Summer 2012 Cruise

June 29, 2012, Point Bay Marina, Charlotte, Vermont.




Marc- Friday. We (Marc, Sue Sara and Stephanie) arrived at the Lucy III and loaded our gear and supplies. All was in order on the boat so we left port at 16:30 for Kingsland Bay. It was a short sail over and we anchored. Sara and Stephanie were soon swimming away to be joined by their parents. I went around to introduce ourselves to the assembled fleet of cruisers from RSYC. A really nice group of people on both power and sailing craft. We are beginning our annual cruise with the RSYC cruise week.



June 30, 2012, Kingsland Bay, Vermont.



Marc- Saturday. Departure at 8 a.m. for Willsboro Bay, New York. The wind was light out of the southwest and we flew the spinnaker for the first half of the journey north up Lake Champlain. New York’s Adirondack Mountains and Vermont’s Green Mountains seemed to almost surround us as we sailed North. The wind started to become gusty going from 10 to 15 knots to gusts of 20 to 25 knots. We lowered the spinnaker after the first gusts fearing a blown-out sail. The wind changed to west as we approached the Four Brothers Islands and we reduced sail to only a reefed genoa. We tacked to enter Willsboro Bay and met up with Cygnus, a beautiful Pearson sloop owned by Roger and Susan. The wind gusts became more of a problem in this bay as the westward side of the bay is flanked by the foothills of the Adirondacks that seem to channel the wind at certain points. Near Indian Point, we were hit by a 35 knot gust that heeled us over to the gunwale. We reefed the genoa and proceeded onward. It was difficult to find any of the RSYC fleet anchored in this rather large Bay. We anchored near the SE tip at first and then searched by Dinghy. Stephanie and I met the fleet in a small cove over from where we anchored. Up anchor and we joined the fleet to ultimately raft up with Cyngus for a very enjoyable night. The “pirate festivities really began here in Willsboro. Three female “pirates” came over and demanded tribute. We offered peanuts. The next event was an appetizer social aboard the several large trawler yachts anchored and rafted up near us. After dinner, we took the dinghy over to Willsboro Marina to stretch our legs ashore. This is a very nice marina with a friendly staff and a huge sailboat fleet.



July 1, 2012, Willsboro Bay, New York



Marc– Sunday. Our anchor was hauled again by 08:00 for a trip to the Willsboro Marina for a pumpout. In no time we set sail for Valcour Island. This was a motorsail with light winds. We anchored in Sloop Cove near Dave (rumored to be Jack Sparrow in disguise) and Dawn’s boat. When Cyngus arrived we hauled the anchor and rafted up to them near the North Wall of the cove. We were soon joined by 8 boats of various shapes and sizes. The Gervais family soon set off on our perimeter hike ashore. This trail was very nice in the shade on the Southern half of the island with stops at various bays such as Smugglers Cove and Bluff Point South. We eventually found the Lighthouse unfortunately 40 minutes after the tours had ended for the day. The return by the northern trails required some bushwhacking and climbing over fallen trees. Swimming was enjoyed by the crews from the ever growing raft of boats on the North side of the cove. A rather fun activity took place in late afternoon called a dinghy raftup for appetizers in the center of the cove. This was a good time for socializing.

First Sail 2012: Memorial Day Weekend

Point Bay Marina, Charlotte, Vermont:  May 26, 2012

Marc-  We arrived to find Lucy III on her new mooring just South of the Marina docks.  Good location.  The outboard and dinghy were ready to go.  We spent most of the day loading the boat up for the season with all of our cruising stuff including sails, cockpit enclosure, sheets, towels, water, some foodstuffs, and ice for the weekend.  The Schooner Lois McClure came to visit at the Marina and we all enjoyed touring her and speaking with her crew.  She is about to embark on a journey into Canada similar to what we completed in the past few summers including a visit to Ottawa.  I envy the 88 feet of space on board this boat.  The crew accommodations are spartan as it is true to the original 19th century design. 

Our first sail was to Kingsland Bay for an overnight.  No issues with finding a mooring. We explored the State Park grounds before returning to the boat.  Sara and Stephanie went for a swim (60 degree F water). Sue prepared a nice dinner before watching a very old Lassie movie on the I Pad.  None of our computer or video equipment is on the boat yet.  The crescent Moon and stars were impressive in this quiet anchorage.  Sara, Stephanie and I were up early for a hike to explore the Park trails on the western shore.  Very nice except for the two dogs that we encountered at a camp site.  These two were quite aggressive until their owner called them off. 

