July 15-17, 2024 Valcour Island and Rouses Point

 Monday July 15, 2024 Burlington to Valcour Island 3.0 hours and 23 miles

Stopped at the fuel dock at the marina for a pumpout as we were leaving.  Machine had great suction but I still left frustrated.  No matter how long we let the machine go, we can't ever get the gauge light to go all the way to "empty".  "Low" light is best it goes.  No desire to investigate what's happening in the holding tank and sensor hidden in the bilge area during these hot summer days. As long as the "full" light doesn't come on I'm happy.  Such are the mysteries of boating and one more item to add to the projects list.  

Leaving Burlington and the marker at the north end of the breakwater behind us.

The run up to Valcour Island was nice. Pretty much a straight shot in open water.  A bit hot and hazy up here which limited the scenic nature a bit.  Valcour Island is a state park so completely undeveloped and not really accessible to anyone but boaters.  No dockage so just dingy or kayak to shore.  A trail runs around the perimeter and there is an old lighthouse.  Other than that - just rocks and trees.  Lots of little coves to anchor.  We circled the island to check them all out.  Most a bit small for us given the deeper water and additional anchor scope we need to put out.  Settled on the main Valcour Bay anchorage which already had a good collection of boats. Reviews note that Canadians populate these anchorages extensively during July and as expected most boats were flying Canadian flags. 

Valcour Island lighthouse

Some of the shoreline around our anchorage

 You may recall mention of Valcour Island from our stay in Whitehall where Benedict Arnold built a fleet of boats to engage the British here during the revolutionary war.  Gave claim to Benedict Arnold as the founder of the US navy.  Lost the battled but stalled the British invasion providing time for American reinforcements to arrive in the spring.  Crazy unforecasted wicked squall with winds and heavy rain came through just at bedtime Monday.  Shifting wind directions had everyone swinging wildly. Thankfully no one dragged but made for a sleepless night until 3AM when things settled down.  Spent an extra day here.  Chilling, relaxing, reading.  Another storm front passed through on Tuesday at dinnertime but thankfully wasn't nearly as bad and was over by 9:30. Got a good full night's sleep.

Journey for July 15, 2024

Wednesday July 17, 2024  Valcour Island to Rouses Point  3.0 hours and 27 miles 

Another short run up to Rouses Point. Just a few hours.  Cloudy day and a chance of a midday band of rain.  We hauled anchor by 10 and were on our way.  These continuing southerly winds have kicked up some rolling short waves on our beam as we make our run around Valcour.  Uncomfortable for a few minutes before engaging the stabilizers and then a course changes to straight north had the waves on the stern settling everything down. The lake continues to narrow down as we get to the top of the lake. 

Crazy busy ferry crossing - 4 of these going, coming, docking

As seems to happen to us too frequently, just as we're approaching Gaines Marina it looks like rain on the horizon.  Radar confirms it.  That forecasted band arrived a little early just in time to complicate our docking.  Amazingly, the entire 1/2 hour of rain we get today occurs while we're getting our lines and fenders ready, entering the marina and getting secured to the dock.  Rest of the day a bit overcast but dry.  We managed to hit the local Dollar General (because there's one every 10 miles these days).  Got some essentials - paper towels, case of water, ice cream. Liquor store for a bottle of bourbon since a strike in Canada has their liquor stores closed.  Dinner at a cute restaurant - Frenchcheez.  70's themed interior.  Initial concept was french fry centric dishes but over time they've expanded to a more diverse menu - vegan items, gluten free, salads, burgers, etc.  Last town in USA before entering Canada. 

Journey for July 17, 2024