We left Cape May on 6/11/15 and had the best ride to Atlantic City. We were 1 1/2 to 2 miles off shore big sun and a light breeze. It was just perfect. After a short while you could see the skyline of Atlantic City in the distance. So different from the miles of beach houses and beaches that we had for the first few hours. The only problem was that the city looked like it was right there, just around the next corner for 2 more hours... AC was a one night stop and we didn't leave any of our greenbacks at the casinos.
Atlantic City to Manasquan
From AC to Manasquan Inlet was a 6 hour ride. Again, we had pretty good water and weather conditions. Not quit as flat as cape may to AC but still a fantastic day in the water. Manasquan is a huge recreational boating area with sport fish as far as the eye can see. The Marina is located on a part of the inlet where there is a train bridge that has to be closed every time one of the commuter or Amtrak trains passes through. In our short 12 hour stay we saw no less than a couple dozen. Do you know how strange it is to see a train pass by the bow of the boat about 10 feet away???
On to the big apple
Waited until slack tide to leave our tight quarters and not have to fight the 10 knot current. Yep, I said and meant 10 knots!!! The entire exit took about 15 minutes and in that time we dealt with a train bridge lift several jet skis, a 5 kt current in the inlet and a boat who decided to drop anchor and fish in the channel that was about 3 boats wide to begin with lined with rocks on each side. Whew!!!!! Glad we're finally on open water with no worries in site.
That's when it seemed like it was a little foggy out, strange for 11am. The 3 mile visibility turned into 2 and then into less than a half mile for the rest of the 5 hour trip to Manhattan. We were fortunate to catch up with Conch Quest, who we had met the night before and go into NYC harbor together. You know when you loose one of your senses the others are heightened. We could hear everything around us. Commercial vessels announcing their arrival or departure in the Ambrose Channel, we could hear them sounding their horn in the fog, we could see large blobs on the radar and then a few minutes later we could feel the wake they left behind. A couple of times as the fog lifted some we could see large container ships as close as 1/4 mile away at best. Made us stop and go WHOA. We ran the outside edges of the commercial channel and they were in it so never any danger but ominous none the less.
As we neared the city and land the fog lifted quickly and there it was!! First the Verrazano Bridge, Brooklyn next on the left, Manhattan skyline starts to grow bigger and clearer and for the grand finale.... Lady Liberty. WOW. I'm on overload.
Our stay in Bear, DE ended up lasting a few more days than we had anticipated with small craft advisories for the delaware river/bay over and over again. The overnight stop turned into 5 days It really is a very pretty area with one stop shopping if you need to go to the grocery, deli, post office or buy fire wood. Yep, they are all the same place. Fortunately for us it was about 2 miles down the road which gave us both something to do and some exercise.
The Marina, Summit North, is a hurricane hole off of the C&D about 2/3 of they way through the canal. All along the canal are some very nice walking/biking trails. The place is actually kind of weird - it's like there was a plan for a resort type facility that only got half implemented. A very nice miami/south Florida style restaurant on the hill overlooking the river. Roads and infrastructure as if a hotel or houses were going to be put in, but stopped in time. All in the middle of NO WHERE - just weird.
With the arrival of Friday, and the weather/marine forecasts clear, we were VERY excited to head south (wait, isn't this the wrong direction???) down the Delaware. The Delaware is a very busy river for commercial vessels, in our 6 hour trip, we saw at least a half dozen tanker, cargo ships & barges. The first 4 hours of our trip were great - the last 2 hours kicked the crap out of us. Nothing dangerous, but again we had very confused 2-4 foot seas hitting us randomly from all sides. Things were rolling around everywhere. At one point, we heard something bang and the dingy engine that we stowe behind the ladder in the cockpit had rolled 1/2 way across and was blocking the door. You should have seen the gymnastics required to put it back and tie it up while pitching side to side. You can be sure that we have everything now stowed away and secured before leaving the dock, even if we are expecting a nice day!
