The Lake Champlain Thread...

Last September we cruised down the Champlain Canal we had intended to stay at the Lock 12 Marina on the way down and the Whitehall Marina on the way back. We pulled into the service dock at the Lock 12 Marina and waited. I wandered all around the place for half an hour without finding anybody. Called across to the Whithall Marina for a slip. They were full up but let us stay at the service dock for the night. Nicest folks you would ever want to meet. There is a dock/wall just on the South side of Lock 12 that is provided by the city of Whitehall. Free dockage/power/water/etc.

I have never stayed at the Westport Marina but some friends were there last week on their way through and I heard no complaints.

Burlington is tough. There are a few transient slips and a few more transient moorings. You may be able to get a slip at the Burlington Community Boathouse http://www.enjoyburlington.com/Waterfront/DockSpace.cfm . I would recommend calling ahead. The closest full service marina is the Shelburne Shipyard http://www.shelburneshipyard.com/ just a few miles South. We keep Serenity in Shelburne Bay next to the shipyard.

Let me know if you need anything else...


See ya on the water,
Frank
 
Thanks for the info. Can you give me a sense of how long a trip to expect between Westport and Willsboro or Westport and Burlington? Thanks again!
 
I can do it in the Donzi in about... oh wait... nevermind. :wink:

Westport to Willsboro is about 23 NM and Westport to Burlington is about 21 NM. Depending on wind, weather and your attitude anywhere from 1 to 3 hours. No need to rush. The scenery is spectacular.


We'll leave the light on for ya,
Frank
 
Thanks again Frank. The plan was to cruise from Whitehall to Westport and then see how we're feeling. Any other suggestions other than Westport to hit after Whitehall? I'm not married to Westport but the distance seemed right. Just looking for great, peaceful marinas in scenic areas.
 
Last year on the way back we ran from Whitehall to Charlotte, VT (a bit north of Westport) and were settled into Kingsland Bay by early afternoon.

We spend most of our time on the hook so I don't have much first hand info on marinas. If you want to get a feel for Lake Champlain you should come a bit farther north than Westport though...

How much time ya got?


Frank
 
penbroke said:
If you want to get a feel for Lake Champlain you should come a bit farther north than Westport though...
Click to expand...

That's what I've been hearing. The problem with the roundtrip is returning takes as long as getting there. I'm already maxed out at almost a week going from home to Schuylerville to Whitehall to Westport and back. Maybe if I spend two nights in Westport I can day trip further north. I looked at the Westport Marina webcam this morning - it looks like I should expect to Rock & Roll a bit! The pooch makes marinas a must. Now, next year with a 340 and dink it will be a whole different story! :smt001
 
If you do spend two nights in Westport you could make a nice little loop up the east side of the lake past Burlington to the causeway across Malletts Bay. Then cut across to Plattsburgh for lunch at the Naked Turtle (they have wicked cold Red Stripe). Then head down the west side behind Valcor Island to Willsboro Bay, and continue on to Essex, NY and on back to Westport. That makes a nice loop which covers the biggest part of the broad lake with very little back tracking and should be an easy day. Not trying to plan your vacation, just a suggestion...

When are you leaving? The weather is looking good through the weekend at least.

We will be heading down your way in a couple of weeks. We are heading down the Hudson to the Erie Canal and on to Oneida Lake.


Frank
I'll PM you my cell in case ya get lost or somthin' while you're in my lake. :wink: :wink:
 
The Lake Champlain Trip was amazing! Seven days end to end. What I learned: Whitehall Marina is terrific - nice people, great restaurant. The Finch & Chubb accross the water was superb. Westport Marina is not well protected and we rocked & rolled quite a bit. Gas was $4.01 (3.32 at my marina). The cheapest gas on The Lake is Buoy 39 Marina. Willsboro Bay and the marina there were spectacular. Their restaurant rivals some of the best cuisine I've eaten in Manhattan. I will go back next year and stay for days. My 260 performed flawlessly. I will be buying a 340 this winter.

Thanks for all of the advice! :cool:
 
I was starting to wonder if you had decided to not go home. :grin: Glad you made it farther north than you had planned.

Where are you on the Hudson? We are heading down your way next week for an extended cruise on the Erie Canal. We are hoping to get to Oneida Lake at least. Got any tips?


See ya on the water,
Frank
 
penbroke said:
Where are you on the Hudson? We are heading down your way next week for an extended cruise on the Erie Canal. We are hoping to get to Oneida Lake at least. Got any tips?
Click to expand...

