Into the Champlain Canal - September 12, 2011

After two nights at Button Bay waiting for word about the Champlain Canal and when all the locks would be open, we departed on Sunday, September 11, 2011 heading south after learning that lock C-12 at Whitehall (the northern most lock at the south end of Lake Champlain) had opened for transit. Locks C-4 through C-1 (at the south end of the canal) remain closed. As the Notice To Mariners (NOTAMS) states it:

Mariners are advised that the Champlain Canal from Lock C-1 (Waterford) to Lock C-4 (Schagticoke/Hempstreet Park) remains closed due to high water levels until further notice.

The forecast included winds from the south gusting to 20 mph and with our full exposure to southerly winds in Button Bay, we wanted to find a place to anchor further south that would provide some protection. We identified a potential anchorage at Five Mile Point, but couldn't find any information about that location; nonetheless, we decided to give it a try after concluding that there weren't any other possible anchorages that provided protection from southerly winds. We left Button Bay at 1030, and at 1340 the anchor was down in about 9 feet of water just north of Five Mile Point on the west (New York) side of Lake Champlain. The wind subsided, never reaching 20 mph, and we spent a quiet night there.

This morning we departed Five Mile Point at 0735 in order to get the 30 miles to the start of the Champlain Canal around noon. Since the canal has some low bridges, we lowered the mast while underway and it now sits in a "crutch" on the back deck; with the mast down our "air draft" is a little less than 15 1/2 feet, so we will be able to clear all of the fixed bridges on the Champlain Canal. By 1200 we had exited lock C-12 at Whitehall and were in the Champlain Canal heading south. We stopped for the day at 1515 on the south west side of lock C-9, a nice, quiet spot in a park-like setting. We are the only boat on the long wall.

Weather tomorrow is forecast to be windy with the temperature in the high 70s. We have to do a little engine work to trouble-shoot an overheating issue that came up today, and then we'll move a little further south to lock C-7 and Fort Edward. A friend from Fort Edward, Fred Wehner (who has been helping a lot of boaters get through this area with all the flooding), drove up to see us tonight and to report that there should be plenty of room for us at the Fort Edward Yacht Basin.

Cruising to date: 477H50M - 2973.2 SM