Lake Champlain 12

Friday 7-17-09

We had a pitch-in dinner last night around a campfire on Burton Island. (In between rain showers.) I think the mosquitoes viewed it as a great feast as well. Everyone brought a dish, and Herb on "Lady Jane" cooked some tasty chicken and burgers over a wood fire.

It was sad leaving our new Rosborough friends this morning, but our time has expired.

There were 16 boats that showed up (plus Pete "Sooner" who drove up to visit). The states represented included Vermont, New York, New Hampshire, Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Indiana, as well as Ontario, and Quebec.

Jan and Steve on "Jessie M." left about 6:30 am this morning, and we left an hour later. The forecast was for wind from the south with varying speed predictions--anywhere from 10 to 20 mph. Since we had to go south for about 70 miles, the difference between 10 and 20 is a huge one. When we first left Burton Island, it was blowing about 12. After we crossed the inland sea, and passed through The Gut (that's really what they call it--look it up on a chart) the wind died down some. The further we went, the calmer it got. The lake was actually very smooth most of the way. It was our best day on the water.

There lots of ferries on Lake Champlain. We tried to go between two on the trip today, but they closed the gap too quickly.

We arrived at Fort Ti about 2:00 pm. An hour after "Jessie M." It was an uneventful trip for both of us. We cruised the first half at 12 mph, and then slowed to 10 mph for the second half.

After we arrived, we went around the corner from the dock and looked at the fort from the water.

At the dock where we plan to spend the night, there was a bAss tournament going on. There was about 30 boats pulling out, and everyone was weighing fish in garbage bags. I imagine they'll be back before the sun comes up tomorrow.

Just to keep the streak intact, it rained today after we were tied to the dock. It rained EVERY day we were here. Never all day, but every day saw some showers. Don't want to sound too negative, because both Vermont and New York are beautiful states, with great people. We really enjoyed being here. Sorry to see it end.

T & P