Kingsland Bay:  May 27, 2012 

Marc-  We returned to Point Bay Marina for further necessary work on the boat at dockside.  I stripped and refinished all of the teak.  There is a lot of teak on this old Tartan 34C and it now looks great with two coats of spar polyurethane. The Wendy room was assembled and a few deck leaks were sealed as well.  There is always some maintenance to perform.  The new refrigerator location in the main cabin is great. The girls went for a cool swim off of the back of the boat.  I am very happy with all systems working on the Lucy III.  

Springtime in Charlotte, Vermont April 27, 2012

Point Bay Marina, Charlotte Vermont:  Spring preparation is underway.

We have made some improvements including complete replacement of the original engine exhaust system, new drawers in the pilot berth area, and a new galley counter-top with refrigerator beneath.  The galley sink is now under the counter and will be much easier to keep clean.  New storage space has been added. A new desk and seat have been added to the forward cabin along with some new lighting.  Some photos are included here.

Stephanie did the dirty work and scraped and painted Lucy III's bottom. We still need to refinish the outside teak trim and clean up the deck.

Winter Visit: Charlotte, Vermont. January 8, 2012

Marc- I stopped in to take some measurements for this winter's projects. The chest of drawers for Sara's bunk ended up two inches longer than the available space beneath the companionway steps. This is an easy fix since it is only a frame issue and the drawers themselves are fine.

Everything looked fine aboard Lucy III. The new shrinkwrap was well done and the door worked well.

December in Charlotte, Vermont

December 5, 2011: Point Bay Marina, Charlotte, Vermont

We are out of the rapidly cooling waters of Lake Champlain and ready to be shrink-wrapped. I've taken measurements for a few winter projects.

The head is now restored to its original installation but with upgrades to an electric toilet with solenoid vented loop. All of the teak has been cleaned and varnished. A mast cover is ready to be installed as well. The v-berth was changed over to a double last Spring. Now we are adding a small seat and desk on the starboard side. The port pilot berth will lose its refrigerator and gain some needed storage drawers. The kitchen space is getting a new counter-top and a new location for the refrigerator beneath it. Doing finish carpentry on a boat is measure 4 times and cut once. Nothing is ever square and it is always a challenge to determine what level is. Marc

Hurricaine Irene

August 27, 2011 Point Bay Marina Mooring, Charlotte, Vermont

Marc- This is Sara's move into McGill University weekend. Todd Smith called from the marina to say that the weather will be wild from Hurricane Irene and we should prepare the boat. He added another line to the painter.

I drove down from Montreal in beautiful weather that must be the calm before the storm. I lashed down everything and deflated the zodiac. The dingy was brought up into the trees and locked with a cable to the largest tree I could find.

August 28, 2011 Point Bay Marina Charlotte, Vermont

Marc- The winds and the rain came up to 60 knots and lots of rain. Since the worst of it was out of the North Lucy II was protected. The closest that we came was taking the ferry from Plattsburg to Grand Isle. There were some six foot waves out there and the car deck on the ferry was getting splashed at times. No problem on the roads back to Boston.

Vermont August "Mini Cruise"

August 13, 2011: Point Bay Marina, Charlotte, Vermont

Marc- We signed up for the Royal Savage Yacht Club “Mini Cruise” to Allen Hill in Shelburne Bay this weekend. Sue stayed back home to care for Aunt Velma. It was a beautiful day when we (Sara, Stephanie and I) arrived at the marina and quickly loaded the boat and sailed off onto the Lake. The Southwest breeze was 12 knots and our broad reach around Thompson’s Point under full sail was wonderful. I should have questioned things when I saw one of the regular RSYC member boats heading off to Kingsland Bay but we continued north. As we proceeded towards Shelburne the wind slowed considerably so we started up the engine for awhile. The wind returned as we neared Shelburne Point. We found a great anchorage next to Wings (another RSYC sailboat) just Southeast of Allen Hill. I rowed over to check on matters with the crew of Wings who explained that the RSYC fleet had moved on to Kingsland Bay. We decided to stay put and explore this really great harbor. The anchorage is next to a very nice park with excellent hiking up Allen Hill. The post hike swim was fantastic. Dinner was on the Lucy III and then a Harry Potter movie. The Moon rising Camels Hump on the eastern horizon was beautiful. This was one peaceful spot.

August 14, 2011: Shelburne Bay, Vermont

Marc- Departure this morning at 07:30 to avoid the South wind forecast to increase later in the morning. We did enjoy a good sail after crossing the Charlotte – Essex Ferry. No excitement on the return leg but a nice trip all in all.