Orwell, VT

On the first day of July while Jonny took Archie on shore for a walk, Archie took off chasing who knows what and didn’t return when called. Of course, eventually he returned and Jonny returned to Zendo quite upset with our little dog. We left shortly after that for the quick 30 minute trip back to Chipman Point Marina. 

Jonny spent a good part of the day identifying the source of our propane leak to no avail. I managed to use our electric hot plate to prepare macaroni salad as our contribution to the the pot luck supper that the marina was sponsoring that evening.  It was a nice event as they had a guitarist and a fiddler  playing lots of songs from our era.  We sat with two John’s - one of whom we had met at the dock in Whitehall. His friend, John, had joined him for part of his cruise.

Later that evening, Chip, the owner of the marina set off a surprisingly extensive fireworks show from a barge on the lake. It lasted over 30 minutes and was really impressive especially since his right hand man was not available to help him.  Of course we had a ringside seat from Zendo.

The next day we went for a long walk in the surrounding countryside with Archie. He was particularly interested in some cows but they couldn’t have cared less about him!

Back at Zendo Jonny kept fussing with the propane problem and finally Chip, the owner of the marina, came to look at it. He confirmed that the regulator needed to be replaced but we wouldn’t be able to get one until after July 4.  In the meantime, I took the marina’s loaner car and drove into the tiny and charming town of Orwell (population 1,235) to go to the post office and get some groceries.

The grocery store was closed but there was a wonderful farm stand that had beautiful vegetables and I stocked up on tomatoes, strawberries, green beans, onions, potatoes and even yogurt! Jonny had called to say that the two Johns wanted to have dinner together.  I was excited to get the last strawberry rhubarb pie at the stand so we would have a delicious dessert!  I stopped at a little convenience store on the way back to get a few more staples. 

The countryside around Orwell is just beautiful with rolling hills and beautiful farmland. It was a pleasure to drive through the winding roads and see beautiful vistas at every turn.

That evening we were going to share dinner with the two Johns at a picnic table but it started to sprinkle so we changed plans and ate on our aft deck.  For a spur of the moment meal, we had quite a nice feast with flank steak, macaroni salad, fresh green bean salad and of course, pie for dessert!  It was a pleasant and relaxing evening.

We thought we might anchor off of Ticonderoga on July 4 to watch the fireworks there. As we headed out around 4 p.m. the sky up ahead became increasingly dark and we saw lightening in the distance.  After consulting the radar on our weather apps, it looked as if the storm might cause the fireworks to be cancelled, so we made an executive decision and headed back to Chipman Point and returned to our dock..

Jonny made a nice salad with the leftover flank steak and as we ate dinner it appeared that the rain was never going to come.  He was still determined to check out the fireworks even though we don’t usually travel in the dark. Despite my weak protests, he took off on the dinghy armed with a phone and flashlight to see what there was to see. Archie wistfully watched him go and anxiously awaited his return while I hunkered down for the evening.

About an hour later he returned only to report that while there were fireworks, they weren’t at the fort but further away in the town of Ticonderoga. Therefore they weren’t nearly as dramatic as the ones we saw at Chipman’s two nights earlier. We didn’t miss anything and he got to make his evening dinghy ride.

On Wednesday Jonny got a ride into town with Chip’s mother to buy the regulator we need to fix the propane system while I did laundry. This marina only charges a dollar for a load of laundry and that includes the dryer. I did three loads while here! Note the high water marks on the steps from previous storms!

Jonny, in the meantime, was able to get a temporary regulator for the propane system and spent quite a bit of time installing it in the smallest possible space under the upper helm.  If he was even five pounds heavier I don’t think he would have been able to reach in to install it.  

We enjoyed our last afternoon in Orwell working on our presentation for the upcoming MTOA Rendezvous.  The highlight of the afternoon was a visit from Michael Goldfield, my friend since junior high school. He travels almost daily between his home in Dorset and Burlington and we always see him and Melina when we are in Vermont or in Maine where they also own a home. We’ll see more of them when we return from the Rendezvous. 

That evening we had another lovely walk in the area around the marina.  The nearby farm had chickens and most surprisingly, two peacocks and a peahen! We didn’t know that they existed in this part of the country.  They are actually considered neighborhood pests in Miami!

After nearly a week here at Chipman’s we will be leaving the next morning bound for Port Henry, NY - a new destination for us. We’ve really enjoyed being in this gorgeous and laid-back country setting!

East Creek Anchorage

On Friday, June 30 we took our time getting ready for our very short cruise. While Jonny walked Archie, I vacuumed using the new vacuum cleaner we bought at the beginning of the trip. This has been a great improvement over using our wet vac which required me to vacuum Zendo on my hands and knees for the last eight years. I can’t believe we didn’t spring for this sooner!  Our plan for the day was to anchor overnight near Fort Ticonderoga. We had been invited to come back to Chipman Point Marina the next day for a pot luck supper and fireworks but we weren’t sure if we would be able to get a slip so we were going to play it by ear. 

Before leaving we stopped for a pump-out and ate lunch on board finally leaving Chipman Point at 1 p.m.  Thirty minutes later we  arrived at a beautiful isolated anchorage on East Creek just northeast of Mount Independence.  Mount Independence got its name in 1776 from Ethan Allen’s Green Mountain Boys who were camped there, across from Fort Ticonderoga, when they heard the news about the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Jonny wanted to mark our anchor rode so we worked together to measure and mark it in 25 foot lengths using some spray paint.  We then did some of our respective tasks - Jonny working out payment issues for his mom’s facility while I did my Spanish homework.  Stephanie called to tell us how bad the smoke was in Philly from the Canadian wildfires and we noticed how the skies around us were getting more and more hazy as the afternoon wore on. 