Scheduled for a 2 day stop, ended up being 5. At least this time we were in a pretty cool place with lots to do and see. I never really gave Cape May much consideration before, but it is an old fishing town, with some great beaches and lovely neighborhoods. The entire city of Cape May is designated the Cape May Historic District, a National Historic Landmark due to its concentration of Victorian buildings. (The most outside of San Francisco). We stayed at the Canyon Club Marina, it was great, infinity pool, a short bike/walk from restaurants, shops and the beach. The weather continued to be sketchy - cold and windy. We were in Sweaters and jeans (again - I had already packed them away for the summer, or so I thought). Overall a pretty great place, that we would like to visit again, but right now, we are itching to get moving again, and Wednesday looks like it's going to be the day.
So happy we left the docks today! What a great ride we had as well. Sunny skies, a nice slow roll on the ocean and a 4 hour trip from Cape May to A.C. We rode about 2 miles off shore, which gave us a great view of the "Jersey Shore". It was really enjoyable all around. Here we sit under clear skies and a view of the casinos across the inlet. We have Bally's, Harrrah's and the world famous Golen Nugget. We had opted not to leave our $$ at the tables this time.
The strange water patterns continue, the winds have picked up and the marine forecast for tomorrow is borderline for making more northern progress. We are learning patience over the past few weeks for sure.
The Chesapeake Bay is a much bigger body of water than we anticipated and we only skimmed the surface with our visits to Deltaville, Solomons Island & Annapolis. Because of the vastness, we found ourselves so far offshore most of the day, you really couldn't see and appreciate the beautiful coastline. If you want to "explore" the bay, you really need to get yourself "into the rivers" that are along the shoreline. With that said, it might just alter our plans for our trip back south so that we can do some additional exploring in this area. What we did see was simply beautiful, and each place different from the place before it. We also enjoyed (through the binoculars) the numerous lighthouses that dot the bay. These are a few of the ones we passed.
Deltaville:
Deltaville is located in a fairly rural portion of Virginia. There are a couple of stores, restaurants and most every kind of support service for sailing within a 5 mile stretch along a main road. The bay is really a haven for sailboaters. The marina was a working yard catering to sailboats. This is the first place we realized they have WINTER here. It's a week after Memorial Day and there were still a lot of boats on the hard. Some still in shrinkwrap. Deltaville has a maritime museum focused on the deadrise boats that are still used in these waters today for crabbing and fishing. We spent the day on the bikes checking out the local scenery and the afternoon in the marina pool.
Solomons Island
Gorgeous little island located on the Patuxent River in Maryland. Much less rural than Deltaville and had a lot more going on as far as restaurants and shops. Very picturesque. We had the pleasure of a mooring in the prettiest lagoon for the evening. This makes the "Do again" list for sure.
The south bank of the Patuxent River, is home to Headquarters, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, the Atlantic Test Range, and serves as a center for test and evaluation and systems acquisition relating to naval aviation. This also meant that we were treated to our own private airshow for a few hours, which was VERY COOL!. This short video doesn't do justice to the experience - they were so loud and some so low, you could feel them in your chest.
Annapolis
Spent 2 nights in Annapolis which, for anyone who know us, is one of our favorite places to visit. Our first time arriving by water (which was a real treat for us). Visiting some of our favorite "haunts" Rams Head, Prussers and just wandering the streets was just the best. We stayed in the mooring field located in the harbor just off the Naval Academy giving us the best views of the capital building and Naval Academy Dome that were lit up each night. Water taxi's were available on demand to take you almost anywhere along the waterfront for $3. Even with our own tender, it was pretty handy for venturing out at night, when the harbor seemed to get churned up.
Saturday was a sunny warm day to explore with the dingy. We discovered Spa Creek which runs between Annapolis and Eastport. There are a few marinas and mooring fields in very protected waters and still very accessible to town. I think we've made this our stayover of choice for Annapolis when we return in the fall. Eastport is the city next door to Annapolis across Spa Creek. We spent a little time here on Saturday afternoon and wish we could spend more. Same feel as Annapolis, but much more residential and home to several restaurants on the water. We had the best dinner at a place called O'Leary's Seafood. Highly recommend it!
Annapolis provided some of the roughest waters for overnighting so far. There is a huge amount of boat traffic (harbor boat tours, folks cruising the waterfront and extremely windy on top of all that. To say we got ROCKED to sleep each night is an understatement. Our last night here felt like we were sleeping in a washing machine.
