Lake Champlain (USA)
New Navtours Base on Lake Champlain!
This year, Navtours is opening a new subsidiary, Navtours USA, which makes its presence and bareboat charters official on Lake Champlain.
To mark the event, a new base at the Plattsburgh marina will offer several new services to our clients, as well as its ideal location on the lake. And our fleet of sailboats and catamarans is more complete than ever.
Our professional team will be on site 7 days a week to:
- Welcome you
- To introduce you to your boat
- To help you in case of problems on the lake
- To clean up the boat after you leave
- Ensure a rigorous maintenance of our entire fleet throughout the season
Welcome on board!
History
Lake Champlain has been considered a vital maritime transportation corridor since pre-Columbian days. The lake has seen great armies and huge fleets traverse its waters and was the scene of major naval battles between American and British navies. This explains the number of military installations at strategic sites along the shore.
During the brief periods of peace between the wars of the 18th and early 19th centuries, the waterway was used by brave and hardy settlers to reach new homes in the wilderness. When reliable land transportation became possible, the waterway was only used for peaceful purposes, an important link between the St. Lawrence and New York via the Hudson River. Commerce - legal and illegal - flourished on the waterway throughout the 19th and early 20th Centuries.
Today, Lake Champlain is treasured by power and sail boaters for its recreational value.
Geography
Lake Champlain is a unique and fascinating body of water. Bounded by the Green Mountains to the east and the Adirondack Mountains to the west, it has both the intimate character of an alpine lake and the vigour of a great body of water. Its waters are clear and deep; there are secluded anchorages in numerous bays (such as Deep Bay, Partridge Harbor, Mallets Bay and Converse Bay) and magnificent mountain vistas. Much of the shoreline has seen limited development; there are many parks and wildlife reserves. The lake is great cruising territory, with many first-class marinas, well-marked channels and sufficient touches of civilization to satisfy all needs ashore.
As the sixth largest freshwater lake in the United States after the Great Lakes, Lake Champlain is a major body of water, over 120 miles (193 km) long and 10 miles (10 km) wide at its widest point. It has a surface area of 490 square miles (1,270 km2) and a shoreline of over 500 miles (800 km). Over 70 islands, ranging from more than 13 miles (21 km) in length to oversized rocks, are located between its shores. Its greatest depths (399 feet -- 122 m) are found in a mid-lake trench located between Charlotte, VT and Essex, NY.
The lake's many regions offer a wide variety of possibilities to boaters. From Whitehall, north to the Crown Point Bridge, the Lower Lake is river-like: shallow and narrow. These waters tend to be cloudy, the shores are lined with marshes and fishing is the most popular boating activity. At Crown Point, the lake begins to widen and deepen, only to narrow again as it passes the Palisades and Split Rock before widening again into the Broad Lake between Burlington and Plattsburgh. The Broad Lake contains the lake's greatest depths and its greatest width (10 miles at Burlington).
This is also the most exposed region of the lake, open to the prevailing north-south winds and home to its most ocean-like conditions. North of the Broad Lake, the lake's largest islands (South Hero, North Hero, and Isle La Motte) divide the lake on a north-south axis. The main channel continues west of these islands, in the Upper Lake, gradually narrowing and becoming more shallow until it reaches the Richelieu River, 4 to 5 miles (6 to 8 km) north of the American and Canadian border. Here the shores are a river's width apart and depths of 8-10 feet (2.5 – 3 m) are common. It flows north to the Richelieu River and eventually the St. Lawrence.
Additional information
For a different kind of vacation, we invite you to try a sailing cruise on this magnificent lake, located south of the U.S./Canada border, shared by the states of New York and Vermont. It’s only an hour away by road from Montreal.
Aboard one of the magnificent vessels of our fleet, you’ll discover the stunning shores of Lake Champlain, mysterious islands like Valcour Island, astonishing landscapes and charming communities like Burlington, Essex or Westport. Our monohull yachts and catamarans welcome between 2 and 6 passengers at a time (and even more on daily excursions or in flotilla).
Lake Champlain offers incomparable sailing experiences. Cruises offered by NAVTOURS take place in a relaxed and pleasure-filled atmosphere, where time is taken to savour every moment, following a rhythm that its passengers dictate. It’s the perfect way to spend a summer vacation.
Meals and activities
Whether it’s for a romantic weekend, a getaway for a few days with friends, for a working day in the form of our Corporate Sailing Program (with skipper and caterer), or for a week of doing nothing at all, bring your food and drink and bask in exclusive comfort with your family, your parents, your friends or colleagues from work.
Your favourite captain or any one of our experienced skippers will help you plan an itinerary and activities that suit your particular requirements: swimming, sailing, visits ashore, navigation from bay to bay and much more. The cleanliness of the lake’s water will surprise you. And don’t pass up the opportunity to take the helm, a subtle pleasure indeed.
Advance booking is advised since demand often outstrips supply during good weather. Singles are invited to join other people in a group. NAVTOURS offers the superior quality standards you are looking for.
Our Corporate Sailing Program is available for one-day excursions with catering to allow you to get down to business with clients or colleagues. A flotilla can be organized for larger groups. A congenial atmosphere and unforgettable sailing moments are the hallmarks of every one of our cruises.
|
