Champlain Canal to Lake Champlain
May 27, 2025
Last entry was off on the date. After looking over the last post, we noted the picture of Brian’s barber was never posted. Here he is:
Also, we failed to mention going through the locks previous before landing in Schuylerville, that our thrusters malfunctioned. Lauren thought maybe she overused them while waiting to get into the locks. She has since learned to keep the boat basically in position by constantly using the throttle and shift; reverse, stop, wait, forward, stop, wait, etc. She has gotten pretty darn good at it and all without even looking at the levers. It does get a bit tricky if there is a current and especially if there are a number of boats also jockeying about waiting for a lock to open. At the end of our trip that day, Brian went through every cubby checking on wires, fuses and other electronics trying to figure out the issue. He even called the previous owner asking his thoughts. Bob was flummoxed. Brian finally found in the engine room the main fuses for the thrusters. Attached to one was a small red wire that had a ring that fit around the lug for the fuse. That wire was melted and part of the ring was fused to the bolt that was used to connect the large thruster wires to the fuse. Brian trimmed the wire back and put a new ring on the wire, reattached the ring to the fuse box. The small red wire also had its own separate fuse. After researching, it appears that the fuse that was in the box was too large. That’s probably why the wire overheated and melted. At least that his half-baked theory – lol. Brian installed a smaller fuse and presto chango, it works just fine now – yeah!! Lauren doesn’t want to over use or rely on the thrusters; the more she learns to handle the boat without them gives her the confidence going forward.
Yesterday we took a walk downtown and came upon Mike and Pam of Carolina Can sitting outside at a picnic table at the Kickstart Coffee Co. They invited us to join them and we had a wonderful time visiting. After our visit we walked about checking out businesses. Later in the evening, we invited Pam and Mike over for a tour of our boat and talked about living and traveling on a boat.
This morning after a hearty breakfast of oatmeal and fresh fruit, we walked to the local grocery store and provisioned. When we returned, we received news that the locks are finally open. Mike and Pam were getting ready to leave as they were on a tight schedule. We took a walk along the Champlain Canalway Trail to the next lock we will be going through. There were many turtles sunning themselves.
The trail is actually 7 miles long and part of the Empire State Trail. Brian was able to talk to the canal master regarding the first opening which is at 8 am and on-demand thereafter. Returning to the marina, we gave notice of our departure for first thing tomorrow morning. There will be a couple of other boats going with us. The staff here at the marina have been very pleasant and accommodating. We kept losing power, but Don, one of the marina’s staff went out of his way to help us. It still kept going off, so after Carolina Can left, we used the electric connection they had been hooked up to; no issues since. The Schuyler Basin Yacht Marina is fairly small. They have fuel and pump outs. There’s a restaurant on the property that always has a good turnout. The marina could definitely use some spiffing up; it is rather unkempt. We were fortunate to get dockage space after traveling for most of the day going through locks and appreciated the downtime. There are plenty of areas to walk about and a variety of restaurants to choose from.
We took a walk early evening and stopped at Amigos Cantina. Lauren’s fish tacos were excellent; tasty, plenty of fish and a bit of heat. Brian said his chicken quesadillas were ok. For dessert (which is a rarity when eating out) Lauren had a chocolate espresso crème brulee (YUM!!) and Brian had churros.
The boat is ready for shoving off tomorrow morning. Was excited that there were no boats behind us for when we have to leave; will make getting off the dock easier, but then as I’m writing this, I see a good-sized yacht coming down the way and backing in right behind us – darn! Brian is trying to placate me, saying I’ll have no issues getting out, but….
Met Anthony; he’s the captain of the boat that pulled in behind us and is delivering it for a client. He was telling us about a near miss with a sailboat that came up behind him and almost hit their boat – oops!
Brian reading: Finished Stay Close by Harlan Coben and started One Good Deed by David Baldacci Lauren: Still plugging away with A People’s History of the United States
May 28, 2025
After a sleepless night for Lauren; and it wasn’t even about getting off the dock without hitting the really nice yachts we were sandwiched between. She was trying to work out all night how to maneuver the boat if she was backing up; which way to turn the wheel which in turn affects the direction of the rudder which determines the direction the stern moves. She was obsessed with trying to figure it out and was not in the greatest mood in the morning. We left our dock at 7:30 without much ado; much easier than expected and headed north. We traversed at least six locks and had six other boats accompanying us. Got in and out of the locks with incident. The scenery was just beautiful and the Hudson River was tranquil. We think it also one of the first days in ages that we had sun all day. We traversed the Hudson River until it joined the Lake Champlain Canal. In Whitehall, we pulled over to a free dock (free for 48 hours); only one other boat on the dock wall. The other six boats continued on to the next lock which was basically right in front of us. We had enough for the day and were glad to stop. It was eight and a half hours of traveling; about five of that was actual traveling and the rest was waiting for or being in the locks. Next thing we knew the wall was taken up with other boaters also working their way north to Lake Champlain. Whitehall is known as the birthplace of the U.S. Navy. In 1776, Benedict Arnold built a fleet of ships in Whitehall and were used in the Revolutionary War. We took Heidi out for a walk and who should appear, but Pam and Mike from Carolina Can. They had left the Schulerville Marina the day before us. We were not expecting to see them at all as they were on a fairly tight schedule, but they had gone through the last lock and stopped at a Marina just on the other side. They were walking around with their dog, Teddy. We made plans to meet up for dinner at the restaurant at their marina. Brian and I took much needed showers (a hot and sticky day) and walked about a quarter mile to their marina. We had pub food; every once in a while, I think everyone craves grease, fat and salt – lol; as long as we never make it a habit. We recognized other boaters that we had traveled with today also having dinner at the pub.
