9/20/2014 - 9/21/2014, Rough Seas and Huge Barges, Chesapeake Family Reunion

9/20/14

Rough Seas and Huge Barges

We left South Jersey Marina about 8 AM, refreshed, and with all electronic devices fully charged. We wanted to get through Delaware and inland before the expected bad weather, and we heard that Delaware Bay can be challenging in windy, rough weather, especially against the tide.

Getting out of Cape May Harbor and through the breakwater was very rough, with huge breakers and poor visibility. This is the ocean, and it was not calm on this day. There were no other boats in sight except for some small fishing boats inside the breakwater, one ferry and one distant sailboat.

We still didn’t have a working chart plotter, so we continued plotting our lat/long from the info on the chart plotter to the paper charts, and trying to use whatever navigation aids we could see.

The wind was about 15 kts, seas were 3-6 ft or more, very rolly and crashy, and the skies were grey until about 10 AM when the sun finally started to come out. We were running with 2 reefed sails and the engine at 2000 rpms, and only doing about 5 kts, due to the current and unfavorable wind.

We finally entered Delaware Bay and after a while the seas smoothed out. By the end of the day we were able to do 7 kts.

Sandy and Chuck in Delaware Bay

During the day, we saw huge tankers and tugs and barges in Delaware Bay, lighthouses to photograph, and a few other pleasure boats. 

 Tug and Barge in Delaware Bay

Lighthouse in Delaware Bay

Passing the huge barges, we were reminded of a conversation that we once heard on the radio between a sailboat and a ferry boat, in the fog. The sailboat was trying to warn the ferry of their presence, and the ferry finally responded, “Well, try to stay alert, and, uh, give way if you can?” (The ferry, being much larger and therefore less maneuverable, has the right of way.)

MRE Adventure

We experimented with the MRE’s that we had on board. These are “Meals Ready to Eat” that were given to us when we lost power for a week during Hurricane Irene, and they last a very long time. They are military “Happy Meals” with lots of components. There is the plastic wrapped entrée, which is heated automatically when a small amount of salt water (included in a tiny package, even though we had plenty outside) is added to the box. The box contains something like the pads that skiers put in their gloves and boots, which causes a chemical reaction and gets very hot, to heat the plastic wrapped entree. While the entrée is heating, you can have the “appetizer” of peanut butter and crackers (my favorite part). After the entrée, which is eaten with the included oversized plastic spoon, there is a package of raisins and a cookie (Chuck’s favorite part) for dessert.

At 7PM, just before dark, we anchored behind Reedy Island in Delaware, not far from our new friends on Celestial Melody, and within site of the nuclear plant on “Artificial Island,” with its eerie greenish evening glow.

Artificial Island in Delaware Bay, in the daytime

For the first time, we anchored with the Bruce anchor. Success!

9/21/14

Our First Canal

We brought up the anchor at 8:30 AM. The tide was in our favor. We traveled at 8.2 kts and by 9:30 we were at the end of Delaware Bay (for us) and entering the C&D Canal, the first of many canals on this voyage. C&D = Chesapeake and Delaware. The tide was slack in the canal and for a while we didn’t see any other boats. Then we passed an enormous tanker, high and empty. Then another tanker, low and full. Then a tug and barge. They passed very closely!

Tug and Barge, in the C&D Canal

Because our chart plotter wasn’t really working, it didn’t show the canal. Instead, it showed an image of our boat going across land from one body of water, Delaware Bay, to another, Chesapeake Bay!

Our Chart Plotter, the 48 NM view, boat over land

Chesapeake Family Reunion and XMAS in September

Just before 1 PM, we anchored outside the channel, in the just-deep-enough water, at Rogues Harbor, at Elk Neck State Park, in the Elk River, which leads to Chesapeake Bay. As we were putting down the anchor, I overheard a woman on a small motor boat, which was leaving the small dock at the park, loudly ask her companion, “Are they dawking there?” (Yes, we are, but we call it “anchoring,” not “docking” when there is no dock.)

We were there to meet Chuck’s daughter, Sarah, and her husband, Matt, and their two boys, Caleb (4) and Andrew (16 months).  We had a great picnic. The kids waded in the water. We collected shells and seaglass. Caleb, the entomologist, collected bugs. And we collected our packages. It was Boater’s Christmas, in September! We got Chuck’s sink drain replacement part, more engine belts and filters, and our chart navigation chips. Hurray!!

Chuck’s daughter, Sarah, with Caleb, 4 and Andrew, 16 months. 

Sarah's husband, Matt

Caleb, trying to avoid getting his shorts wet. 

Grandpa Chuck

Happy grandchildren, Andrew, 16 months, and Caleb, 4

Caleb with his bug collecting jar 

Rogues Harbor, at Elk Neck State Park 

Sandy, Family Reunion picnic day, at Rogues Harbor, on the Elk River, MD.

While we were there, a huge tanker came by and made an enormous wake. 

Huge tanker, and Summer Wind, Elk River, MD

It rocked our anchored boat and a big wave came to shore and almost washed away several plastic toys, sandals and bug collecting jars. But it didn’t dampen our spirits!

Sandy & Chuck

on s/v Summer Wind