Cape May, NJ to Atlantic City, NJ

Tuesday, 30 June 2015

Notes for boats:  

We chose to run the Atlantic side instead of trying to get through the heavily shoaled inside waterway between Cape May and Atlantic City, due in part to the range of tides we were having, and since low tide would be following us to the north.  If the time of day had the tide rising with us, I'm still not sure if we would have tried it with our 4' 4" draft, it probably would have depended upon the weather

Inlets are always the roughest when the tide is meeting the wind.

Upon leaving Cape May jetties, things quickly settled some after angling out of that current line, and offshore for a straight line to clear the Wildwood shoal by a half a mile, and then straight line to Atlantic City.  Running offshore kept us out of the rougher, shorter swells than if we had followed the beach.

Atlantic City has a clearly marked, wide channel.  The tide inside, at the bridge is a half hour later than the offshore posting.  The bridge tide time would be a better station to use for figuring the current in the inlet.

To enter the Brigantine anchorage, turn well before the bridge, running about 20' off the left hand bank.  There are red markers on sticks, and a couple of green ones once you go around the left hand curve, the place you pull away from the bank.  There are lots of kayaks, beach-goers, and small boats on the beach area to stbd.

We entered at almost low tide with our 4'4" draft.  One of the large harbor tour boats came by in the evening. 

The journey:

This morning we left the marina at 0730, after washing the boat down, vacuuming, dumping the garbage, and doing all those other nasty little boat chores we skipped yesterday!

We fell in behind REJOICE as they went out the Cape May inlet into the Atlantic.  The first few minutes to get through the swells in the jetty were the roughest part of our journey.

Things settled as we got offshore a bit.  I saw some large dolphins, but, no whales!

We enjoyed looking at the amusement park in Wildwood, though our photos didn't turn out.

The USCG was looking for a man in the water off Hereford Inlet with a massive search as we went through the area.  I had the binoculars glued to my face for an hour, looking in the outgoing current as we traversed the area.  They had not located him twelve hours later.

We came through the tight channel into Brigantine anchorage to settle for the day, listening to a steady chorus of sirens from the Atlantic City direction throughout the afternoon.

I was amazed at all the out of business casinos.

There was a nice beach area to the east that allows vehicles, but not dogs.  What's wrong with that?  There were kayaks and small boats, and Mocha and Mercy both looked longingly towards the beach.  They did happily enter into nap mode a little later.

The anchorage was great protection from the night's wind and rain.

Cape May, NJ

Monday, 29 June 2015

Notes to boats:

To get into Utsch's marina, today, turn at red #16 to end of bulkhead, parallel to bulkhead 20-30' off bulkhead.  VHF to Utsch's will always give you latest info.  Little to no current in marina.

There are 3 large front end loading washers, and 6 dryers. Two washers are $2.75, one larger is $3.50.  Dryers run 7 min/.25.  Two sets of restrooms/showers.  The ones in laundry building are very nice.  The ones by fuel dock, not so much.

From the marina, take a short-cut across the yard towards the Lobster House, walk across the bridge towards the Atlantic, and catch the dollar trolley to the Washington St. outdoor mall (think, shops).  If you make a purchase there, the ride back is free!

There are multiple trolley companies, giving great guided tours.  Make sure you get the tour you want.  

From the downtown mall area, there are loads of touristy shops, multiple tour services, great Victorian homes, and a paved "boardwalk" along the beach.  

They charge $6 to go on the beach.  (I'm from Florida, and have trouble understanding the concept of charging for a public beach.)

The Journey:

In the morning, we watched as the dozen boats that had joined us in the anchorage last night left us, one by one.  We had seen several of these boats the past few weeks.  I think everyone was headed north this morning, except us!

We pulled the hook and went back through the channel, past the USCG base, to Utsch's Marina, where we took on fuel, and grabbed a slip for the day and night.  

