August 19: Essex was wonderful, but we really needed a day and night just "on the hook" so we cruised to Shelburne Bay and found a beautiful anchorage near Burlington. After setting the anchor we were soon joined by other assorted vessels.
What really got our attention was a peculiar Canadian vessel that found a liking of our venue and also decided to drop anchor nearby ... this couple really wanted the ultimate sailing experience in a recreation, we assume, of a a sailing vessel of decades long past. It's amazing how and where you can travel with the wind and a couple of oars as did earlier explorers.
August 20-26: After a night at anchor on Shelburne Bay, we arrived in Burlington. We had realized for some days that our beloved cat and 1st Mate Clio, was failing. We called a 3 or 4 vets in Burlington, but no one could see us for at least a week, so we called UBER and off we went to the Burlington Emergency Veterinarian (BEV) clinic. After a number of hours and tests, the diagnosis was anorexia, a bladder infection, and indicators of the beginning of kidney disease. We were relieved and as we expected, and she responded to the antibiotic and rallied. Then we discovered that she was suddenly and completely blind -- possibly by stress and the clinic experience -- so we stayed in Burlington longer than planned so we could be near the clinic. Clio seemed to alternate good and bad days, and we came very close to putting her down. In fact, on Friday morning we had already placed her into her carrier to take her back to BEV ... but then suddenly she seemed to roar back to life and say “hell no, I won’t go”, so instead of heading to the clinic, we let her out of her carrier and cruised out of Burlington.
What really got our attention was a peculiar Canadian vessel that found a liking of our venue and also decided to drop anchor nearby ... this couple really wanted the ultimate sailing experience in a recreation, we assume, of a a sailing vessel of decades long past. It's amazing how and where you can travel with the wind and a couple of oars as did earlier explorers.
While in Burlington we did spend a little time walking around town; Karl had a haircut and Donna a visit to the salon. We also had a very nice lunch outside at our favorite Turkish restaurant.
Sunsets in Burlington are amazing. Hundreds of people come down to the waterfront almost every night to experience sunset, here are some pictures:
August 27, 28: Back on the New York side of the Lake in Westport, we caught up on laundry and a few other chores. We enjoyed getting reacquainted with marina owners Larry and Lane. Lane has the best the little boutique/gift shop of any marina we have visited. Clio was having some difficulty navigating around the cabin adjusting to her blindness on a moving boat.
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| Westport, NY |
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| Restaurant at Westport Marina |
LEAVING THE LAKE
August 28: The wind was gusting more than predicted and we decided not to anchor out at Fort Ticonderoga and subject Clio to a bouncy night. We continued on to the very end of the Lake and beginning of the Champlain Canal at Whitehall. This was our fist time tying up to the Whitehall Town Dock and was a very pleasant experience. The dockage is free and includes water and power hookups, as well as bathroom/shower facilities. They do accept donations and we walked across the park to the Town office to give ours and to thank them for a wonderful stay. We had a great breakfast at a little coffee shop. Donna called our veterinarian in Easton for a consultation about Clio’s diagnosis. Dr. Kearns had read the Burlington report but hadn’t realized there was an X-ray attached. She didn’t think there was a serious issue and that we would be bringing Clio back home.
Some pictures of Whitehall:
CHAMPLAIN CANAL
August 29-30: We traveled through six of the Champlain Canal locks to Schuylerville Yacht Basin and the halfway point on the Canal. The next day we navigated the rest of the Locks and also the Federal Lock at Troy, NY beginning the trip down the Hudson River. We anchored out behind Houghtaling Island for a peaceful night and Kapt Karl’s grilled NY Strip steaks. It was a long day for Clio and she was a little shaky on her feet after all the stopping and going in and out of the locks and the engine vibration.
RETURNING TO KINGSTON AND FAREWELL TO CLIO
August 31-September 4: We arrived at Roundout Yacht Basin in Kingston to settle in for Labor Day weekend.
Clio was not eating, no matter what we prepared for her. She was however, more herself – affectionate, active, navigating around the cabin and in the cockpit, she even came to bed with us for the first time in weeks. The next day, she tried to eat but couldn’t hold anything down. So, it was off to another emergency clinic and after a long wait we saw a very good vet. She found Clio was down to 3.5 lbs and dehydrated. Dr. Rider felt a mass in her stomach that the vet in Burlington had thought was food. She was very compassionate and helped us through the decision to do the right and loving thing and let Clio go. She was such a sweet and loving tiny bundle of joy and our constant companion. Rest in peace Clio Athena ... you are in good company with Aretha Franklin and John McCain.
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| Can you find the Bald Eagle in this picture? |
Clio was not eating, no matter what we prepared for her. She was however, more herself – affectionate, active, navigating around the cabin and in the cockpit, she even came to bed with us for the first time in weeks. The next day, she tried to eat but couldn’t hold anything down. So, it was off to another emergency clinic and after a long wait we saw a very good vet. She found Clio was down to 3.5 lbs and dehydrated. Dr. Rider felt a mass in her stomach that the vet in Burlington had thought was food. She was very compassionate and helped us through the decision to do the right and loving thing and let Clio go. She was such a sweet and loving tiny bundle of joy and our constant companion. Rest in peace Clio Athena ... you are in good company with Aretha Franklin and John McCain.
We promise you an upbeat blog entry next time as we return to Liberty Landing, Cape May and then back to the Chesapeake!
So very sorry to read about Clio. They are such great companions and the loss is hard. We had something similar with our previous cat, but he survived for a few months after we returned home. Safe travels.
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