I'm further south in Greene County. I strongly recommend the NYS Canals Guide and Dozier's Waterway Guide (Great Lakes Edition). Well worth the investment - packed with info. I haven't done the Erie yet so I have nothing to offer from personal experience, but the folks at Lock 1 Marina just above C1 are terrific and it would be a great place to stay before you turn to the Erie in Waterford. I'll look forward to hearing about your experience.
 
We are hoping to get to Oneida Lake at least
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Penbroke,Thats our homeport,We are doing a Lake Champlain trip this summer on our honeymoon.:smt038
 
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WW...

I don't know how far north you're thinking about going, but Willsboro Bay was the highlight of my trip last summer (I didn't go further north than the turn into the bay). It is a stunning, protected bay on the west side of the lake, a bit south but almost directly across from Burlington. You pass the extremely cool Four Brothers islands on the way. Willsboro Bay Marina (http://www.wbm.us/) is a world-class marina which is extremely peaceful and essentially in the middle of nowhere. Despite their remote location, their restaurant has exceptional fine-dining in a relaxed atmosphere with an impressive wine list. I'm hoping to get back there next summer for several days instead of just one and I think it would be a great place to visit on your honeymoon. I don't know if you've done the whole canal, but I stayed at Whitehall Marina on both ends of my trip (http://www.whitehallmarina.net) on the north side of Lock 12, the final northern lock. It is an excellent facility with all the amenities and good people running the place. Lock 12 Marina is directly across and appears a bit more charming, but it got mixed reviews when I was doing my research and I was very happy with my choice to stay at WM. Lock 12 Marina’s restaurant, however (The Finch & Chubb), is outstanding. My only disappointment on The Lake was Westport Marina. It is a nice enough facility and had a nice, small town a walk away, but there was not adequate protection and I rocked and rolled all night - it was not pleasant (nor were the shower facilities imo). It also wasn't a necessary stop as I though it might be between Whitehall and Willsboro. Enjoy the planning and let me know if you have any further questions although Penbroke is the real expert.
 
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I’ll apologize in advance for hijacking your thread. I just returned from the annual Thanksgiving trip to Plattsburgh to spend the holiday with some of my wife’s relatives. They live near the Boat Basin (where the Naked Turtle is.) The last leg of the trip is always the ferry ride across the lake. What a beautiful area. Unfortunately, I’ve only been on Lake Champlain 2 or 3 times during the summer. One of these days, I’m going to drag my boat up there and let her drink some fresh water for a change. (Although I think you have bigger waves one the lake than I do here along the coast.)

If you see Champ, tell him I said Hi.
 
Red Stripe, Thanks for the infor. We never went north before.
fear.gif
.We mainly stayed on the canal between locks E24 and E11. Frank,I need all the help i can get . :smt001........ Thanks Wayne
 
Expert?? Me??? Not so much... I'll try to help out anyone that heads up this way though.

The "Cruising Guide to the Hudson River, Lake Champlain & the St. Lawrence River: The Waterway from New York City to Montreal & Quebec City" http://www.amazon.com/Cruising-Guid...=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196261084&sr=8-5 is a good source for information on Lake Champlain. I'm sure you must already have the canal system cruising guide.

We spent 3 weeks going to E22 and back on our "trip with no plan"last year. Doing it in 2 weeks will require moving right along if you want to spend much time on the lake. The concept of tying up at the lock wall or local town dock is non-existant here so you will have to choose between commercial marinas or on your own hook. Let me know what your schedule looks like and how far north you want to go and I'll see if I can't scare up some info for ya.


Frank
 
Here are a couple of Web Cams I use to check out the Lake remotely (since I don't live on it anymore (I'm 8 miles from it now)). It's fun to look at the Lake when you're at work...Does anyone know of any others? If so, put them in here please!

From WestPort, NY www.Shipstore.com The cams are down on the bottom right of the main page.

From Burlington, VT Boat House (Echo) http://www.echovermont.org/weather/echocam.html
They turn this one around from time to time, so sometimes you look at the walkway, sometimes at the lake.
 
Nice! I use the Westport Marina Service Dock Cam when I'm stuck inside during the summer.

Here's one I check now and again before I head out:

BURLINGTON_2.JPG
BURLINGTON_1.JPG


Looking West over Burlington Harbor from the top of the city towards New York. Updated every 15 min.


Frank
 
ah yes, I've seen that one before. http://www.hazecam.net/burlington.html
and of course, there's always the WCAX.com weather cam. But both of those are to far from the water to see what it's like for conditions.
 
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