Cruising Lake Champlain, real time!

[Slim]

So, as it goes the tables always turn. I broke out the oars and, sweat dripping down onto the handles, made my way Southwest out of Burlington Bay hoping to round Shelburne point, and maybe catch some better wind. Progress was slow and the lake seemed so vast. A large yacht approaching from astern pulled up and offered me a tow. Who was I to refuse? He threw me a line, and under Beneteau power alone I made my way at 5 kn towards Shelburne point. The gals on the friendship sloop passed by, motor sailing, and I had a hard time making myself look good with luffing sails at five knots in tow...

[Slim]

But as luck would have it, after getting dropped off by the Beneteau, the winds did indeed pick up and veer around. I crossed paths with some fellas getting the sails up on their XX22 for the first time in three years. I jumped off the stern again and experimented with mermaid steering. I lay on the seat, my head to the stern, and watched the wing and wing sails find the wind. By and by, came around Quaker Smith Point just as the sun was touching the Adirondaks. A funny wisp of wind scooted me into the cove close-hauled and then tucked me into a deep pocket over a ledgy bottom 3 or 4 feet deep. Orange marmalade and PB on a tortilla for supper!

[Slim]

Quiet night’s sleep and a long walk on a flat pebbled beach this morning. The wind seemed extra fresh in the treetops and it looked like whitecaps out on the lake. The oppressive heat and haze had cleared off overnight and I took my time getting ready to go, the wind being from the north as predicted.
The beach being well protected, I set my main with a reef, raised the jib and set off. Little did I expect the sleigh ride that lay ahead. As soon as I left the protection of the cove, the wind showed its teeth and I was tossed by huge rollers tumbling out of the north. Luckily, everything was lashed down tight, and I had nothing to do but keep a firm grip on the tiller! White water rolled off the sides of the boat, and the waves came on my stern quarter. I pushed the tiller this way and that, trying to maintain a broad reach while I alternately surfed and wallowed in the waves. Occasional sets came by that must have been 4 or 5 feet. A wave would drop out beneath me when I started a surf, only to leave me wallowing in a trough, the next wave shoving my bow into the back of the one ahead. But Sharky did admirably and always went where I pointed her. The gps routinely showed 7-8 knots on surfs and even hit 9+ a few times!
Great excitement but I never quite lost the feeling that I was treading a thin line... so after less than two hours of sailing and 8 miles covered, I jibed into the lee of Thompson’s Point and here I float beneath idyllic summer homes, reading of seagoing adventures in faraway lands and hoping for the wind to abate a bit before heading out again.

[tomodda]

Discretion is the better part of valour....

But glad you had a good ride!

[Slim]

A nap, a swim, some food. A couple hours rest.
Miles to go, and the breeze still fresh, so I lashed the jib to the foredeck and set out under single reefed main alone. Out on the lake the downhill ride continued, the waves somewhat mellowed as I came into the lee of Splitrock Point. But the lake rolled by beneath me and before I knew it I was passing the mouth of Snake Den Harbor, the site of my first night’s anchorage. I was able to appreciate the lofty heights of the Palisades, to the south, this time in daylight.
Just past the Palisades, I rounded the massive granite bluff which guards the entrance to Barn Rock Harbor and beached at the mouth of a small stream. A couple of hours exploring the wild shoreline here. Craggy coves and great bluff vistas!
Enough time left in the day to overshoot my takeout destination at Arnold bay and put myself in a position to ride tomorrow’s south winds home. Looks like Cole island on the New York side could be an ideal anchorage, so I push off and am soon surfing south again.
Stealing glances at the fluttering chart beside me, and squinting at the distant sunbathed shoreline ahead, I make out the point that hides Cole island and keep Sharky’s bow headed that way. Gusts come and go. Waves lift us and push along with a noticeable surge in momentum. Barn Rock recedes into the haze to the north. We are now approaching the point of land and pass a small cove to starboard. As we come around the point expecting to see a small wild island, there is only...more summer houses. I grab for the phone and gps confirms that we have overshot Cole Island by a couple of miles! All that’s here is a shallow dent in an otherwise unprotected shoreline... Looking back upwind I know there’s no way I could possibly battle my way back to Cole island, but I pull in the sheets and head into the wind to see if I can at least make it back to the cove I had just passed. A half hour of cramped hand sheet clutching, butt gouging coaming sitting, new jib flapping, and I manage to tack back to this shallow sandy bay and drop anchor. Cole Island can wait till tomorrow.

View from atop Barn Rock.

[Slim]

My anchorage turned out to be a very nice spot, private and peaceful except for a nearby road hidden by trees. Next morning I was up early to get out on the lake, this being my last day, and hoping to pull the boat out by midday. Had a nice cruise under building southeast winds, with hot coffee in hand, back north to check out Cole Island. There were a couple cruising sailboats anchored there that must have retreated from yesterday’s heavy north wind. That should have tipped me off as I sped by yesterday! One one of them turned out to be the same couple that had given me a lift out of Burlington Bay two days earlier! Cole Island looked a little too small and rocky to bother landing on, so I kept north along the coast. The wind continuing to build, I hove to, secured all my breakfast gear, and tied a reef in the main. Then we were bounding off across the lake again, Arnold Bay and the boat ramp coming into view. Stalling for time, I tried a few tacks back to windward in some more confidence inspiring winds than yesterday, and landed on Rock Island, which has a small gravel spit in it’s lee. A good place to take stock, organize gear, and mentally prepare for a return to reality!

[Slim]

Rock island, my last landfall before takeout.
Killing time here on the island, I had the chance to review the chart and measure out my route with dividers.
It looks like this:
Day 1 Arnold Bay to Snake Den Harbor 6 nm
Day 2 to Boquet River via Essex 11 nm
Day 3 to Quaker Smith Point via Burlington 16 nm
Day 4 to Stevenson Bay via Barn Rock 20 nm
Day 5 back to Arnold Bay 5nm

58 miles total!

Ok, now off to the ramp...

[ArchSail]

Thanks again, Slim. This was a fun read and enjoyed the pictures.

Forum reading is still where it is at. Kids today don’t know what they’re missing with all of their Tik Tubing.

[Anstigmat]

Can you diagram out your bilge bump set up? Looks pretty ingenious and I'm looking for a way to dry out my DS1 more efficiently. She sits on a Mooring all summer and even with a new boom tent, water accumulation after rainfall can be an issue.