August 7 – Tuesday
It was our wedding anniversary.
It was also very foggy at 05:45 and not much better by 07:00, the time we had planned to depart. In aviation parlance it was maybe 500 & ½ mile at the dock. No worries mate – with radar, GPS and chart plotter and a certainty of improvement in an hour or so, we headed out at 07:15. Ten minutes from the dock it looked more like 200 & ¼ mile. Boating is a two dimensional activity so all we had to do was stay away from the edges, and it was a pretty big lake. So, on we went. As we glided south on the still water we startled a number of birds (who must have thought the WX was too bad for flying) and about an hour and a half later, as we reached Chimney Point where the lake narrows to be more like a river, the fog started to clear and we could easily see both shores. To celebrate, we had more coffee and the left over sweet rolls Polly had baked the day before.
The lower portion of Lake Champlain is like a river, deep, winding and not wide. It is also very beautiful with much of the shore line undeveloped and wild. At some places the shore was shear rock cliffs with high mountains in the background. On this day there were hardly any other signs of life on or off the water. The farther south we got the waterway had large areas of grass and water lilies spread out for acres and acres, and most of the shore-side sites were very basic cottages and even rough shacks. Some were just improved sites where we imagined people come to fish and picnic for the day – nothing fancy or elaborate at all. It remained that way right to Whitehall, NY where the first lock is located for the Champlain Canal. We ranked this stretch of water and shore line to be second only to the Rideau in terms of beauty and interesting shore line.
We arrived at Whitehall and were through lock #12 about 1:30 and soon tied to the municipal wall, which is quite nice, with electric and water and is FREE. Very near to the wall is a small museum which includes an outdoor display of the remains of the USS Ticonderoga. Whitehall is known as the birthplace of the United States Navy. It is also a town with very little economic life in it, but still, a nice place for boaters to stop and enjoy.
As we approached lock 12 we saw a restaurant that was suggested to us by some boaters we met in Westport – they gave it high praise. We called for a reservation at the Finch & Chubb and had a nice anniversary dinner. The food was good and service attentive. The place, situated on a high bank overlooking the marina it is associated with, is in an old building and is decorated with a variety of antique things from the area – nice but not formal. As we were ordering our dinner, Polly noticed that a couple, who were aboard a boat (Zimmerman 36) we had seen in Westport, had sat down near us. We went to their table to say hello and they invited us to visit aboard “Karina” after dinner. Nancy and Jack are from Marion, MA and had cruised up to Lake Champlain and were now headed south, like us. We had a very pleasant visit and learned they were long time sail boat owners but like most trawler cruisers, opted for more convenience and comfort. They chose the Zimmerman because it is a low style vessel (no bridge deck) which allows them to have it trucked to Florida where they spend their winters.
The threat of storms sent Polly and I walking back to our boat and turned in for another peaceful night on the water. This day had been very different than the day we were married.