Shelburne Shipyard finally splashed the boat on Friday afternoon, July 27th, and the boys came to spend the weekend exploring the lake with us.
The plan was to head up to the “Inland Sea” and spend the first night off one of the islands near Burton State Park on the hook. Unfortunately, after just having our navigation software upgraded, we noticed once underway that our depth finder wasn’t working. Since there’s a narrow cut (called “The Gut”) to go through to enter the Inland Sea, we scrapped that part of our trip. Too risky without knowing the depths, most especially since we just replaced our props!!
We returned to Shelburne Shipyard to see if they could figure out the problem, but the day ended before the problem was solved. So, we hung out there and grilled dinner on the boat. We had a beautiful night to watch the boats sail by with Mount Mansfield (Stowe Mountain) in the background. We enjoyed a traditional LeMoine family summer BBQ dinner of beef shish kabob, rice, veggies and corn…YUM!
A Beautiful evening in Shelburne Bay
On Saturday morning we went back to beautiful Valcour Island, where we were more familiar with the waters. This time we went to the east side of the island in Sloop Cove, which is just as beautiful as the anchorage the west side of the island we had previously stayed at Bluff Point.
Valcour Island
We had a picture perfect afternoon and went ashore to hike around the island a bit. Valcour Island is a state park, and there are a number of trails around the island to explore.
Exploring Valcour Island
We saw some pretty amazing rain storms in the distance. While we stayed dry, we did benefit from the show of dramatic clouds, the curtains of rain, and rainbow after the storm!
We spent the afternoon relaxing on board, and the boys had fun zipping around on the dinghy.
We woke up Sunday morning to no water. Our water pump has been problematic, but it now decided not to work AT ALL. So, we headed back to Shelburne Shipyard, as we would also need to have the depth finder situation resolved on Monday morning as well. Not the best end to the weekend, but it was a beautiful day on the water heading back. What I was forbidden to document was the sewing lesson that took place on the bridge while we were underway! Success….the boys can replace a button, should they need to!
Heading back to Shelburne Bay
After a lot of searching around the boat for transponders to determine the depth finder problem, it turned out to be a software problem resolved simply by doing a hard re-start. The water pump is miraculously working, and they can’t find anything wrong with it. Hmmm….for now, we’re leaving it alone, but treating it gently!
With our repairs made, we headed back to Burlington Ferry Dock, so we could get organized and provisioned for our trip back down the Hudson. I was only too happy to go to City Market in Burlington. This amazing store focuses on local, farm fresh products and has wonderful beef, produce, cheeses, prepared foods and made to order sandwiches. Everything is delicious, and how can’t you love a grocery store with such a beautiful garden?
City Market
Leaving Burlington and Lake Champlain is hard. We have had such a great time with our boys and Madison, and fell even more in love with the Lake. But before we leave, we had to have one more meal in Burlington, and met our boys at a favorite, Pizzaria Verita for dinner on our last night.
Pizzeria Verita
Pizzeria Verita is not your ordinary pizza place. They have unique combinations, fresh ingredients and incredible crust! While we were too full to enjoy dessert this visit, we have had their incredible home made cannolis, and rumor has it that their Nutella Pizza is delicious! A fun way to end our stay!
On Thursday, August 4, we started our journey south.
Heading down Lake Champlain
We went down to Ticonderoga Light, just south of the cable ferry near Larabees Point. It’s a lovely spot, and you can hear (but not see) Fort Ticonderoga. We heard a few cannon shots, drums and bugles after we settled in. There is a boat ramp near the ferry dock, and you can walk up to the Fort, which is only a mile away.
Ft. Tioconderoga anchorage
After a beautiful, relaxing evening, we got up early the morning of the 3rd and continued south toward the canal. Mechanicville, NY free wall, here we come!