May 29, 2025
About 8 am all but our boat and one other left to go through the last lock heading north. The other one lone boat moved off the wall heading south. While out with Heidi checking out the park area, we met Keith. He works here part time taking care of the grounds. We were disappointed as the museum wasn’t open and wasn’t going to open until June. Lauren grew up in Stillwater on the Hudson River; just north of Mechanicville and the few times we’ve been here with her parents, the museum has never been opened when we visited the area. After leaving Heidi on the boat, we took a more vigorous walk about town. It was a shame to see that so many businesses were closed and so, so many homes and buildings in derelict condition. There are some beautiful architectural details on a lot of these old buildings. Posting a picture of Skene Manor which is now a historic landmark. It was built in 1874 by Judge Joseph H. Potter of Whitehall. It’s a Victorian Gothic-style mansion constructed with sandstone from Skene Mountain. It was originally a private residence before being converted in 1946 to a restaurant. We have actually toured and had lunch there many years ago. The Manor is still open for tours and events, but the restaurant has been closed for years.
The Hudson Valley region has such a rich and diverse history starting with the arrival of indigenous peoples. The Hudson River was discovered by Henry Hudson in 1609. With the Dutch establishing themselves in the early 1600’s, the region quickly became a major trading hub. The Hudson Valley played a crucial role in the American Revolution. It was a strategic location for both the Continental Army and the British.
After the Revolution, the Hudson Valley saw economic growth and development. The completion of the Erie Canal was in 1825 thus opening up new trade routes and transforming the region’s economy. Eventually, industries such as shipping and manufacturing became prominent in the Valley.
May 30, 2025
Left the free dock in Whitehall at 8 am and were joined by two other trawlers and two sailboats and one kayaker as we entered our last lock for a while. While waiting for the lock to open, Lauren practiced her backing up skills and playing with the wheel to see how the boat would respond. She seemed comfortable with the maneuvers. When Lauren was holding the stern line while in the lock, something hit her in the foot. She looked down and saw a water chestnut. These seeds are 4 inches long and have barbs. They are an invasive species that were brought over in the mid-1800’s from Eurasia and form impenetrable floating beds and spiny seeds that cause painful wounds. The seeds are shaped like a caltrops used in medieval times as defenses to slow troop advances, especially horses. They inhabit shallow areas of ponds, lakes and slow-moving streams and rivers. Once rooted in these areas, water chestnuts can make it nearly impossible to get out onto the river from shorelines. Some towns use machines to cut through this vegetation. It forms dense mats on the water surface, reducing sunlight penetration and oxygen levels, which negatively impacts native plants and fish.
We took our time traveling, leaving the Champlain Canal which segued into Lake Champlain. It was sunny with few clouds and a beautiful ride. So much greenery; no signs of civilization for stretches; tranquil. We cut the day short as Lauren was starting feel a migraine coming on; she felt it was from the barometric pressure; the skies had darkened quite a bit with a low cloud coverage. We dropped anchor just passed Fort Ticonderoga; a designated anchorage. We had lunch and Lauren lay down for a bit. We had no plans to tour the Fort as we have both been there a few times. We are near the Fort Ticonderoga Ferry which is a seven-minute, daytime crossing between Ticonderoga, NY and Shoreham, VT. The ferry creates no wake and is quiet. The only noise we’ve heard thus far (besides the numerous geese) were the 30 or so motorcycles waiting to hitch a ride on the ferry. Tomorrow, we will inch further north and set anchor again. We have a reservation for a slip at the Burlington Community Boathouse Marina and also reserved a vehicle on June 9 so that we can head home for that week. So, there is no need for us to hurry; we’ll just putter along and enjoy the scenery.
May 31, 2025
Last night was so calm and quiet in the anchorage. Loved it!!! Lauren was starting to feel better, so after a light supper, we decided to try our hand at a new game for us – Uno. It took us a few rounds to get the hang of it.
May 31, 2025
Left our Ticonderoga anchorage about 9:30 am. It started raining last night and as of this moment (5:00pm) it hasn’t let up all day; it’s predicted to stop about midnight. We stopped traveling at 1:15 set anchor just outside of Otter Creek. We saw couple of die-hard fishermen out and about. The winds picked up and gusted a bit, kicking up some waves – nothing we were concerned about, though Heidi sensed the change when that happened and didn’t like it. Outside our boat are many cormorants and a couple families of Canada geese. Tomorrow we will motor up through Otter Creek to the town of Vergennes. We were told by Mike and Pam of Carolina Can it was a must stop. It will be a short trip and we will set anchor for a day or two and then hopefully be able to get on their free dock for a day; though the water depth may be too shallow for us. If not, we will be able to dinghy over and walk about the town. Brian read that there is a bakery in town – lol. After three or four days of anchoring, it will be a nice break to get off and take walks.
Brian reading: Redemption by David Baldacci Lauren: Still reading A Peoples History of the United States – going to be with this book for a while. Told Brian, that I could only read so much of it, before putting it aside – equated it to hearing tRump’s voice – overload
Hope all is well and stay safe out there.