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102 NM / 5 da

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glivs
Admiral

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USA
822 Posts

Initially Posted - 10/12/2014 : 05:47:01

Accompanying photo album: [url="https://www.catalina-capri-25s.net/cgi-local/MBR_gallery.cgi?Album+2073+205"]

[/url] <s>(I haven't worked out how to keep order of pics, however....Paul, help)</s>

Fall offers some of the year’s most spectacular sailing on Lake Champlain although the season is short as the weather deteriorates with each passing front and services begin to shut down as marinas prepare to close for winter by mid-October. Over the years Leslie and I have day or weekend sailed, but for various reasons never ventured farther than that timeframe from our home port, Malletts Bay. We waited anxiously this past September, therefore, for good weather to begin our first extended cruise aboard our C25, Great Escape. Our goal simply was to explore areas new to us. Not so secretly, however, I also wanted to retrace some of the events of importance in the early days of the American Revolution, particularly those surrounding the [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Valcour_Island"]Battle of Valcour Island[/url] October 11-13, 1776.

23 Sep – After a few delays due to high winds we finally head out on the heels of a cold front. Air temperature was in the low 50’s F, water temperature 62 F; winds were SSW at 10-15 kn, wave heights were 1-2 ft. We hanked on our 135 headsail and cast off, picking up speed as we approached the main lake. We navigated through the shallows either side of “The Cut”, the 60 yd. wide opening in the 19th century railroad causeway separating Malletts Bay from the “Broad Lake”, and turned due west on a beam reach. Near Valcour Island we turned south on a close haul, sailing over 8 NM on a single tack. What a ride! We saw only one other boat the entire day and post-trip review of our GPS track indicated we made 5.5-6.2 kn throughout most of that afternoon.

Upon reaching Willsboro Bay we dropped sail and motored in as winds were dead on our nose, we had less than two hours before sunset, and we still had 3.5 NM to go to reach our anchorage.

24 Sep - The following morning was bright and winds were calm but were predicted to increase to 5-10 kn and then diminish. A heavy fog was visible on the "Broad Lake" so we explored the cliffs along the western shoreline before hanking on our 150 and setting sail. We were making 4.5 kn on a broad reach when the dink submarined. Fortunately with the Admiral’s help (who found this very amusing) we were able to right and bail the dinghy. I then tied it as close to the stern as possible with the bow slightly elevated where it rode the remainder of our travels.

Winds were subsiding and would remain calm the remainder of our voyage so we motored south along the western shoreline. Near the end of the day, we crossed the lake to anchor along the lee shore of Converse Bay where we enjoyed a cockpit (solar) shower, a good meal, a beautiful sunset over the Adirondacks and a clear night sky.

25 Sep - Winds were near calm, skies clear and mid-day air temperatures were projected to be near 70 F. Early in the morning we rounded Thompsons Point, refueled and headed into the “South Lake”. Once serving as the boundary between French and British territories, the line defined by Split-Rock on the west and Thompsons Point on the east marks a dramatic change in the valley landscape. South of Split Rock the Adirondacks plunge in places 800-1000 ft. into the lake often continuing well over 100 ft. below the surface. Much of this area is within New York’s Adirondack Park and remains undeveloped. In contrast, broad flatlands border the lake along both shorelines north of Split Rock and development is often considerable. (Split Rock also marks the location where the British naval fleet again engaged the retreating American fleet following the initial battle at Valcour Island. One vessel was taken captive and Brig. General Arnold’s flagship, Congress, suffered extensive damage. )

By mid-day we were approaching the village of Westport. (At this point we were only 3 NM from where General Arnold scuttled his flagship and 7 NM from the fortifications at Crown Point, the scene of incredible drama in 1776. )

Because of schedules we turned back north to spend some time on shore, dropping anchor in Barn Rock Harbor, a small cove guarded by a 75 ft. granite bluff. A trail leading from the beach at the north end led to the top of the bluff offering spectacular views of the harbor and the open lake. Throughout our voyage we had seen only 1-2 boats per day on the lake. We were surprised this day, therefore, to be visited by two dragon boats manned by students apparently taking advantage of the calm winds to do a bit of exploring themselves.

26 Sep – We awoke to a fog so dense it was difficult to see the adjacent shoreline but by the time we finished breakfast and organized for the day, visibility had increased to several hundred yards and patches of blue sky were visible overhead. We had no sooner weighed anchor, however, when the fog returned. After assessing our options we continued north armed with an air-horn, our chart and our fish finder. We hugged the shoreline motoring along at about 2-3 kn as visibility allowed. As we approached the lighthouse at Split Rock, visibility increased rapidly although the fog remained heavy all around us.

The day’s adventures were far from over, however. Turning east to cross the lake to refuel the outboard violently shut down. A quick check of fuel and hoses did not reveal any problems. We eventually limped into the marina at idle speed and requested a mechanic to make a quick assessment. At fault was fouled plugs which we replaced with the spares on board. A more threatening discovery, however, was that the starter motor was near to falling apart, presumably loosened by the vibration in the engine. In all, the mechanic spent close to half an hour with us, checked the engine compression, put our motor back in running condition and talked us through various diagnostics. Total cost: “see you next year”. His professionalism and courtesy saved our voyage. We left a generous tip.

Without further incident we dropped anchor that evening in Shelburne Bay. Our anchorage was pleasant but so different from what we had experienced the previous nights. We had moved from perhaps the least populated area on the lake to one of the most populated and were now surrounded by city lights and urban sounds.

27 Sep –We motored inside the Burlington breakwater where we refueled and tied up to a transient dock while we walked into town for breakfast. Later we turned north successfully navigating through the ferry lane, around various shoals, and through The Cut into Malletts Bay. Along the way we encountered more boats than we had ever seen on the lake, many, no doubt, headed for winter storage. We arrived at our mooring as the sun approached the horizon, packed what we needed and headed home but thinking of future explorations. Great Escape had served us well.

Edited by - glivs on 10/12/2014 11:32:28

britinusa
Web Editor

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USA
5404 Posts

Response Posted - 10/12/2014 : 06:24:16

Gerry, Leslie,

Login to the Members Area.
Click on Manage my Albums
Click on the

to the right of the album you wish to sort.

The list of images in the album will be displayed.

You should be able to drag the images into the correct order by putting your mouse over the image title.

Then click on the 'Click to Save Sort Order' button which should appear above the list of images on the left.

Paul

Edited by - on

glivs
Admiral

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USA
822 Posts

Response Posted - 10/12/2014 : 11:30:57

Thanks Paul

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britinusa
Web Editor

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USA
5404 Posts

Response Posted - 10/12/2014 : 12:00:17

Very Nice, what a great place to sail!

From the paler grassed

Paul

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glivs
Admiral

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USA
822 Posts

Response Posted - 10/13/2014 : 16:06:18

Thanks Paul....we don't have the amenities or warm sandy beaches many on the forum have but we try to make up for it in scenery

Everyone is welcome to visit us.

Edited by - on

Jan Briede
Navigator

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USA
162 Posts

Response Posted - 10/22/2014 : 08:42:53

Nice, Gerry! Last time I visited VT I was really amazed about the lake and the great potential sailing it has. One of these days I need to come up, charter something and spend a day or two on the lake.

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