It is remarkable how much my life is timed by weather, tides, and currents. There was a small craft advisory in effect for increasing afternoon winds out of the NW. The current was flooding during the morning. Timing for the Delaware Bay and the C & D canal were examined closely.
The most important things that I look at, is how to time the current at the mouth of the bay so that it is not opposing the wind, and at the funnel of the bay, I want the current pushing me.
I eased out of Utsch's Marina at about 0410 and ran the canal in the dark. Once away from Cape May, there isn't as much surrounding lighting to mess up navigation. The opening in the railroad bridge was an area I was worried about, and it is actually easier to spot in the dark! The roughest part of the trip was the hour after leaving the Cape May Canal into the Bay, and heading to the northwest. We crossed the lower bay before too much current was running, and then rode the current all the way up, through the Delaware Bay, and through the C & D Canal. As the winds increased, from the NW and West, we were tucked out of the wind, and enjoying a huge current push. We rode the current to almost Annapolis before eventually losing the push.
We eased down the coast to tuck up in Rhode River to anchor for the night. N38 53.446' W076 31.965' It was about a 120nm day.
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