Shelburne Bay to Safe Harbour Shelburne Shipyard, Shelburne, Vermont

On Tuesday morning we left the anchorage and headed to the fuel dock at Shelburne Shipyard to top off the diesel and get our last pump out for the season before getting hauled out tomorrow. We got an Uber to take us to the airport to pick up our Avis rental car and started offloading stuff. Glenn proceeded to winterize the water systems and air conditioners  and heater  as I packed up and hauled stuff to the rental car. We had stopped for lunch at the Shelburne Tap Room on the way back.  With that finished we  drove to the gas station for ice and potatoes chips to relax with a gin and tonic on the back porch of the marina. We are scheduled to haul out at 8 am and found a bagel place that opened at 6 am for breakfast. What an adventure coming up the Delaware Bay from the Chesapeake Bay and through the intracoastal through New Jersey and then out the Atlantic Ocean to New York Harbour, up the Hudson River to the Erie Canal and through the Oswego Canal and across Lake Ontario to the Thousand Islands and Saint Lawrence River to the Rideau Canal in Canada and down the Ottawa River to the Saint Lawrence Seaway and over to the Richelieu River and down the Chambly Canal to Lake Champlain.  This will be Dot's Way winter home until we return in the spring to continue our trip to the Great Lakes.

At home in Shelburne Shipyard

Malletts Bay to Shelburne Bay, Shelburne, Vermont

 On Sunday we headed back to our favorite anchorage near the Shelburne Bay Mooring Field as the wind was changing directions. We ended up with nine other Canadian sailboats anchored with us. We timed our walk on the trail through the woods to arrive at Cucina Antica, a European bistro at 4 pm when they opened. We have rarely gone out for dinner on this cruise so we thoroughly enjoyed the eggplant Parmesan and the Greek chicken with artichokes, olives and feta cheese along with salad and bread and a wonderful chianti wine.

Looking for the cut through the causeway

Mountains on NY side of Lake Champlain 

A good view of the Bike Ferry

Shoal marker

Looking at Burlington as we enter Shelburne Bay

Belated kingfisher bird on top of the mast

These frogs were hopping all over the trail

Cheers to a great Italian dinner

On Monday, we set an alarm to be up and over to Shelburne Farms Inn for breakfast. Luckily they were not busy and they were insisting on reservations as they had doubled their business since last summer. We hiked back on the Butternut Loop Trail and then came back to the boat to do boat chores getting ready to haul out on Wednesday,

Beautiful path along the cow pastures

The lake view by the inn

Mushrooms galore along the wood chipped path

Rear Sheep's Knoll Trail

Pigs in a pile at the Farm Barn

A shady bench on the way back to the farm store

Burlington to Malletts Bay off Lake Champlain, Colchester, Vermont

 After leaving the fuel dock at Burlington Harbour Marina we exited the breakwater and headed towards the break in Lake Champlain Causeway and passed the bike ferry on the way. It is a narrow cut in the rock wall leading towards Thayer Beach where the dock guy suggested to anchor. It started raining and we continued on into Malletts Bay and anchored off the swimming buoys of Niquette Bay State Park. We ate lunch on the flybridge with our sweatshirts and rain jackets on and a boat pulling water skiers kept cruising past. The rain should let up this afternoon and be sunny tomorrow to take the trails in the park.

Through Lake Champlain Causeway

Bike path to bike ferry

Vermont Green Mountains

On Friday morning we woke up to sunshine which we felt like we had not seen in a week. We cooked breakfast and enjoyed drinking our coffee on the flybridge as more small boats pulled up and anchored. We started cleaning out all the outside lockers and getting together a throw away pile. We had a hard cider and lunch before landing our dinghy outside the swimming area of the park. We headed on the trail to the parking lot to pay our park fees and then continued straight on Sugarbush Farm Road to Hillis'Sugarbush Farm and Vineyard for a wine tasting. We were charmed by the owners and sampled their full menu of whites, rose, reds and dessert wines with maple syrup from their farm. She was great and describing the wines and her husband joined us for a drink and then proudly showed us his grapes and his gardens. Their two standard poodles had announced our arrival so it was a great way to spend the afternoon. We headed back to the park and took the Ledges Trail up and over to the beach once again. The local library had partnered to post poems along the trails. We did a little hull cleaning to get rid of the tannins from the canal water before enjoying happy hour on the fly bridge.

