Whitehall, NY to Shoreham, VT

Miles Traveled 27.8

Total Miles Traveled 4658

Day 273

After eating breakfast at the Historic Grounds Restaurant, we left the dock and headed toward our last lock of the Champlain Canal, Lock #12.

This is Skene Manor, located on Skene Mountain at Whitehall, built by Supreme Court Judge Joseph H. Potter in 1874.  Skene Manor was a private residence until 1946 when it was converted into a restaurant.  Have any idea’s why we didn’t walk to the restaurant?

After locking through, we entered what is known as “The Elbow” and “The Narrows of Lake Champlain”.  Both sides of the lake are bordered by 800 to 1000 foot mountains with New York to the west, and Vermont to the east.

We passed Fort Ticonderoga, a large 18^th century star fort built by the French at a narrows near the south end of Lake Champlain.  It was constructed between 1755 and 1757 during the Seven Years War, often referred to as the French and Indian War.  It was of strategic importance during the 18^th century colonial conflicts between Great Britain and France, and again played an important role during the American Revolutionary War.  During the Revolutionary War, the Green Mountain Boys and other state militia under the command of Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold captured it from the British in a surprise attack.  Cannons captured were transported to Boston where their deployment forced the British to abandon the city in March 1776.

We had planned to anchor in Bulwagga Bay, at the southern end of Lake Champlain, but as the day progressed, the wind increased to a level that the Coast Guard issued a small craft warning for the lake.  We found an anchorage that is protected by the northwest wind about 8 miles south of the main lake.