Essex-Charlotte ferry service discontinued as of 9:52 am today.

LCT ferry/ies serving Essex, New York and Charlotte, Vermont have been indefinitely suspended until Lake Champlain is “clear of ice”. Yesterday’s announcement that ferry service had been temporarily suspended was followed this morning with news that reopening would be delayed.

CHARLOTTE, VT / ESSEX, NY CROSSING
February 16 2015
Charlotte- Essex Ferry Crossing: Delayed opening. Need more time to check ice in channel. Next update by 10:30am. Grand Isle Cumberland Head Crossing will continue to run 24-7.

Sincerely,
Lake Champlain Transportation Co.

Ferry Service to Reopen Once Clear of Ice

Viewed from the Essex ferry dock this morning it was clear that the ferry channel had frozen up overnight. Bitterly cold temperatures over the last 24 hours accelerated ice formation, complicating the process of breaking the ferry free of its berth and initiating channel-breaking. A short time later the following announcement was distributed by the ferry operator.

CHARLOTTE, VT / ESSEX, NY CROSSING
February 16 2015
Charlotte- Essex Ferry Crossing: Closed due to heavy ice. Will reopen once lake is clear of ice. Grand Isle-Cumberland Head crossing will continue to run 24-7.

Sincerely,
Lake Champlain Transportation Co.

As of the publication time of this post, a notice had not been added to LCT’s online Essex-Charlotte ferry crossing schedule. Nevertheless this most recent message suggests that ferry service will not resume until ice-out. Whether or not this refers to a spring thaw or simply restoring the ferry channel remains unclear. We will hope for the latter!

Update: Essex resident Gretel Schueller offered the following clarification:

From convo on phone, here’s the clarification: not when lake is ice-free, but channel. Hoping to work on breaking it open later this week once it “warms” a bit. ~ Gretel Schueller

Now that’s the sort of update we like to receive. It leaves plenty of room for optimism…

Temporary Transportation Alternatives

The northern crossing will continue to offer 24 hour ferry service, 7 days/week between Grand Isle, Vermont and Cumberland Head, New York (Plattsburgh). You can view the northern crossing schedule here. And for car-commuters benefitting from a southern alternative, your best route will be to drive across the Champlain Bridge between Crown Point, New York and Chimney Point, Vermont.

Willsboro resident Beatrice Disogra, a daily ferry commuter to her work at UVM, Department of Neurosurgery offered this “glass is half full” perspective:

“Well, at least the price of gas is still down.” ~ Beatrice Disogra

Low fuel prices may help offset the inconvenience some ferry-dependent residents experience in the coming weeks or even months. And given the thickening ice sheet stretching from shore to shore, perhaps more adventurous commuters will take to their snowshoes or x-country skies to traverse the lake? The 2015 ferry closure just might turn out to be the best fitness incentive around!

News & Updates

In an effort to keep you up to date we will broadcast this post immediately despite the fact that “the full picture” is still emerging. We will communicate any further Essex-Charlotte ferry schedule updates as they become available. And if you have any insights, please contact us. Thank you.

Related articles

• Ferry Service Suspended (www.essexonlakechamplain.com)
• Ferry service resumes after high-wind closing (newsday.com)
• Spring Thaw Climbing Competition (essexny.us)