CODA : summer shakedown cruising

1-3 July 2023

Point Bay Marina

Thompson's Point

Charlotte, Vermont

Burlington by Stephanie

Marc- The week of July 4th has traditionally been our boat club's cruise week on Lake Champlain. It has been delayed to the end of July this year. We decided to cruise locally to test out our new boat and go visit some of our traditional favorite harbors. Sue and I raised the sails, main and genoa, on July 1st in rather light winds of 10 knots in the main Lake North of Split Rock and achieved 5 knots of boat speed. The boat tracked very well and the auto pilot handled the calm conditions well. We headed over to Kingsland Bay, picked up a PBM mooring and met up with friends.

Sue enjoying attention from the Hillman's dog Lucca (a Cockapoo).

At various times we visited with Steve and Wendy, Roger and Susan, Will and Kathleen, Charlie and Susie and with Charlie Langworthy. We are still doing with a working gas stove, anchor windlass, and bow thruster. There was some excitement aboard when leaving Kingland Bay under sail. The genoa sheet tangled with the anchor chain (I had not stored the chain well when working on the windlass earlier) and we ended up with an unfurled genoa that could not be controlled. I went forward and found the problem only to create a runaway anchor situation while sailing at 5 knots. Luckily the rocna anchor did not set this time as I pulled abound 20 feet of chain back aboard by hand somehow (oh my aching back). Our next trip was over to Westport, New York to enjoy their fireworks display on July 2nd. The persistent rain cleared in mid-afternoon and Sue, Sara, Stephanie and I motored over to Westport. We did raise the sails in Northwest Bay just as the wind dropped off. CODA had the best slip for fireworks viewing at the Westport Marina. Enjoyable evening with a wedding in the local park, a nice walk around town with an ice cream stop, dinner cooked on the barbecue and fantastic fireworks.

Steph getting ready to raise sail.

Westport Marina

Westport wedding.

Westport flowers.

A Gnome garden.

Pilot house views.

Steph- This morning I woke up to a bloody nose and Dad and Loulou talking loudly. I was not having it! How were they so happy at 05:30 a.m. ? I have never been happy at 05:30 a.m. . Trading pillows helped and bunks helped a lot for another hour of sleep and then I woke up to microwaved scrambled eggs with fake bacon and toast - yum ! Ok but for real it was nice :) .

Super calm on the lake today leaving Westport and heading back to Point Bay so I can go to work. The mist in the mountains is magical . Even though we are in a new boat (that kind of feels borrowed / like we are at a boat show ) it feels like coming home and all four of us being on the boat together means everything to me.

#Family is forever!