August 1 - 4: Valcour Island is a must stop for any boater transiting Lake
Champlain, and the ONLY way to see the island is by boat, YOUR vessel. It is completely unspoiled; no residents, no
ferries, no tours and no bridges to this island. We were here "on the hook" for 4 days
... scheduled for 3 days, but weather forced us to stay another day ... geez,
what a dilemma! Photos best express the
experience.
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| SANTORINI at anchor ... solitude and nature at its best! |
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| Found a Mermaid cleaning sand from her fins! |
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| Bluff Point Light, also known as the Valcour Island Lighthouse, in service from its construction in 1874 until 1930 and one of the last lighthouses on Lake Champlain |
There is a lot of Revolutionary War history in the
area. Valcour Island featured
prominently in a naval battle between the superior British Navy sailing south into
Champlain from Canada and the fledgling American navy commanded by Brigadier
General Benedict Arnold.
Arnold, knowing he could not attack
the superior force, decided to let the British attack him and deployed his
fleet in the narrow, rocky channel between Valcour Island and the western shore
of Lake Champlain. The narrowness of the channel would force the British to
attack singly and would not allow them to bring as many guns to bear as on the
open water.
Sailing southward down Lake Champlain
on the morning of October 11, 1776, the British skirted the eastern shore of
Valcour Island, unaware that the American fleet lay on the other side. Shortly
before 11:00 a.m., British lookouts spotted the American fleet, and
turned to attack. Arnold’s force took a
beating and once darkness fell, retreated.
As dawn broke on the morning of
October 12, the British were shocked to discover that Arnold and what was left
of the American fleet had escaped. They
pursued the Americans and expected to catch up with them at Crown Point on
October 20 only to find Arnold had burned the fort and further retreated to
Fort Ticonderoga. It was snowing and
with weather conditions quickly deteriorating, the British had no other choice
but to retreat back into Canada to winter quarters.
Valcour Island resulted in a tactical
victory for the British; in the long run however, the battle proved to be a
strategic victory for the Americans. Although he lost 80 men, 120 captured, and
the destruction of his fleet, Arnold had accomplished the objective of
disrupting the British invasion from Canada. By causing the British to postpone
their plans until the spring, Arnold had bought the Americans time to gather
strength and resources that would be critical at the Battle of Saratoga, the
turning point in the War of Independence.
