BURLINGTON, VT – Day One

Friday, August 5, 2022

We covered 65 miles this morning in just over 4 hours – fast cruise all the way.  That sounds awfully slow for a car, I know, but it is quite respectable for a boat.  

It was cloudy this morning, with some drizzle, but the lake was like glass.  We don’t mind rain at all; we are warm and dry.  It’s the sea conditions that concern us, and they were perfect.

Once you leave Lock 12 behind, you are in Lake Champlain per se.  It starts out narrow for the first hour, often cutting between sheer cliffs, with water as deep as 400 feet!   Yikes!  Then it widens out as you continue north; here at Burlington the Lake is several miles wide, with beautiful mountains on the other side.

To the left of the bridge is a large monument erected to commemorate the tercentenary of Samual Champlain’s discovery of the Lake. It was designed as a lighthouse and includes a bronze of “La France” by Rodin, presented by the people of France.

One thing that is continuing to surprise us is how few boats we pass or see.  All the way up the Hudson; all the way through the Canal, and all the way up the Lake, I’ll bet we didn’t pass more than a dozen boats (coming or going)!

For those of you who haven’t been there, Burlington is a very HAPPENING town. The U of VT adds a youthful vibrancy; there is a gorgeous waterfront park directly adjacent to our marina; a 28-mile bike path along the lake where you take the world’s only bike ferry to cross an inlet.  There’s a FREE shuttle bus right from our marina, and at least one shopping street is closed to vehicles.  We are staying right in the heart of the harbor, at a marina called the Burlington Community Boathouse.

This afternoon was consumed by chores: the boat was filthy, and Lynn took the shuttle into town to buy groceries and supplies. “ Lynn here” – that was an adventure! Had a long list – Diet Coke, lunch stuff, persecco, light beer, snack stuff. Weighed in at about 40 lbs and no bus. After walking about 5 blocks, the same bus driver that took me to the grocery, picked me up and dropped me right at the entrance to the marina. The people in Burlington seem very nice – almost like the Midwest.

Because we are a little tired, we are going to dine right at the marina tonight, and explore the rest of Burlington tomorrow