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| Spillway at Lock C-9 |
When we checked the weather, we learned heavy rains and winds were forecast for this evening and all day tomorrow. So, our goal was to get to Chipmans Marina and settle before the weather turned nasty. We left Ft. Edward at 9:06am and locked through Lock C–7 by 9:15am – the gates were open, went in and lifted 10 feet to be 130 feet above sea level. We dodged and weaved around a few more barges and tugs until we passed Lock C–8 (11 feet, 141.4 feet above sea level - highest point on the canal system). After that he trip was uneventful, beautiful, and quiet. We had the Champlain Canal to ourselves. All the locks were in our favor – Lock C–9 (-16 feet, 125 feet above sea level), and Lock C–11 (-12 feet, 113 feet above sea level). The lock C10 does not exist. It was in the original plans, but determined to be unnecessary during construction phase of the lock system. Not sure why the locks were not renumbered, but they have been operating like this for years and it seems to work for the various communities. As the water level dropped in Lock C–11, Zebra mussels that lined the lock wall started spitting. It looked like little waterfalls. Finally, there was Lock C–12 (-15 feet, 98 feet above sea level - about the average hight above sea level for Lake Champlain) and we were done with the locks for the time being. We had the southern part of Lake Champlain called “The Narrows” to ourselves.
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Exiting the Champlain Canal
and into Lake Champlain |
The wind and current were in our favor, and the views were spectacular with lush green trees and shrubs, towering granite cliffs here and there, and clear water. Once we exited The Narrows and enter the wider body of lower Lake Champlain we felt the winds begin to pick up. We still had the fortune of the wind behind us and following-seas. We also began to see small fishing boats in the coves and among the reeds. By 2:30 we approached Chimpans and the winds where up to 15-20 knots. Brian brought the boat around such that our bow was facing the wind and glided us in to a docking on a T-head. We were secure by 3:00pm. We had an early Lunch/Dinner and watched two Spaghetti Westerns.
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Rain over
Lake Champlain |