Allen Trail to the parking lot of the park

Winery tasting room

The vineyard with Marquette grapes

The Ledge Trail back to the beach

Up, up and away surprise balloon sighting

On Saturday morning, we were the only boat anchored out here near the park. Another gorgeous sunny day to enjoy breakfast on the flybridge and then more boat chores before moving to another anchorage as the south winds pick up. We anchored off the moorings off Bayshore Park. We took the dinghy around Coates Island to the boat launch at Malletts Bay Fish and Wildlife Access Area. They had a lake steward inspecting boats for hitchhiker invasive species. We walked to Rozzi's Lakeshore Tavern and sat at the bar and enjoyed craft beers, cajun dry rub chicken wings and sliders.

Five marinas and mooring fields line the bay

Just enough wind for a spinnaker

A gorgeous sunset over Malletts Bay

Shelburne Bay to Burlington Harbour Marina, Burlington, Vermont

 We had a leisurely breakfast and called the marina to see if we could come in early to avoid the rain. The wind had picked up and we had difficulty backing into the slip so we came into the double slip bow in making it a little more difficult getting off the boat needing the step stool. We made it to the Bayfront Market and Liquor Store for local Vermont Gin and tonic and to Foam Brewery before the rain started. We had a delicious avocado salsa and chips and local brews before the rain let up enough to head back to the boat. The wind picked up as well as the rain and we rocked and rolled all night. The wave kicked up over the concrete floating docks as well. 

Burlington Harbour

Battey Park Promenade

On Tuesday morning, the rain let up and we headed up to Skinny Pancake for a savory crepe breakfast. We continued walking up the hill past Vermont University Campus to the Interstate and the West Marine and Autoparts stores. Back down the hill  we stopped at the Patagonia Store as the Eastern Mountain Sports Store closed down. We stopped at the Splash Restaurant at the City Marina and enjoyed a beer and coconut shrimp at the lakeside patio dock for lunch. We then headed to the City Market Co-op Store for fruits and veggies. After dropping the groceries at the boat, we headed back to Church Street Promenade and browsed through a artist gallery shop. With the black clouds threatening we returned to the boat for a dock walk and happy hour on the fly bridge. The wind calmed down to flat calm but still a cloudy cool day.

The public fishing pier next to our dock

The Coast Guard Station next to the marina

The entrance to the marina docks

The  Adirondack Mountains across the lake 

Along the lakefront promenade 

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The  zoo route to bathrooms at Skinny Pancake Cafe

Downtown Burlington

Coast Guard Station

Canoe dock

Gorgeous flowers along lake front

Splash Restaurant at City Marina

Tour Boat heading out from CIty Marina

At the Art Gallery

View from the flybridge at happy hour

On Wednesday morning we headed back to Skinny Pancake for a breakfast burrito and another great savory crepe with breakfast sausage, Cabot Vermont cheese and diced apples with maple syrup on the side. It started raining so we headed back to the boat and did boat chores all day. The rain never let up all day. We did get our two packages delivered.

Amazing architecture

On Thursday morning, it was still threatening rain so we headed back to Skinny Pancake planning to get a sweet crepe but they delayed their opening  so by 8:15 we headed to August One Bakery where the crowd was. We found a seat and ordered a Maple grilled biscuit and avocado toast and the line was too long to wait in to buy a baguette so we headed back to the boat to take the clothes out of the washer and load the dryer. We then headed back up the hill to City Hardware and then back to the bakery for two banquettes. We finished up the laundry, filled the water tanks and headed to the fuel dock for a pump out before heading off under cloudy, rain threatening skies.