To C&D Canal
North of Annapolis, you could see both sides of the Chesapeake, which was very different than the previous days travels. A significant portion of the western shore, north of Baltimore, is occupied by the Aberdeen Proving Grounds. We were racking our brains trying to remember what was "special" about this area - so our friend Google enlightened us. Wow, there is/was some "badass" stuff taking place at this Army facility. Once again, glad to have US on our side.
Located at the northern tip of the Chesapeake is the C&D Canal. It is the waterway that connects the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays. The Chesapeake Bay has spoiled us with its consistent water depths of 15 to over 100 feet everywhere! Expecting the canal to look more like what we are used to boating the ICW in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, we were quite surprised to find it meandering, wide and lots of communities and activity on both banks. Making our way approximately 1/2 way through on Sunday, there was little commercial traffic, but lots of pleasure boaters buzzin around. We are spending the night at the North Summit Marina before making our way down the Delaware River to Cape May, NJ. Looking ahead at the weather and water conditions, it is likely that this stop will end up being a 2 night stay. The marine forecast is calling for a low front to pass through today with a S winds and 2-3 foot seas. No SCA, but with our next leg being southerly, higher wave action and opposing winds, we have learned, end up resulting in a very long uncomfortable day. Tuesday is calling for north winds and 1-2 foot seas and sounds like a much nicer day for a boat ride.
Neptune, Prime Rib and the end of the ICW. We have been holding off on doing a lot of anchoring as we wait for warmer weather to catch up with us but as we made our way up the Pungo River it was clear to see there would be no better time or place. Finding our way into a well protected basin we quickly found ourself with four other boaters. It what can only be described as one of the most stunning sunsets that Neptune can provide it was truly the prefect ending to a great day of boating.
But what Neptune gives he also takes away! The next day we powered our way off the hook and off to a new day making our way north straight into Albemarle Sound. Now Albemarle Sound should take an hour for us to cross but our old friend Neptune god of the Sea decided we were not paying enough attention and were not paying proper respect. So he decided to give us four foot seas straight into our starboard beam. Giving us almost three hours of 30 degree pitching. Message delivered!!! So now not only do we check and recheck our course for the next day we check and recheck with NOAA for upcoming weather. When coastal cruising you learn one thing prepares you for the next thing. With the Chesapeake Bay and a run up the New Jersey coast line in our future we will put the lessons of Albemarle Sound to good use. After leaving Albemarle Sound we made a short run to Coinjock home of the greatest Prime Rib known to man. But if I'm being honest at that moment we could care less about Prime Rib we just wanted to shake off a rough day. Shower, food and sleep!
After checking in with NOAA we decided the smart thing was to get a late start as we made our to Portsmouth VA as the weather would be getting better as the day went on. So we slid off the dock around 10:00 and made way for a three day stop for the Memorial Day weekend. Along the way we got to go through a lock for the first time at the Great Bridge Lock. With great excitement the lock tender lifted us eight inches! Eight inches?!?! Are you kidding me?!?! Oh well onwards we go! As we pulled into Portsmouth we got to pass a long line of Navy war ships on the Norfolk side of the channel. Really something to see. First it does make you proud and second glad there on our side. Portsmouth has proven to be a great stop. It has given us a chance to clean and restock the boat. Portsmouth also marks the end of the ICW and the beginning of the Chesapeake Bay.
Click Here for Pix from Pungo Anchorage, Ablemarle Sound & Coinjock
We had to open several bridges on this leg and most of them timed. I want to give a big shout out to the figure eight bridge. We had terrible timing for the first two bridges today. Figure Eight Bridge tender was awesome. He personally went down under the bridge to check our clearance for us because we missed the opening by about 5 minute and we were only inches away from clearing. Then he says. "com'on down here; I won't letcha hit nothin." Started to go through slow. Almost through... "Awwww, back it up Capt. Your dag gum light is about 3" to much." I can tell you with some certainty that there aren't many tenders who would go through the trouble of coming out of their houses and do this for us. Lesson learned - Take the one hour between the bridges and time it accordingly.
A very pretty ride along a fairly populated section of the waterway. Stayed @ Swan Point Marina run by none other than Tina Turner and her mother. I would pass this one by next time....