Ellen looked up from the fuel dock, and saw Terry, a boater from Key West, who is headed to Ohio.  Although we had tried to find them in Annapolis, when we were both there at the same time, this was the first time we'd seen them since Key West.  They were getting ready to leave, and Julie waved to us as The Thrill of the Ride went by.

We slid over into a transient dock, and quickly tied up and started doing laundry.  

Casey and Mary, on the Dessert 1st came in as we were getting ready to head for town.

We walked into the historic part of town, and looked at the Physic's Mansion where we decided we ought to take the trolley tour of town.  I asked a trolley driver if we could get on and pay, or if we had to go through their office.  They said they were the wrong trolley for the trip around town, but told us to hop on for a free ride downtown.  The rest from walking was wonderful, and the narrative of the tour guide was great!

We got off the trolley, and Ellen asked, "Isn't that Jim and Linda?" from the Rejoice.  It was!  In this town of 35,000 tourists and the 3500 year round residents, it was quite remarkable.

Together, we all walked over to the Catholic Church, a gorgeous building that is open to the public.

Jim convinced us that we should go for ice cream, so we wandered over to Ben and Jerry's.  While we were sitting there, who should we spot, but Casey and Mary!  They said they wanted to eat before ice cream, so we each went our separate ways, but, not before Mary told me about the $1 shuttle trolley we could catch back to the waterfront. 

We walked around the beautiful Victorian homes in the district, and along the paved boardwalk at the beach.

We returned towards the Washington mall to catch our dollar trolley, which we found out was free, thanks to our ice cream purchase!

We showered and met the crew of Rejoice for supper at Lucky Bones, a great local restaurant within easy walking distance of both our marinas.

Chesapeake City, MD to Cape May, NJ

Sunday, 28 June 2015

Notes for boats:  

If possible, go with the current going down the Delaware River.  The lower end of Delaware Bay can be rough, so I try to avoid currents opposing winds in the bottom of the bay.  (I know, perfect world...)  If I'm going to have a period of opposing current, I prefer it to be in the upper end,

There is no need to follow the ship channel to keep the high ebb push.  We followed a straight line track from southwest of the power plant, east of the ship channel, down the ship channel, west of Ship John Shoal, and east of Cross Ledge and Miah Maull shoals.  We turned towards red #8 of the Cape May canal after clearing the 12' contour 2.5 mi NNW of the #8.  We never crossed a 12' contour (shallower than 12') on that line.  The only moves I made off that line were to dodge crab floats. 

The 12' contour after the last turn appears to be deeper water than charted.

Watch out for the Cape May-Lewes ferries.  Remember, they come from both directions.  Do not meet them in the western end of the canal.  

Pay attention to the markers entering the canal... red is on right entering the canal from the west, even though today that markers was in the center of the canal.  Shoaling was to the south of the marker.  Pay attention to where the markers change in Cape May, since you will be exiting a different channel.

If you choose to anchor, there is an anchorage well easterly of the USCG docks, to the south of the channel.off the USCG base.  

From Chesapeake City Dock to Cape May anchorage was 63.0nm.

Journey:

This morning I awakened before daylight and watched the pouring rain.  I noticed with interest that there was no wind.  I scrambled through a dozen internet weather sources, as well as a list of current wind directions and speeds.  I had already familiarized myself with the currents in the C & D as well as the Delaware River, and decided it would be a good idea to head out for Cape May.

Unfortunately, last thing yesterday, my friends on REJOICE and on DESSERT 1ST had pretty much decided to sit tight for another day, waiting for that weather window.   I couldn't let the sun come up, and them find me gone!

I talked to Casey when I saw him, and sent a text to Rejoice, and before I knew it, Rejoice and Mercy were underway down the C&D canal.

The rain had flood warnings for much of the area, which although not affecting us, created these falls into the C & D.

We hung a right turn into the Delaware River, and had the wind, the seas, and the current, pretty much pushing us all day.  

This one isn't photo shop, just trying to get that right perspective for the big stack on the little tug!

