Hawkins Bay, Lake Champlain

After Zendo spent three weeks in Burlington it was time for us to move on. So on Sunday, June 23 we headed out. But first we dinghied one last time into town to pick up a few groceries and stroll around a bit. Lots of people were in the parks on a lovely day. Children were playing in the fountain while a classical band performed for listeners sitting on their lawn chairs. Such a perfect Sunday morning!

We pulled away from our mooring in the late morning and headed over to fill our water tanks and empty our waste tank. By noon we were heading out onto the lake for a short cruise to an new anchorage.  The water in Lake Champlain is very deep as can be seen on our depth guage!

The Captain and Archie decided to take a quick snooze on the calm seas.

Our initial plan was to stay in the well-protected and popular Kingsland Bay about two hours away. As we entered the deep bay we noted that a lot of other boats had the same idea as us. We cruised around a little before we found a place to drop the hook. It was a very nice spot in front of the most gorgeous house I’ve seen on this trip and near a small beach where a lot of kids were swimming.

However, Jonny was unable to get the anchor to stick and I felt that we might want to be in a more secluded anchorage which we generally prefer.  So we moved a bit further north to Hawkins Bay. This bay was wider and not deep like Kingsland but it was still fairly well protected. And there was only one other boat there. This was the place for us.

After a while we took Archie for a ride on the dinghy to explore places where we might take him to shore.  We passed one place in the woods with a ladder that led to a trail but continued to explore all the way back to Kingsland Bay. Unfortunately most of the areas that seemed suitable had posted signs saying no dogs allowed.  After asking a helpful local who was out rowing, he pointed us to a small beach area that was more relaxed with their rules so we beached the dinghy and walked around a bit amidst acres of lovely green meadows. We also discovered the other end of the property with my favorite house on it. It was a huge piece of land with several outbuildings and barns and many no trespassing signs!  

Riding back to Zendo, we passed the most dramatic rock formations.

Archie has taken to excitedly bark as we approach Zendo. He definitely knows it is home!

That evening Jonny made a delicious dinner with all of our leftovers. Believe it or not the melange of leftover pork, broccoli, French fries and eggs was a winner.  We had a relaxing evening watching 60 Minutes and the latest episode of Outlander.

We were very pleased with our anchorage in this peaceful bay with the Adirondack Mountains in the distance. Watching the light and the colors of the sky change with the waning light was quite beautiful! 

Burlington, VT

When we woke up on Saturday, July 9, Zendo was covered with bugs - hundreds of mayflies. What a mess! We had to use the wet vac to get rid of them but as it turned out they were here for much of our Lake Champlain stay. Afterwards, we took Archie for a walk on the nearby beach where he had a blast wading in the shallow water and fetching sticks.

We took off for Burlington by 10:40 on a lovely day and arrived by1:00 after stopping for a significant refueling. We decided to stay at the Burlington Boathouse Marina for one night so we could prepare for our 10 day road trip but we’ll move her to a mooring while we’re away. Next to the marina is a beautiful boardwalk. We wish Miami took such care with its waterfront making it available for everyone to enjoy.

Our plan was to drive to Greenport, New York to attend an MTOA Rendezvous then head over to Philly for a doctor’s appointment for Jonny and finally to drive back to Burlington. That evening, we thought we would go into Burlington for dinner but it poured rain so we decided to stay in. 

The next day we got up very early and moved Zendo to a mooring, then got a private launch to shore and an Uber to the airport where we picked up our rental car.  The rain had been so intense that Vermont experienced terrible flooding and parts of the highway we were planning to take was closed. Fortunately, the highway opened up as we started our drive but the flooding we saw along the route was significant. 

We drove to New London where we met our friends Liz and Steve Kemper with whom we were sharing an Air B and B in Greenport on Long Island. But first we had an important task to accomplish. We had to pick up Stephanie and Ryan’s wedding rings from Mallove’s, Jonny’s cousin Jimmy’s jewelry store. So exciting! The rings are beautiful!!

We then met Liz and Steve at our favorite seafood stand - Captain Scott’s where we had lobster rolls, fried clams, and steamers - all our favorites! 

After stopping for ice cream at another favorite, Michael’s Dairy, we took the car ferry to Orient Point then drove to Greenport.

We had a very nice Air B and B right in the center of this cute town. This is a photo of the train station there.

The MTOA Rendezvous was very enjoyable. Jonny and I presented a workshop on the Down East Circle Loop cruise we took the first year we started cruising.  It was fun catching up with MTOA friends and meeting new ones. Some of the social activities included visiting two wineries, riding an antique carousel and an evening of contra dancing!

