Lake achamplain Trip 2009

One thing I wanted to get done this season was a trip to Lake Champlain. I wanted to find out if it was worth exploring and if my Catalina 22 could safely handle it. I was planning on going alone but at the last minute my friend Ernest decided to come along. We planned to launch at a DEC launch at Peru NY, sail out to Valcour Island and explore from there. I figured a sail from Valcour to Malletts Bay would take me across some of the roughest water in the north end of the lake and tell me what I needed to know about the Catalina.

When we got there the lake was all roiled up. It had been stormy for a few days and the waves were up around 3 or 4 feet. On top of that the wind was still blowing at about 20 to 25 mph. We launched at Peru in the lee of Valcour and motored through the waves to the other side of the island and gratefully pulled into Smugglers Harbor. It was nasty out there! Steep short period waves of 3 to 4 feet really toss a Catalina 22 around. A calm harbor was quite welcome.

Anyway, we dropped a hook and tied the stern to a ring on shore set in concrete for just that purpose. We set up camp on shore and made ourselves comfortable while we waited for the lake to calm down. By evening the wind had died down so we hoped for some good sailing the next day. Unfortunately it turned out that Champlain takes a while to settle after it gets churned up. The next day with just an 8 mph breeze the waves were still at 3 feet. It took another day for it to calm down to 1 to 2.

On the third day we took a nice little cruise across open water to Mallets Bay on the Vermont side of the lake. When we got into the bay we crossed paths with about 30 or 40 Lightnings doing some serious racing. From years of sailing a lightning myself I could see how serious they were. Usually when you run into a regatta you can see the really good sailors filling their sails and heeling just enough for optimal boat speed. You can also spot the folks taking up the rear with sails fluttering and boat either burried to the rails or flat in the water. Every one of these sailors knew exactly what they were doing. It was a pleasure to watch. Given how skilled they were and the time of year, I figured it was either a regional or national regatta. Turned out it was a world championship! Yikes! If you're into Lightings, check it out here.

Heading out