Charlotte Sailing Center closing

Boat owners tread water — wondering what’s next

Just as the summer sailing season was at full tilt, a single email has caused ripples and distress as a number of boat owners find themselves scrambling to find a winter home for their craft.

Guy Franko was working on his boat at the Charlotte Sailing Center on Monday and appeared relatively content in comparison to many of his fellow tenants of the marina. He didn’t know where his boat would go in light of the email sent Wednesday, July 30, informing tenants that Charlotte Sailing Center’s lease was not being renewed and that owners needed to move their boats and belongings, but Franko’s optimistic demeanor appeared to indicate he expected mostly smooth sailing, despite the transition.

Lake Champlain Transportation owns the 90 acres at the corner of Ferry and Converse Bay roads where the sailing center is located. Multiple inquiries were unable to determine whether it was the sailing center or Lake Champlain Transportation that initiated the lease termination.

The email tenants received from the Charlotte Sailing Center said that its lease ends Oct. 1 and that Lake Champlain Transportation has requested that all personal property be removed by Sept. 1, including cradles, ladders and boats.

In an email, Lake Champlain Transportation said the company is seeking another operator for the marina. There was no word on what changes might be expected under a new operator.

The email from the O’Brien family, the current operators of the Charlotte Sailing Center, said that Andy O’Brien will be moving to a to-be-determined adventure.

Franko said he felt there was good chance he might be able to strike a deal with a new operator. He talked to someone at Lake Champlain Transportation, and they said that “they’re looking to keep the marina open under new management.”

Dave Speidel moored his boat in Converse Bay but relied on the Charlotte Sailing Center to put his boat in the water and take it out. Although he sold his boat two years ago, word that the Charlotte Sailing Center was closing was “kind of a bummer.”

Speidel said he has great memories of stories he’s heard at the sailing center because “half the thrill” of having a boat is the conversations that take place around boats.

Someone who spoke on the condition of anonymity, because they didn’t want to jeopardize their chances of finding another place for their boat, said the Charlotte Sailing Center was great for its relatively informal atmosphere and reasonable prices for someone who wants to work on their boat themselves.

They said they guessed there were more than 40 boats stored at the Charlotte Sailing Center, but had no idea how many boats have been abandoned there. And they didn’t have an idea of what would happen to boats that were left there after Oct. 1.

The Charlotte Sailing Center has operated on the property for 20 years. Before that it was Fisher’s Landing on property Kurt Fisher’s parents bought in 1957 and where, in addition to housing boats, they taught sailing and had a day camp until they sold to Lake Champlain Transportation in 1987.

Heather Stewart, operations manager for Lake Champlain Ferries, said that customers who are mooring their boats can continue to park on the property and use the docks to access their boats through the end of September.

In its email, Charlotte Sailing Center said it would not be hauling any boats at the end of the season.