Monday June 18 is Day 25 and we are at the marina in Malletts Bay, Vermont, with the intention firstly of avoiding a series of thunderstorms, and then perhaps have the attentions of a mechanic for an hour during the stay. The former we had in spades, with the skies opening up around us, torrential rain, and rolling thunder most of the day and well into the night. It felt good to be tied to a dock in such a storm and not be at anchor with all that lighting around.
As we were drying out the next day, Will the mechanic arrived first thing and we sorted a mysterious oil leak – a small oil line to the pressure gauge – and some other small stuff.
With a beautiful sunny day now following on from the sturm und drang – it could not been a greater contrast – we took a cab into the attractive city of Burlington for an excellent lunch and wandered the lanes, stopping at Ben & Jerry’s ice cream parlour, this being the home of those two famous ice cream heads.
Back at the marina we made some new friends from Champlain & Florida, and pored over the charts with Lee and Barbara from Rhode Island, who are on their way to Midland, Ontario for a while to cruise Georgian Bay and the North Channel next year in their Nordic Tug “Encore”.
Having had enough of marinas and rain and wet shoes and oily rags, we headed across the Lake for Valcour Island, a large public island – in fact designated a New York State Primitive Area – with half a dozen anchorages with lovely sounding names like Smuggler Harbor, Sloop Cove and Spoon Bay to choose from, depending on which way the wind blows. We decided on Bluff Point South as the best spot for the next couple of days, and it was all that we could want it to be.
Though we were the first boat there, as the day wore on others started to arrive, mostly sailboats – and most of those from Montreal, which is only a couple of hours’ or so’s drive north of here – with a trawler from Naples, Florida and some local day boaters. We got the dinghy down and pootled about, Michel went for a brisk swim, and all was good.
Valcour Island, or Bay, is the site of one of the major battles of the Revolutionary War, as the Americans call it, taking place on October 11, 1776, and one of the first fought by the United States Navy.
The American ships were under the command of Benedict Arnold and while most of them were captured or destroyed by a British fleet under Guy Carleton in a running battle, the American defence of Lake Champlain stalled British plans to take Ticonderoga and reach the upper Hudson River Valley, and they had to withdraw to Quebec for the winter. Valcour Bay is now a National Historic Landmark, as well as is “Philadelphia” which sank shortly after the battle, and was raised in 1935.
The morning after we anchor, we take the dinghy to shore to explore rocky outcrops, forest, beach and the lighthouse which has been in service since 1874.
Friday June 22 and it’s back to Canada. While this is earlier than we had planned, we now have an event to attend in Quebec City on July 5 – more later – and, while a schedule is the most dangerous thing to have on a boat, and this will not be repeated, we intend to give ourselves plenty of time to be there.
It is a perfect day for the cruise, 3 1/2 hours to Canada Customs just north of the Lake, where we are sorted in fifteen minutes again, and even have a helpful customs official to help tie us to the dock.
Another hour we take a (very tight) berth at Gosselin Marina in St-Paul-Ille- aux-Noix on the Richelieu, and have all we need for the night. Time to change the courtesy flag back to the Fleur-de-Lys, and pootle around in the dinghy.
Beautiful classic cabin cruiser at Ile aux Noix
We stay an extra night because of the weather, but are then on the move again to the Chambly Canal as we make our way north on the Day of the Quebec’s patron saint: St-Jean-Baptiste.
While we were docked opposite the grounds for the town’s celebrations for the Saint’s day – we could see men on stilts, rock groups, tents and bbqs and bouncy castles and kids – the rain came pouring in at 3:55 pm. The celebrations were due to start at 4:00 pm. The rain didn’t stop all night. The celebrations did. In fact, they never even got going. Shame.
From now on – June 25, Day 32 – our plans will be much determined by the weather – forecast and actual – and what that will mean for us on our way to Quebec City for July 5 to attend the aforementioned event, namely the Investiture of The Order of Canada, no less, being awarded to Michel’s good friend Jane Ash Poitras.
Born a Cree in Fort Chippewa, Alberta, Jane is one of Canada’s most influential artists, and there are a few of her paintings in our living room, one of which Jane painted for Michel and which shows both of them at about six years old. She has already been awarded all sorts of decorations and degrees and applause, but The Order of Canada for her contribution to The Arts has to be a big one.
Each person being awarded the Order can invite two or three guests and Michel is one of them. So, while a schedule is dangerous to boaters since it can mean making bad decisions – mainly weather calls – in order to “be there”, this one seemed to us to be worth a try. If it works, great. If not, then we will be living by rule number one: ensure the safety of the crew and of the vessel.
Now it’s time to check those charts. And the weather forecasts.