Today we are headed to Oriental, NC. As I'm sitting here having my coffee getting ready to go and I hear gun fire (a lot of gun fire) from Camp Lejeune. We learn that they perform live fire operations drills here often firing across the ICW. A phone number is provided for you to call daily and find out if/when the waterway will be closed to boat traffic. No drills are scheduled for today, so we should be good to go. We are first greeted by several security patrol boats and if you look closely, you can see the troops performing drills along the waterway and when you look toward the other side (starboard as you head north) you can see targets and shot up tanks both along the banks of the river and farther in on the dunes. Pretty cool stuff and I'm glad that these guys are on our side!
To reach Oriental, you have the pleasure of crossing some pretty "big water" The Bougue Sound and the Neuse River. No Active Captain warnings today for shoaling, which is a nice break.
Marina is fabulous and everyone is super friendly. We walk for groceries and on the way back to the marina, we are asked twice by locals if we need a ride back to the marina. One of the ladies who offered us a ride weren't even going in the same direction we were. Oriental is a small fishing town with a few shops here and there, but largely not much going on outside the marina. Great place for a 2 day stay, clean up the boat and get our laundry done. BTW, they make killer margarita's.
Navigational notes: Snows cut can be thin on either end. Try to catch the current on the Cape Fear River or it will be slow going. No bridges.
Fun Fact: Traveled roughly 48 miles today and made only 13 miles northern progression.
Hard to believe we've been at this for 100 days. Seems like just yesterday and at the same time seems like this is the way it's always been. None the less - Holy Smokes!!! The trip from Myrtle Beach to Carolina Beach was fairly straight forward. The scenery was largely developed with houses, condos, restaurants & bars along each side. We passed through several inlets (Shallots & Lockwood Ferry), where the ocean was Bam! right there. Making our way up the Cape Fear River, which is a major commercial channel was interesting to say the least. We encountered tugs, ferries and a tanker along the way. The tanker took up the entire channel causing us to run outside for most of it, but hey - he was significantly bigger than we were. (Dennis here- Becky might not be telling the whole story. As the tanker was coming toward us it was making her very nervous. And when Becky gets nervous she talks. A lot! Finally unable to hold it in she yelled out CAREFUL WE DON'T GET SUCKED INTO THE JET WASH! Jet wash I thought?? So I now have Goose from Top Gun standing behind the captains chair yelling at me about Jet Wash! After I assured her that we would be ok and the tanker passed harmlessly by I looked at her and just started to laugh and with a smile she looked at me and said she can't believe she had said that out load.) Stayed for 2 nights in Carolina Beach, which is your quintessential beach town. It reminded us both a lot of Ocean Isle. About 100 yards from the boat was a municipal day dock with public access to the ocean. We spent the afternoon walking the beach and playing in the water. After we dinghied a bit farther up the cove, to a local fish shack with good food and cold beer. Remember, that taking dingy rides is one of my favorite things to do and today I got hours of it! :-)
This place is a hidden gem, the mooring field is about 2 years old, easy to reach moorings and spectacular views in a well protected cove. We will be back here again! WW: ~30
Departed Georgetown around 8:30 thinking we had about a 6 hour day ahead of us. Well the wind and tides had other ideas. We ran all day with about a 15-20 mph head wind causing us to take a little longer than anticipated. We traveled primarily on the Waccamaw River most of the way to Myrtle Beach.
This was not a problem because the ride was spectacular, and while it might be hard to believe, the scenery was yet again different from yesterday. Today, the trees turned from primarily pine to largely cypress with some pine sprinkled in for good measure. There were no banks to the river. The river's edge was just trees and swamp. We also passed several "lodges/fish camps" along the way, which we thought would be pretty cool to visit by land for a few days.
We saw some of our first rocky shorelines and first swing bridge openings.
The ride was very rural up until you reached Myrtle Beach then became pretty typical for what you'd see along a commercialized beach town. Nice, but I prefer the "crunchy" view.
Myrtle beach yacht club was a perfect stop for the night. Tucked back in a cove directly off the ICW made for easy off and easy on and the dock hands who met us were pleasant and very helpful. Best yet was the $1/ foot with our Boat US discount.