Archie was very well-behaved during the entire event!

On Saturday when the Rendezvous ended we headed to Philly for a few days. Of course, Stephanie and Ryan were thrilled with their rings. That afternoon the four of us headed to an engagement party hosted by Michael and Christina Bracken for their daughter Sophie and her fiancé Jason who just moved to Media, a lovely town outside of Philly. Stephanie and Sophie first met at their day care in Miami and we’ve been friends with the family ever since.

We had a fun couple of days with Stephanie and Ryan which included eating at one of their favorite restaurants and trying a new one as well.

Our visit corresponded with Jonny performing another of his acts of love by installing a new ceiling fan in their bedroom.

And of course, Archie and their Corgi puppy Eloise had a fabulous time alternating between wrestling their hearts out and then collapsing for hours.



We stayed through Monday because Jonny had a follow up appointment with the retina specialist which went well and we left for Burlington on Tuesday morning. Once again, it rained like crazy for much of the 7 hour trip but we made it back safely.  That evening we met the two Johns who we had dined with at Chipman’s Point and we got together for a delicious pizza dinner at a restaurant in Burlington called American Flatbread.

After all those hectic days we decided to hang out in Burlington for a few days which was quite lovely.  One afternoon we rented e-bikes and rode along a 10 mile coastal path to beautiful Mallet’s Bay.

We cooked on board a few nights but ended up eating on the foredeck to avoid the ever constant mayflies which seem to prefer our aft deck.

A couple of days later we met Ryan’s dad and uncle for breakfast at another cool restaurant called The Friendly Toast. They were in town for a beer festival. They were supposed to ride their Harleys but the rain interfered and they drove their cars instead.

Because we had had such a big breakfast we skipped lunch but started to get hungry by mid afternoon so we decided to have a very early dinner at a French restaurant called Leunig’s that had an excellent fixed price early bird special. There was still a chance of rain so we sat outside under a canopy and yes, it rained once again.

Later that evening the rain resulted in this gorgeous double rainbow. The photo doesn’t do it justice.

On our last day in Burlington, we had beautiful weather and went into town to their farmer’s market which disappointingly had absolutely no vegetable stands. But we had fun walking through town and finally made it to two of Burlington’s many brew pubs which made Jonny very happy.

All in all we had a wonderful time over the last couple of weeks. Burlington is a very cool and accessible city, the scenery all over Lake Champlain is fabulous and we are happy to be here. 

Boquet River, NY

We had a pleasant walk through Westport on Saturday morning, July 9.   As we walked towards the town center a horse-drawn buggy with an Amish or Mennonite man and his young daughter. Passed us.  I asked him if I could take his picture and he said I could take a photo of his horse. I partially complied!

Westport is actually one of the prettier towns we’ve visited this year with inviting walking trails and gurgling streams.

It has a sweet little downtown with nicely maintained homes.  We stopped for coffee at a cute coffee shop with outdoor seating.

We finally left Westport at 10:05 for the short 90 minute cruise to Essex, NY. The last time we were here was in 2015 when we lost our anchor trying to anchor in a nearby area. This time we anchored near the ferry landing and after doing so we went into town to walk around, which we never got to do previously.  Essex is quite historic having been settled in 1765. It’s an attractive town of only 621 full-time residents with four times that many in the summer!

Essex is even prettier than Westport with lots of well-maintained, stately homes and shops.  We walked by several attractive homes, churches and municipal buildings including the town hall and library.

The road along the coast yielded beautiful views including some of Zendo.

We stopped at a local pub for a beer and sat on their porch overlooking the water. 

When we returned to Zendo Jonny was concerned that we would be better off anchoring further north in a more remote spot from the ferry dock.  So we moved about four miles north near a wooded area with a nearby beach.  Jonny brought Archie in for a walk while I worked on our presentation for the MTOA conference. 

That evening Jonny made a delicious dinner using our leftovers in a creative way as he so often does. Later on he went to read in our cabin while I watched TV.  However, afterwards we started to experience an inundation of bugs near every light source. Midges and mayflies descended upon us in force. We tried to kill as many as we could but all we could  feasibly do was to close the hatches and doors, turn out the lights, turn on the fan, go to bed and hide under the covers! 

We will be heading to Burlington, Vermont the next day where we will leave Zendo on a mooring for week while we rent a car and drive to Greenport, New York for an MTOA Rendezvous then on to Philly before returning to Burlington. A road trip!