The forecasted winds weren't quite the direction that had been projected, much to our delight.  Even so, we were glad to come into the calm waters of the Cape May Canal.  Rejoice went to a slip, and Wllen and I settled in an anchorage just offshore the Seamanship school for the USCG.  Seemed like a good spot to quit for the day.

Sassafras River to Chesapeake City, MD

Saturday, 27 June 2015

We awoke this morning with the boat covered in bugs a little bigger than mosquitos that have deposited blue green dots everywhere.  Someone later in the day told me they were may flies.  All I know is they are washed away by the hundreds with the spray nozzle of the washdown hose, and leave a blue green covering that could not be easily washed off.

We pulled anchor at 0620 to get an early enough start to not be bucking a tide before the C & D Canal.  Especially crucial this morning was a forecast of high winds later in the day.  We were in the lee of the high land surrounding the eastern bank as we worked our way northward.  

We tucked into the Bohemia River, wondering if a good choice would be to stop for two days to let the weather pass.  There was a 3' tide today, and we were at high, with only 7'  Notes on Active Captain says a SE wind can blow the water out of the bay, so we changed our minds and continued on.  I have no doubt we could have found a deep enough anchorage, I just didn't want to be stuck where I had to cross shallow water for a couple of miles to get out.  I figured 0800 was too early to pull into a marina.  <g>

We continued into the C & D Canal and up to Chesapeake City in the rain.  

Chesapeake City has a basin along the south side of the canal, that turns to the east after you enter.  There are gov't docks on the northern side, the westernmost had a fireboat, while the remainder appeared to belong to the COE.  There were docks all along the southern and western shore, and a small anchorage between.

There were 3 boats anchored along the centerline, and we chose to drop the hook a little to the south of them, with a short scope.  Our friends Casey and Mary had come in last night, and were tied to the municipal floating dock near the entrance.  Another Nordic Tug, Rejoice, was a couple hours behind us.

When Rejoice docked at the Chesapeake Inn Marina, we went over to dock long enough to eat lunch and enjoy a nice visit with Jim and Linda.

Then, the Dessert 1st moved off the dock they were on for a smaller one further in the corner, allowing us into their space.  The new floating municipal dock is great.  I wish it were a smidgen deeper.  We entered with our 4'4" draft barely allowing maneuverability.  The strong winds from the SE put us right where we needed to be without stirring up the mud too much.

The municipal floating docks are new, and are free for a 24 hr stay.  There is a $10 fee for water, and a $15 fee for electric.  

We walked around town, with many of its houses from the 1860's, before being chased back to the boat with the rain.

Later in the evening, the MERCY crew and the DESSERT 1ST crew joined the REJOICE crew on their boat for a lovely visit.  What a great way to spend a rainy day!

Corsica River to Sassafras River, MD

Friday, 26 June, 2015

The wind blew, and the rain poured, and we were in a sweet anchorage.  The only down-side was washing all the mud off the buried anchor and chain.  <g>  It was worth it!

This morning we took advantage of the cloudy, cooler weather to do a couple hours of routine maintenance.  With batteries topped off, and the oil and filters changed in the main engine, and in the generator, we were underway in late morning.

We went out the Chester River and continued our journey north on the Chesapeake Bay.  

We were passed by this 656' ship.

Along the coasts, cliffs appeared.

We pulled into the Sassafras River, and cruised up a couple of miles, hoping to get into Turner Creek.  The current was behind us, running into the creek, so we returned to the cove in the bend of the Sassafras to anchor.

While the pork chops were grilling on the stern, with squash, potato wedges, and onions, we sat on the bow.  I saw an eagle dive for a fish, and grabbed the binoculars and then the camera.  We were anchored off eagle beach!  

I might not have noticed the eagles on the beach had others kept flying in.  

Ellen said she was tired of osprey photos.  Here are some eagles!

Corsica River, Chester River, and Chestertown

Thursday, 25 June, 2015

This morning I woke up about 0400, writing yesterday's blog.  There wasn't a breath of wind.  It was about 67 degrees!  The bird songs were already starting!

