Fort Ticonderoga has announced that it has purchased the Carillon cruise boat, formerly located on the shores of Lake Champlain in Shoreham, Vermont.  Waterway tours are expected to be offered by Fort Ticonderoga beginning this spring.

The acquisition of the boat is part of a larger Fort Ticonderoga waterway recreation and transportation initiative.

“We are extremely pleased to acquire this iconic vessel,” Sanford W. Morhouse, Fort Ticonderoga Chairman of the Board, said in a press release.  “My wife and I were privileged to be guests of Captain Paul Saenger and his wife Rene, the Carillon’s prior owners, on Captain Paul’s last Carillon cruise prior to his passing.  Captain Paul clearly wanted the boat to stay in the southern part of Lake Champlain, and we at Fort Ticonderoga are exceedingly pleased that we will fulfill that wish while greatly enhancing the Fort Ticonderoga experience.”

The Carillon, a replica of a 1920s 1000 Islands cruise boat, is a 60-foot vessel previously owned by Paul and Rene Sanger.  The Sangers owned and operated the boat from a dock in Shoreham, Vermont, offering scenic and educational tours in southern Lake Champlain that highlighted the region’s history, beauty, and nature. Fort Ticonderoga plans to finalize ownership of the boat this spring as it builds plans for waterway tours on Lake Chaplain for the 2015 season.

Fort Ticonderoga recently received a funding in the latest round of the New York State Regional Economic Development grant awards. The grant was awarded to Fort Ticonderoga to support the first phase of development in a waterway transportation and recreation system.  Specifically, the funding will be used to construct a dock.

Visit www.FortTiconderoga.org for a full list of ongoing programs or call 518-585-2821.

Photo: The Carillon cruise boat.