Charity Home Tour By Boat
Weather permitting, the Smith Mountain Lake Charity Home Tour makes a fun boating day- one that may take you to areas of the Lake you haven’t visited yet this year. So line up a few friends, fire up the pontoon, deck boat, runabout or cruiser, and cast off for a great fall outing. Her are some Laker Magazine suggestions for enjoying this year’s Home Tour.
By Jerry Hale

1. Make sure the ship is ship-shape. 
If your boat is to be your Home Tour taxi, make sure she’s full of gas, oil, transmission fluid if applicable, etc. If the engine hasn’t been run for a while, take a ride a day or two ahead to juice up the battery. Stow loose gear, clean off the spider tracks and rinse out the beverage compartment. Everyone has more fun on a boat that’s tidy and orderly. It’s safer, too, when everything’s in its proper place.

2. Prepare for docking. 
Review last month’s docking tips article (Laker Magazine, July-Aug). Locate mooring lines and fenders and stow them where they’ll be handy. A third line – long enough to rig as a spring fore and aft – may come in handy to keep your boat in position at a crowded dock.

3. Plan the trip ahead. 
Pick up an extra FREE copy of the Laker.com SML map and mark each of the seven water-accessible homes in their respective coves.  Then sketch your route based on your start/finish point and the directions provided below. Friday is a great day for boating the Tour since weekday water is smoother and docks are less crowded. This year’s seven waterfront homes are situated fairly compactly, so you can visit them all in one day if you set out in the morning. Homes open at 10 a.m.

4. Think comfort. 
Take windbreakers if the weather’s cool, iced-down thirst quenchers for captain and crew and perhaps a lunch for an on-board or island picnic. You can also plan to pick up sandwiches at one of the marinas/restaurants along the way: Virginia Dare Marina (across from R-21); Bernard’s Landing (R-11), Crazy Horse Campground (deep in the cove at Chimney Island), Foxport Marina (just inside Gills Creek at G-2).

Home Tour Directions by Water
There will be orange marker balloons flying above all seven Home Tour docks. Volunteers will also be stationed on each dock to help boaters tie up and disembark. There is no water access to the Boyer home (Tour Home #8), but it is well worth a visit by car.
Navigation Review: When heading down river (toward the dam), green markers will be on your right, showing descending odd numbers – R-15, R-13, etc. Red markers will be on your left, and numbers will be even – R-14, R-12, etc. When heading upstream (away from the dam), leave red markers to your right. Remember “Red-Right-Returning” (to a river’s source).  Markers aren’t always sequential. For example, there are no markers numbered B-3, B-5 or B-7. We suggest visiting the homes in the following order – or its inverse – to cover all seven homes most efficiently. Please be courteous of other boaters and stay at least 50 feet from docks you pass. Dock space may be tight at some homes, especially on Saturday. Dock workers will get you berthed just as soon as possible, but please be patient if a wait is required. 

TURNER Home
From Halesford Bridge, proceed down the Roanoke River to the second cove beyond marker R-25.  Pass trailers on the north shore of the cove to the 3rd covered dock on the right. Balloon won’t be visible until you pass the trailers. 

STREED Home
This house is on the opposite side of the wide entrance to the same cove as #4, almost back on the main channel. As you head out the cove, leave the two “No Wake” buoys to your right and proceed about ¼ mile. House is on your right, dark brown with an iron pipe railing on the rear deck and three retaining walls in the yard. If you get to B-19A, you’ve gone too far.

BROCK Home
Proceed downstream through the “S” curve and pass the blue water tower and marker R-15.  Leave the trio of small islands to your right and enter the cove by circling around the shoal marker.  House is tan stucco with stone foundation, at the 6th dock past the shoal marker on the right.

TRAEN Home
Exit the cove, bearing 45 degrees left at first shoal marker, then right after the next two shoal markers (across the mouth of the large cove, almost back to the main channel). The Traen’s dock faces the main channel and is the 3rd on the right after you’ve passed the two shoal markers.  

MANTON Home
Now you take a boat ride over to the Blackwater.  Proceed down river, passing between Rabbit Island and the Bernard’s Landing cove.  Pass by the Bernard’s Landing condos, keeping toward the right-hand shore until you enter the Blackwater River at marker B-2.  Pass Christmas Tree Island by going between B-8 and B-9, then angle toward the opposite shore as you continue up the Blackwater. Proceed up river on the left side of the Blackwater, passing beyond B-9A and the Pelican Point Sailing Club. Enter the large cove on the left, just beyond the Pelican Point boat hoist crane. House is a yellow condo; dock is the third on the left from the far end of the cove.

STARNES Home
Return to the Blackwater River main channel, bearing left to continue upstream. Turn left around the point at B-19, then right around B-22.  Continue toward B-24, but angle across the river toward B-23 (which, surprisingly, is UP RIVER of B-24). Enter the cove near the big willow on the point just before marker B23 and stop at the 2nd dock on the right.

HALE Home
Exit cove and return to the Blackwater River. Continue up-river, angling across toward the northern (opposite) shore. House is in the cove just beyond marker B-26. Look for the balloon at the 3rd dock on the left as you enter the cove.