As the light began around 0500, the chorus of birds was like a crescendo.  I saw a large bird in the dim light, flying in a strange pattern.  I picked up the binoculars and realized it had some animal in its talons that was almost larger than it could carry.  It was dark enough I couldn't even identify the bird.

We cruised up the Chester River to Chestertown with the Dessert 1st, our friends, Casey and Mary.

The Chester River is beautiful from the point it narrows down.  There are beautiful woods, farmland, houses on acreages, and a camp, though we didn't see folks there.

I love the osprey nest on the duck blind.

We anchored across from Chestertown, and took the RIB into the free down dinghy dock.  The dock is a little hard to find.  If you see the big marina and restaurant, go to the bridge side of those docks.  Don't be daunted by the No Docking signs, just go around those docks, and you will find a floating dinghy dock, marked for kayaks, canoes, and transient dinghies.  That was great.

Casey, Mary, and Ellen walked to the grocery store while I made a couple of dinghy trips back and forth to the boat, shuttling dogs, and retrieving mail we'd forgotten.

I scurried through town to meet them at the Arby's across from the Acme food store.  

The walk was gorgeous, the historic town is full of well restored houses from the 1700's and 1800's.  The campus of Washington College is in Chestertown, and I enjoyed seeing the labels on the trees along the walkway, identifying the types of trees.

The beautiful sidewalks and walkways ended somewhat abruptly just a little before a major intersection with no crosswalks.  Talk about bad city planning!  We wondered if all the college kids had cars, or if anyone was apt to walk in that direction.

The trip up the Chester River, and our visit to Chestertown were great! I enjoyed the signage around the town, and especially around the town square, with its monuments, fountain, and shops.

We returned down the Chester River with the tide, and anchored in the same spot as yesterday evening.  Storms were forecast for the night, and I opted with the well-proven rather than explore Langford Creek.  If I hadn't been as tired as I was, I would have liked to.

The evening on the hook made me glad I was here.  I sat on the bow with the binoculars and listened to birds while I spotted, with one sweep of the horizon, 7 adult ospreys, 1 blue heron, 1 eagle, 3 baby ospreys on nests, 3 buzzards on the beach, and more smaller birds...  I watched an osprey dive and yank a fair sized fish out of the water in front of us, and stop on a piling nearby to eat.

We went to bed with about the time the wind and rain hit, snug in our sweet little anchorage.

Annapolis to the Chester River

Wednesday, 24 June 2015

This morning, the temperature was cooler, and we walked the dogs, who were really enjoying the not quite as hot weather.

I took advantage of the cooler time of day to walk up to West Marine, and then over to Fawcett Marine, where I found a replacement hose for the shower, and a ladder that I think will work on the swim platform on the Nordic tug as well as the inflatable.  Then, back to West Marine, to purchase a new PA/Horn to replace the one on the boat that had recently died.  A marine electrician was leaving West Marine as I was, and he gave me a ride all the way back to the dock, for which I was grateful!

We got underway, key-holing the MERCY through the 90 degree exit from the slip to the raceway.  Ellen and I had a VERY detailed line handling discussion before undertaking it, and managed to pull it off flawlessly.  You really can't appreciate it unless you've been there!

We cruised out of Annapolis Harbor, into the Chesapeake Bay, and under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.  This curved bridge is quite an impressive structure.

We passed the Sandy Point lighthouse before angling to cross the Bay towards the Chester River.

We cruised up the Chester River, as it began to narrow from the entrance bay, we turned into the Corsica River.  We ducked around a bend or two, finding a couple of great protected anchorages before returning closer to the entrance for a little breeze.  None of the crazy thunderstorms we've had earlier this week are forecast for tonight, but, it is nice to know you could get out of almost any weather, right around the corner.

Our friends, Casey and Mary, on the Dessert 1st came and tied off with us for a bit to visit, before tucking around the bend to anchor.

We are anchored at N39 04.628'  W076 07.043'