Day 7
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.