We had a decent stay in Cape May. We re-provisioned and got some more fuel at Utsch’s Marina. The harbor is pretty shallow and the winds were blowing so we decided to dinghy the fuel jugs in, rather than up anchor and drive the boat into the marina. The next day we pulled anchor just before sun up and joined up as a group again, just prior to entering the Cape May Canal. There is a 55 foot bridge over the canal so some boats had to go back out into the Atlantic and go around. Most of us were able to get under the bridge and through the canal which saved time and fuel. From there we headed up the Delaware River, through the C&D Canal, and anchored in Chesapeake City MD. The winds were forecast to be out of the south which would have shot us up the river. Sure enough the winds were south, right out of the North West. Funniest south winds we have encountered. We bashed up the Delaware in 20-25 knot winds and short choppy seas that slammed the hull and covered the boat with sea spray. We stayed out of the channel to avoid the commercial shipping and it was a fairly uneventful ride. The ride through the canal was uneventful as well. The anchorage in Chesapeake City is fairly well protected but the bottom is very soft and we dragged anchor. Not a big deal, it was warm that first night and we were in the cockpit until 10pm! We had not been out in the cockpit at night for weeks! So we pulled up the anchor, moved to a better spot and reset. This time the anchor dug in deep and set, we slept well. The next morning when the free town dock cleared out we moved over and tied up. We filled up the water tanks and gave the boat a much needed wash down. Chesapeake City is a really nice historic town. Most of the houses have placards out by the sidewalk which gives the year it was built and any historical background, it was very interesting. We walked around to all the shops and ate at the Chesapeake Inn, on the deck overlooking the anchorage and canal. We also visited the US Army Corp of Engineers Canal Museum, which was also very interesting. Today we will depart on the ebb current and shoot down about 25 miles to a nice anchorage on the eastern shore of Maryland.
Fuel stop in Cape May:
Heading back out to the Anchorage:
Commercial traffic picked up as we approached the C&D Canal:
In the canal:
Canal traffic:
Heading west:
Chesapeake City Anchorage:
Below is the anchorage next morning after most of the boats left. There were 13 of us anchored in there. Later in the night a couple of very inconsiderate people came in and dropped anchor dangerously close to the largest boat in the anchorage, a boat that had anchored before we arrived. As the wind picked up they had to fend each other off, words were exchanged and the larger boat picked up anchor and moved. They spent the better part of two hours bouncing around trying to find a spot and get their anchor to set in the soft mud.
Chesapeake Inn and Marina:
Town Dock:
Chesapeake City:
The house on the left is a residence, the three in the middle are shops, the one on the right is a B&B run by the hotel behind it. The canal is immediately to the right:
Museum:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Lock_Pump_House,_Chesapeake_and_Delaware_Canal
Interesting vessel:
Some smaller canal traffic:
http://www.noble-caledonia.co.uk/information/detail.asp?section=vesselspecificinfo&id=2&spid=350
Our “group” is pretty much going their separate ways from here. We met some really great people. We had some folks from Maine, New Hampshire, and Canada. Sorry to see them go. We met another really nice couple from Canada yesterday. They are freelance writers and they work while they sail.
Our near term destination is Washington DC to visit with family and friends. We hope to be there in the next five days, weather permitting.
That’s all for now. Will update again when we find a wifi signal.
