, as well as an auto parts store, grocery store, bank and Library. We got her an Iced Coffee and some things at the store, and I got some supplies at the auto parts store. We walked back to the boat and found some kids playing in the water right next to the boat.

We moved the boat to the other end of the wall and relaxed for a bit.  We were checking the weather pretty regularly as there were major storms likely and I was not sure if we would make it to Fort Edward without getting poured on.  We have a bimini top, but it did not give much protection from sideways rain, it really was bought to keep the sun off of us, which it did quite well.

Mechanicville Wall with Glory Be

After litsening to the weather reports for a bit longer we were joined by a couple coming down from Plattsburgh and talked with them.  After talking with them we decided we would just stay put for the rest of the day.  Throughout the day more boats came and by the end of the day the wall was full, not what I had expected.  We relaxed and did some work and played some cards.  It stormed later in the day and we lost power a few times, but it was not a big deal as we all had generators.

I eventually got talking with our neighbor who invited me aboard and he showed be maps and such of Lake Champlain particularly around Plattsburgh and Valcore Island.  It was nice to get ideas of good bays to achor in as I had done little research of good anchoring on the Lake.

The day somehow flew by and before we knew it, it was time for dinner, a movie and then bed.  I also took a look at the maps and hoped to make it to Fort Edward that next day, a less than average length day, but at about 55 miles, Whitehall was awefully far, and there is no great spot to stop in between the two.