On Saturday, July 16th we had a wonderful introduction to beautiful Lake Sunapee. Led by New England Chapter members, Bo and Kathy Muller, we enjoyed a great day with fellow ACBS members running our antique boats.

 

It was a sight to see. Starting with launching at the excellent Sunapee Harbor, we gathered in the early morning sunshine. After distributing box lunches and charts, Bo had a Captain's meeting to acquaint Captains with the route. He also gave us a short history of the Lake. The highest elevation on the lake is 1042 feet with the greatest depth being 142 feet.

Lake Sunapee is the fourth largest lake in New Hampshire. It was along a railroad line from the population centers of Boston and New York. As a result, several grand hotels were built along the shorelines. Regrettably, none still exist. Nonetheless, when railroad passengers arrived in Sunapee, they went aboard steamships to their grand hotel destinations.

 

We departed Sunapee Harbor at a little after 10 am and explored the lake following Bo and 2 other Lake Sunapee denizens, Ted Gallup and Bob Bonanno. We followed a northern route to Gardner Bay and Job's Creek inlet. Our first stop was in Georges Mills at the extreme northern end of the lake.

Along the way we greeted other Chapter members, Norm Gavin and Bill Mehan. We saw classic turn-of the-century cottages and boathouses, inland lighthouses, and views of Mt Sunapee and Kearsarge. Why exactly an inland lake has lighthouses was not explained. Then, about mid-day we found a quiet cove where we anchored for our picnic lunch and a swim. On our way back we passed by Blodgett Landing in Newbury and then headed North again.  

On our return trip, Bo took us through the "suicide straits" near Little and Grand Islands. It really was no problem, we just followed the leader, merely touching the buoys as we passed. We returned to Sunapee Harbor about 2:30 and quickly reunited boats with trailers. Some folks stopped in the Sweet Shop and the Quack Shack for snacks before returning home.

Many thanks to Bo and Kathy Muller for a great day, and they were even able to order up beautiful weather. When can we do this again !!!