WEEK 11 - Waterford, NY to Burlington, VT

After spending a couple of relaxing days in Waterford, we started out up the Champlain Canal and its 11 locks to the lake, with stops in Mechanicville (free dock), Fort Edward (free dock), Whitehall (free dock), Crown Point (anchor), and Burlington (marina). 

At Waterford, we parted company with most of the great loop fleet. About 80% of all the loopers take the Erie Canal to Lake Ontario at Oswego and cross the lake to the Tent-Severn waterway on the Canadian side. Only about 20% go the way we are going, Lake Champlain to the St. Lawrence to Montreal and then to Ottawa and down the Rideau Canal to Lake Ontario and the Trent-Severn. The way we are going is quite a bit longer, but way cooler.

The decision point!

                                                                     

In Waterford, we stayed 3 days on the free dock there and took a little side trip to Cohoes Falls on the Mohawk River. It looks a bit like a 1/3 scale model of Niagara Falls and is only a couple miles from Waterford. The free docks up here are a great concept….the towns along the way take their canal and lock walls and improve them with parks and sometimes even electric and water and let passing boats stay for free. In return they get their economies stimulated – we spent $200 at the local grocery in Waterford and an equivalent amount on Ubers, taxis, and eating out. Before heading out we took in the beauty of Peebles Island where we spotted some deer while hiking. 

Cohoe Falls

Cohoe Falls

Cohoe Falls

Peebles Island

Some of the wildlife at Peebles Island

Peebles Island

After sending our crew Bob and Nancy off to the airport in Albany, we started up the Champlain route. We picked up a new buddy boat to cruise with, Janice and Steve on Nomadic Spirit. The first days run was short one, 2 locks and maybe 10 miles to Mechanicville, where we stayed at a free dock with electric. We were the only vessel in the locks to Champlain on this day which was a far cry from the amount of boats going through on the first lock opening to the Erie Canal.

Lock 1, Champlain

Definitely the road less traveled

First lock opening to the Erie Canal

The next day was about 30 miles and 5 locks to Fort Edward and another great free dock with electric. It was a cool and drizzly day, so it was nice to be plugged in to have hot water and TV. The next morning was a couple more locks to get to Whitehall. At lock 9, we reached the highest altitude on the Champlain Canal, about 140 feet above sea level. The last two locks in the system take us back down to the level of Lake Champlain (95' above sea level). Whitehall is famous as the birthplace of the US Navy, where the first warships were built to challenge the British for possession of Lake Champlain in the Revolutionary War.

Nomadic Spirit

Not a glamorous part of cruising but a necessity.
You meet the most interesting local characters... 

Entering the Adirondacks

 The next morning, we locked through lock 12, the last lock in the system, where the wind gave me fits and I provided some free entertainment to the lock operators as I tried to swing my stern against the wind to catch the stern line. A busy couple of minutes, but no harm no foul. The next 30 miles or so we were technically in Lake Champlain, but it was a very narrow part that seemed more like a river. We passed Fort Ticonderoga, another famous Revolutionary War site, and then stopped at Crown Point for the night, right where the lake starts to get wide and look like a real lake. There are TWO more forts here, one French and one British. For such a pretty area, it sure has a long history of blood and conflict.

The Lake Champlain Bridge where the lake opens up

View from the anchorage

Crown Point Historic Site

Short climb to the top of the Champlain Memorial lighthouse

View of BellaGatto at anchor from the top of the lighthouse

Finally, it was hey for Burlington, about 35 miles north, where we checked in to a marina for 3 nights. This will be our major re-provisioning site to get stocked up for the two months we will spend in Canada, and also where we will pick up another able crew, MaryKaye, who will stay with us to the St. Lawrence River at Sorel, Quebec.