Around Cape May, up Delaware Bay, and through the C&D Canal - Post 12

When we sailed down Delaware Bay earlier in the summer, we used the Cape May Canal to get to Cape May. The Cape May Canal is narrow, shallow, and there are no lights to facilitate any night passages. There are also the remaining foundations of an old bridge to go through. Looking at the tides and currents, we wanted to be at the C&D Canal entrance at 3:30 pm. Knowing that we would have to leave when it was still dark, we decided to go out the Cape May Inlet, into the Atlantic Ocean, then go around Cape May and up Delaware Bay. This added a few miles to our trip but we felt comfortable navigating the inlet in the dark.

Sunset, Cape May, New Jersey

So, we got up at 3:30 am and were heading out the inlet by 4 am. There was traffic in the inlet. A large commercial fishing boat was coming in with its outriggers extended and floodlights blinding everyone within a quarter mile (0.5 km). We passed it to port and soon we were alone in the inlet. It was pitch black. Looking behind us, we saw a 60 ft (18 m) sportfisherman heading our way. The boat was moving fast and was on its way to getting on a plane. Before we knew it, we were looking at a 6 ft (2 m) wake that broadsided us. Rosalind got thrown first to starboard then to port, swinging at least 45 degrees in each direction. We had to hold on so as not to get thrown around. I grabbed the VHF mic and yelled, "Thanks for the wake Captain!" I got a single word reply: "Bummer". The incompetent Captain could have caused us serious harm but we were fortunate. Everything had been well secured down below and we were alright (except for our nerves). It took a few minutes to cool down.

Sunrise, Atlantic Ocean at the Mouth of Delaware Bay

Soon we were in the Atlantic Ocean. We were monitoring RADAR, AIS, the chartplotter, and the depthfinder, as we had to navigate through some shoals on our way into Delaware Bay. Dawn arrived and we saw the ferries servicing Cape May and Cape Hanlopen. The day was hazy and gray but we did not complain, as even without the sun beating down, the temperature still reached 90 degrees (33 C). There was some traffic in Delaware Bay and we stayed out of the shipping channel so as not to be in the way of fast-moving ships. The AIS told us who was in the channel behind us and who was in front of us.

The hours passed and by 3:30 pm we were at the entrance of the C&D Canal. We turned into the Canal at slack water and slowly, slowly the current picked up until we were doing 7+ knots (13+ km/hr). We had initially planned on stopping at Chesapeake City but again (like when we crossed the Canal going in the opposite direction) we decided to take advantage of the current and push on.

Sunset, Bohemia River, Chesapeake Bay

We sailed until dusk and anchored at the mouth of the Bohemia River, in the company of two other ketches, in our beloved Chesapeake Bay. It had been a long day from 3:30 am to 7:30 pm. We covered 70 miles (130 km), another record-breaker for a non-overnight leg. We saw the sunset and turned in for the night. We were on the homestretch.