Part 1. New York City to Lake Champlain
By: Duane Nealon
Many use Lake Champlain as an inland water route linking the St. Lawrence River with New York Harbor via a series of canals and rivers. Situated along the borders of New York and Vermont, Lake Champlain also offers excellent cruising grounds for sailors seeking uncluttered natural landscapes, quaint harbor towns, and secluded anchorages during the sailing season, which is usually from the end of May to the beginning of October. In 1998, Lake Champlain became the 6th Great Lake, with over 70 islands, measuring 120 miles long, 12 miles at its widest point, and 64 feet average depth (over 400 feet at its deepest).
New York City/East River and Hudson River scenes:
Lake Champlain is served by two canal systems, which many boaters use during their seasonal migration. The 60-mile Champlain Canal connects Lake Champlain with the Hudson River, and can be traversed in a single day; however, there is no need to rush, the two-day canal pass is affordable and provides plenty of time to lock through. The 363-mile Erie Canal joins the Champlain Canal at Lock #1 just north of the Troy Federal Lock. The Richelieu River/Chambly Canal connects Lake Champlain with the St. Lawrence River.
Upon entering the canal system, usually the lock operators cluster each group of boats between each lock by waiting for the last boat in each group before flooding the lock, so there is no need for sail boats to try to keep pace with the power boats. Remember to make provisions for suitable supports for the unstepped mast. Many times marinas that provide mast stepping have a stockpile of discarded mast crutches, which you may be able […]
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