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grayson
Joined: 09 May 2003
Posts: 92
Location: Burlington, VT
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 Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 10:34 am Post subject: Lake Champlain downwinder |
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Sailed from Burlington to Plattsburgh on Saturday.
More details here.
I've been enjoying pushing farther from home and exploring more of the lake, and have been thinking of doing a big(ish) downwinder for a while. The wind wasn't quite as ideal as they had forecasted (was planing less than a third of the time), but it was a nice day to be on the water and I was in no hurry. 
Equipment was a Kona One and an 8.5 Ezzy Infinity. The Kona makes it great fun to cover some distance and explore with confidence.
I'm sure this is small potatoes for many of you, but it was a new accomplishment (and a lot of fun) for me, so figured I'd share.  |
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tm00
Joined: 21 Jul 2000
Posts: 250
Location: Lake Champlain - NY
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| Posted: Mon Jul 19, 2010 11:34 am Post subject: |
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That is an impressive sail.
I have heard that in the early 80's there used to be a scheduled race from Burlington to Plattsburgh. Not sure if that is true or not.
tm00 |
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grayson
Joined: 09 May 2003
Posts: 92
Location: Burlington, VT
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| Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2010 8:25 am Post subject: |
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| tm00 wrote: | | I have heard that in the early 80's there used to be a scheduled race from Burlington to Plattsburgh. |
That sounds like a very cool race. I'd do it. Even though the extent of my "racing experience" has been trying to pass and stay ahead of my sailing buds when we're out blasting around. I'm guessing the tough part would be scheduling the race for a windy day. It'd be a lot more fun zipping up to Plattsburgh in a couple hours in a strong southerly than bobbing around for 6 or 8 hours in the light and variable conditions that seem to be more common here these days.  |
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tm00
Joined: 21 Jul 2000
Posts: 250
Location: Lake Champlain - NY
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| Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2010 12:28 pm Post subject: |
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Has not been too bad of a year on this side of the lake in terms of sailable days. I usally sail out of Treadwell bay and find that when there is some south in the wind, the area between the green bouy and long point are 5 to 10 mph greater than the rest of the lake. Getting there is the problem. Slog/sink out with small stuff or cruise out with big stuff but overpowered when there. Usally go with the overpowered choice to be able to make shore once it shuts down.
Boat traffice is also a problem in the area. |
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pe4387
Joined: 22 Jul 2002
Posts: 85
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| Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2010 1:53 pm Post subject: |
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| Rather impressive. Inspirational. Well done. |
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STEIN
Joined: 07 Oct 1996
Posts: 27
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| Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2010 10:23 pm Post subject: |
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Nice one! How many miles was that? I didn't see a legend. A friend and myself sailed to the island east of La Ventana and back, about 10-12 miles each way. But your adventure looks longer and more scenic. It looks like your ride back had a ways to travel to pick you up. Fun stuff.
Bill |
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grayson
Joined: 09 May 2003
Posts: 92
Location: Burlington, VT
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| Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2010 11:26 pm Post subject: |
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| STEIN wrote: | | How many miles was that? I didn't see a legend. |
'Bout 20 miles as the crow flies. 'Bout 25 miles by car. 'Bout 30 miles sailing by my route on Saturday. I was out there a total of about 4 hours, plus a brief initial out-and-back on my formula board when I was trying to decide what gear to sail. Sooooo glad I went with the Kona. The formula board would've been miserable in the sub-planing conditions, which was maybe 80% of my time out. Yes it planes up earlier than the Kona, but not that much earlier, and it's a heck of a lot more work to get it on plane in marginal conditions.
BTW, just click the "More details here" link in the original post (or here) for the full stats, speed profile, etc. |
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grayson
Joined: 09 May 2003
Posts: 92
Location: Burlington, VT
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| Posted: Tue Jul 20, 2010 11:36 pm Post subject: |
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| STEIN wrote: | | A friend and myself sailed to the island east of La Ventana and back, about 10-12 miles each way. |
Very nice! That kind of crossing is definitely way more committing than my trip. I had many places in mind as good landing sites, and could've stopped at any one of 'em and phoned for my ride. Seriously, it's super easy to make a trip like this if you don't have to commit to a particular destination, and can just set out and see how far you get. Major spouse points to Karen for being on call to come pick me up!  |
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grayson
Joined: 09 May 2003
Posts: 92
Location: Burlington, VT
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| Posted: Wed Jul 21, 2010 12:01 am Post subject: |
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| STEIN wrote: | | It looks like your ride back had a ways to travel to pick you up. |
Oh yeah, there's a ferry that crosses the lake right where I landed, so maybe not quite as far of a drive as it might look at first glance. I actually took the ferry across on foot with my de-rigged gear and saved us the round-trip car rate. I only landed on the NY side because I remembered a nice landing site there, and couldn't remember what the VT side had to offer for landing site. Turns out it's not bad on that side either, depending on wind direction. |
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speedysailor
Joined: 11 Sep 2007
Posts: 841
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| Posted: Thu Aug 05, 2010 5:37 pm Post subject: |
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| That's a great accomplishment. |
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