Undocking 2023

Were back at that bittersweet bookend to summer: undocking. And it’s in especially poignant threshold this year. We pulled the docks, boatlift, and both powerboats on Friday, September 22, 2023. The last day of summer, literally and metaphorically.

At Rosslyn we… use the term [undocking] to describe the annual autumn removal of docks (and boat lift) from Lake Champlain once the boats have been hauled and we begin to prepare for the North Country winter. (Source: Undocking)

Summer. Is. Over. The end of waterskiing and surfing. The end of cocktails afloat with friends, boating to dinner, and sunshine soaked swims in the middle of Lake Champlain.

The Nautique is drying out at Fogarty’s Lake Flower Marine, and the Chris-Craft is heading into hibernation at Boats By George. The boatlift is high and dry along Rosslyn’s shoreline, and the docks are even higher and drier behind the barns where they’re temporarily stationed for pressure washing and maintenance before rolling even further afield for winter storage.

These autumn rights of passage catalyze all sorts of introspection year-after-year. Each time the first time, or so it feels. Last year I explored some of the undocking experience(s) in a lengthy post probably more tune to my own cathartic needs than my readers’ needs. (Apologies!) This year I’ll bypass the bittersweet verbiage and share a little secret with you.

If you have followed previous Rosslyn undockings IRL as one of our Lake Champlain neighbors or virtually via this website, or one of our social media feeds, you may be wondering why the docks are behind the barns instead of lined up on the lawn above our sea wall overlooking the beach.

Let’s start with the beach. It’s virtually nonexistent. In fact, the water level is way above, where it would normally be at the end of September. I’ll reserve the more technical, data driven details for a subsequent post. Today let’s just say that Lake Champlain water level is closer to where it would normally be in May rather than where it actually stand as we round the corner of September into October.

So, I’m hoping it’s sort of like remembering to bring an umbrella (so that it won’t rain!) Superstition.

The bottom line is that we’re trying to hedge against the possibility of extremely high water next spring. Higher than normal water levels heading into an anticipated El Niño winter prompts plenty of worry. And so we’ve taken an extra precaution and transported all of the docks, ladders, and ramp to high ground. The boatlift, however, will remain on the beach since there’s no reasonable wat to relocate it.

And do we head into autumn with a herd of aluminum dock sections huddling n ear the asparagus and zinnias! At least it will be more convenient to clean and service them here.

I’ll conclude this post with a photograph of Carley retrieving a frisbee after the boat, boatlift, and docks are gone. A peaceful scene made possible because of the hard work of Pam, Tony, Aaron, and Glen. Thank you for helping to safeguard our waterfront in the era of climate change!