The day was also heating up so Jonny decided to take a swim off the stern of the boat.  The top layer of water was quite pleasant but it was very cold beneath the surface so he didn’t stay in for long! Archie was tempted to join him but he decided otherwise.

Later we climbed in the dinghy to take Archie on shore. We thought we might find a place to tie up near a trail but most of the places we passed didn’t look very accommodating.

The only place that looked easy was a boat dock by the grounds of  Fort Ticonderoga. Unfortunately there was a sign that said Do Not Enter but since it was after 5 p.m. and no one was around we ignored the sign and tied up.  We climbed over the chain blocking the path and walked up to the beautiful grounds surrounding the fort. Archie was in heaven running through the grassy lawns. What a gorgeous setting! We had visited the fort during a previous trip so we were happy to just walk through the lawns and enjoy the scenery.

Afterward we returned to Zendo and I started cooking dinner. Midway through cooking, the propane ran out on our stove. Yet another challenge!  Jonny had refilled the propane tank, which usually lasts the whole season, before we left Delaware City. Apparently we’ve had a leak.  So we finished cooking dinner using our grill and an electric burner that we fortunately had on board.  A new item has moved up on the priority list!

So now it was definite that we would be returning to Chipman Point the next day so we can attend the pot luck dinner, see the fireworks, AND get this propane problem resolved!

Orwell, VT

After Jonny went for a long walk with Archie on Thursday, June 29 we went to have breakfast at Historic Grounds, the cute coffee shop just across the park from where we were docked in Whitehall. We had a  hearty and delicious breakfast in the converted bank/city hall building before we took off for the day’s cruise on Thursday, June 29.

We left the town dock by 9:20 bound for Chipman Point Marina in Orwell, VT. It was an overcast day as we entered the last lock on the way to Lake Champlain.  The scenery along this stretch is just beautiful. This part of the lake is more like a sinuous river curving through the verdant countryside with rolling mountains in the distance.

We arrived at the Chipman Point marina which is located on a point of land jutting into the lake.  It consists of two tall 19th century stone buildings that had been used as warehouses.  We had stayed here a couple of times before and we were looking forward to returning.

After a somewhat haphazard docking experience we headed up to the “office” to get the lay of the land.  The owners are very laid back and have a “help yourself and put your payment in the cup” set-up for the various items for sale - coffee, muffins, ice cream, tee shirts, etc. The buildings are very interesting because they are so old. They are maintained well and have lots of charm and interest. Especially nice were the bathroom, shower and laundry facilities on the second floor which are reached by climbing a steep narrow staircase.

We took walks around the area with Archie but the village of Orwell was too far to walk to. To go anywhere from the marina you have to walk up a very steep hill so we just ambled around the immediate vicinity.

That afternoon Jonny did some of the never-ending boat chores and repairs while I worked on the blog challenged by the spotty internet access (or maybe it was user error). All in all, it was a very relaxing stay.  We are definitely following a slower pace on this trip - shorter cruises and less hectic days both of which we are quite enjoying.

That evening we transformed some of our leftover meatloaf into a pseudo bolognese sauce which we had with pasta and salad. It was quite delicious!  Our next “big” decision is where we want to be docked or anchored to get a good view of July 4th fireworks. What a life!

Whitehall, NY

Things didn’t start out so well on Wednesday, June 23, our last morning in Port Edward.  While Jonny took Archie for a walk and I was washing my hair, the water ran out. I called Jonny, who fortunately had his phone with him, and he rushed back. He tried to short circuit the situation by tying us to the shore water but the bilge started to fill with water so we obviously had a leak in the system. We clearly had a problem but it would have to wait until we reached a marina to address it.  So Jonny dutifully ran up to the market and brought back two gallons of water to tide us over.

After that we took off for Whitehall on a very overcast but mild day. We had occasional bits of rain but only once were we forced to go below and that was just for a few minutes.

We went through locks 7, 8, 9 and 11.  Lock 10 had been decommissioned as it was no longer deemed to be necessary. 

We arrived at Whitehall by 12:55 and tied up on yet another free town dock. We had visited this village on the New York side of the canal previously as it is in a strategic location just before the last lock to the lake. We tied up behind the only other boat there, another trawler. Archie was ecstatic because we were level with the grassy park and we could put him on a long lead attached to Zendo.

Whitehall is a very historical place. It was founded in 1759 and is famous for being the birthplace of the US Navy because  General Philip Schuyler had built a small fleet of ships here that was used by Benedict Arnold in the Battle of (nearby) Valcour Island. The remnants of the Ticonderoga are housed in a shed by the waterfront.

Once we settled in the first thing Jonny did was to go down in the bilge to see if he could repair the water problem.  Fortunately, he found the break in the hose connection quickly and was able to repair it. Hooray - our water problem was over! He quickly refilled the tanks and we are back in business.

We then spent some time working on the MTOA website redesign and reading. Later on we went for a long walk through town. Unfortunately, the village has seen better days. Little had changed since we were here last with many of the storefronts on the main drag closed. Some of those that were still open were of questionable character (in our opinion). Nearby homes were not as well maintained as in many of the other small towns we visited. It’s sad to see a place of such historic significance unable to continue to sustain itself as it once had. 

The one saving grace was a very attractive coffee shop called Historic Grounds that was still open. It had once been the town hall and is still a venerable space.  We had a hearty breakfast there on the morning that we departed. 

That evening we had another quiet night onboard.  We’ll be heading to Chipman Point Marina next where we have some packages waiting for our arrival.