An Invitation to the Raquette Lake Steamboat Camp

[Kelly Anderson]

Fellow Steamboaters,

I trust that this finds you all in good health and ready to meet the new steamboating season!

Raquette Lake, New York is a perfect steamboating lake, with 99 miles of shore line, surrounded by mountains, with two navigable rivers, and naturally tannin treated water that is perfect for our boilers. The shores of the lake are much less developed than say, Lake Winnipesaukee (for example). There is a highway on one side of the lake only, and the village of Raquette Lake only has one store (with ice cream!), and one eating place. Most camps on the lake have water access only. In the 19th century, Raquette Lake was a popular destination for the Robber Barons to have summer "camps", some of which are still active, such as C. P Huntington's "Pine Knot". The lake featured a fleet of steam launches to carry these well-heeled passengers to their camps.

As you may have heard, a number of us have been renting a house with limited sleeping capacity on Raquette Lake every August since 2002, and have come to see steamboat camp as the best week of the year. Starting in 2019, we shifted our base to the Raquette Lake Girl's Camp https://raquettelake.com/, whose huge capacity opened up the possibility of nearly unlimited potential attendance for others in our hobby. The girls all return to school by mid August, which gives us an opportunity to rent the facility between then and when the camp is winterized.

Pre-Covid, the Raquette Lake Girl's Camp had locked in our schedule by February 15th, but like everywhere else, 2020 had left them in disarray, and running late trying to plan the new season. However, I have now heard from the camp, and the word is that the dates are for us to arrive on Sunday August 22 in the afternoon and depart on Saturday August 28 in the morning (they have wedding receptions scheduled for Saturday the 21st and Saturday the 28th and so will need time to prepare the dining hall for the events). I had been hoping for a start date of August 16th to give us the longest downtime between Steamboat Camp and Lee's Mills, but other people's wedding plans put the kibosh on that idea (weddings pay higher rents to the camp than steamboaters).

Pricing will be $600 per person for the week, plus roughly $16 per person for insurance, plus signing a liability waiver, are all required by the camp.
That price includes:
• Lodging for six nights. For the first eleven that request one, a very small "motel room" (usually staff quarters) with a queen sized bed and private bath, or barring that, a bunk in a very nice bunk house. You supply your own sheets, blankets, pillows, towels & soap.
• Seventeen meals for the week, prepared by a professional chef, including box lunch “kits” for the days that we are out boating at lunch time.
• Access to the dining hall 24/7 for our use as a social hall for games and puzzles.
• Access to the camp's ramp (the village also has a ramp of better quality about a mile away) and ample docks.
• Ample parking for trailers and tow vehicles.
• Sorry, no swimming at the camp. We would need to pay for a lifeguard to be allowed to do that at the camp. There are plenty of other beaches etc. around the lake open to swimming at your own risk.

In previous years, wood fuel has generously been supplied free of charge by the Raquette Lake Supply store in town. I believe that will also be the case this year.

Generally, stays of a partial week are not allowed, but for example should you be able to stay the first half of the week, and have a friend who can stay the second half, so together you count as one person for the entire week, I will check with the camp management to see if that is acceptable to them.

The deadline for signing up is August 1st. I request a refundable $200 per person deposit when you sign up to join us.

If you are interested in hearing more or attending Steamboat Camp this year, reply to this post, email, or call me.

Feel free to raise any questions as you think of them. Feel free to forward this information to others who may be interested in attending.

Sincerely,
Kelly Anderson
anythingsteam@aol.com
717-572-7076

[RNoe]

Sounds wonderful!
Are there options for meals that won't disable us, such as gluten free?
That is unfortunately a requirement for survive for some of us.
RussN

[Kelly Anderson]

I will ask. A reply may be slow in coming in that the start of their season is still some time off.

[Kelly Anderson]

I received an answer more quickly than I expected. "We can accommodate the gluten free participants. We just need to know how many so we can prepare."

[RNoe]

Kelly:
Thank you for your efforts.
The food issues are an unfortunate limitation for many events.
But things are improving, as your information illustrates.
Thank you.
RussN

[fredrosse]

Sounds great, I will try to attend this year. Thanks for posting.

[Kelly Anderson]

Fred,

That's great! Send me an email, and I will add you to the list.

Thanks,

Kelly
anythingsteam@aol.com
717-572-7076

bunk room 1.jpg (66.55 KiB) Viewed 12288 times

private room.jpg (106.63 KiB) Viewed 12288 times

[TahoeSteam]

Wow. That's an outstanding deal! What a neat idea! Wish I was closer.

[Kelly Anderson]

With this post, I am bumping this thread back to the top of the active threads on the Steamboating Forum, as I don’t want people to forget about this opportunity. At this time, I have paid the required down payment, and have a signed contract from the camp for Steamboat Camp, August 22nd through 28th.

Currently, fourteen steamboaters, bringing eight launches are committed to coming to camp. Six of the possible eleven private bedrooms have been reserved. However, we still need a few more people to sign up to get us to meet the camp’s minimum attendance requirement to make it worth their while.

So if you are seriously considering coming, please contact me to declare your intentions, and I will send you the waiver to sign. You can send your down payment in at a later date if your budget demands it.

Feel free to raise any questions as you think of them. Feel free to forward this information to others who may be interested in attending.

Sincerely,
Kelly Anderson
anythingsteam@aol.com
717-572-7076

Marion Carry RR Terminal.jpg (76.67 KiB) Viewed 11508 times

At the head of navigation of the Marion River, about five miles from Raquette Lake.

Tied up to the remains of the station dock of the Marrion Carry RR for lunch..JPG (80.12 KiB) Viewed 11508 times

[Kelly Anderson]

Carl Kriegeskotte's Saucey on Raquette Lake.JPG (106.08 KiB) Viewed 11506 times

Beached on the north shore of Raquette Lake for lunch..jpg (150.81 KiB) Viewed 11506 times