Willsboro Bay, NY; Westport, NY and Orwell, Vt.

The view from Rachael at Chipmans Point Marina, Orwell, Vt. (looking at NY)

Along the roadside as we drove to Orwell Village

Wide open spaces in Orwell, Vt.

Another sight from the road

A path on the Chipmans Point Marina grounds

Buxton's Store, where they carry their own brand of salsa!

Willsboro Bay Marina's well-tended grounds

Police Boat right next to us--and why are we under surveillance (AGAIN) ?? :-)

Willsboro Bay; view from the mile-long driveway of the Marina

Another view from the driveway at Willsboro Bay Marina

View from restaurant at Willsboro Bay Marina

Westport Marina

The neighborhood grocery store--a bodega, Westport style!

Westport church

Ballard Park, Westport

Our (very quiet) neighbor from Canada at Westport Marina

Fort Ticonderoga, NY (as seen from the water on the way to Orwell, Vermont)

Holly says:

Well, the photos are not in the order in which they were taken. Our route has been Willsboro Bay, NY, then Westport, NY and we are now in Orwell, Vermont. It's a long story, but moving pictures around in the blog takes a lot of time and I just decided not to move them around this time.

John says: We left Mallets Bay Marina in Colchester Vermont on another beautiful day and we made our way back through the "Gut"--this is a narrow opening which is the only way to cross Lake Champlain mid-lake to Vermont, or vice versa, but I made sure we left early because of the forecast of impending high winds. We arrived at Willsboro Bay Marina after a somewhat mildly windy day but just before the 40 knot gusts. We were pleasantly surprised at what was now a marina that was clean and functional. We had a great dinner in the restaurant overlooking the bay that was very scenic.

We left Willsboro the next day on another beautiful day and crossed the lake again (back through "the gut") with only 5 knot winds. The stereo worked great as we listened to tunes all the way to the Westport Marina in, of course, Westport (NY).

The marina was OK but the women's bathroom left a lot to be desired and if you are wondering how I know, Holly told me. We spent two days here wandering around what is called a town and resting. I know, do we need more rest? Anyway it was time to move on so we left for Chipmans Point Marina in Orwell, Vermont. This ride again was excellent with bright sun, warm air and almost no wind. There were stretches that looked just like the Hudson River only with more homes right on the water's edge and may with private docks. I ponder the life on the lake and then remember the winters we have and I don't give living on Lake Champlain another thought.

The Chipmans Point Marina is very nice. It is very old but well preserved just like the woman who owns and operates the marina. She loaned us her car and we got to see some of the Vermont countryside again and this time it was much more rural and much more picturesque as Holly's pictures will attest. We are grilling steaks on the aft deck for dinner and will be moving on tomorrow for Whitehall New York, bidding a fond farewell to Lake Champlain while toasting the good marinas and forgetting the not so good ones. Now its time for the last 12 locks of the Champlain Canal and I am sure this set of locks will be as different and interesting as all of the other locks we have traversed. I will let you know ...