Border Crossing Time! Lake Memphremagog, Length of the Lake Swim, July 19th, 2017

Two Countries, One Border, One Lake.

Length of the Lake Swim – Magog, Canada, to Newport, VT, USA

25.2 Miles

 July 19th, 2017 5:00 am Start Time

Lake Memphremagog, has a  deep history. This history includes stories of many eras, there’s the  loggers and farmers,to name a few, but few can forget the stories of the  smugglers! The smugglers, were in full force, in the 1800’s. They would row up to Magog, Canada, purchase  brandy, silverware, and lace, then row it back down the lake to sell it off, for a tidy profit. Once in Newport, the smugglers, delivered the illegal goods to local farmers and their wives, they made more in one night, than most local folks made in a year.

Many smugglers, dodged the law, and got off, free as a bird. Uriah Skinner, dodged the law until the very end, he hid so well on an island, that he perished there, stranded, after talking shelter in a cave on an island in Canadian waters. He was chased there by British officers, in the dark of the night, they searched, and searched. The Captain, has frustrated that his men couldn’t find Skinner, after one of the men, found his boat, the Captain, declared, ” Let him rot, with his brandy, lace and silverware”. With that, they did! The British officers took Skinner’s beloved boat, and left him there. Unable to swim, that was Skinner’s death sentence!

 We know Uriah Skinner made many successful trips down the lake from Magog to Canada, before he met his fate on what is now ” Skinner’s Island”,   during this swim, we are going to follow his smuggling course. Starting in the early morning, to be unnoticed we will  make our way down the lake, we will make our way down the lake, until we reach Newport, VT, USA.

An adventure, you bet!

You can track our path here: track.rs/charlotte

I’ll keep you posted on the Lake, the border, and the smuggler swim course!