Deale, MD to Cape May, NJ

We finally left our favorite marina, Shipwright Harbor, on Monday, May 18th. The wind was about 15 knots and gusting to 20 and, of course, was out of the north. Since we were in no hurry, we tacked up the Bay until the wind quit near Thomas Point Lighthouse. Our destination was Whitehall Bay, near Annapolis and it was a perfect first anchorage.

Tuesday was a beautiful, sunny day but one without wind. So, we motored toward the C&D canal expecting to anchor in the Bohemia River or to take a slip at the Summit North Marina. However, we caught the north-bound current and flew through the upper reaches of the Chesapeake and then the canal. We were doing 8 and sometimes 9 knots which is quite fast for us. 

We anchored behind Reedy Island just south of the canal. It has a spectacular view of the cooling tower at the Salem Power Plant across the river in NJ. The last time I was there was in 1987 when I was sailing north with Justin, Kai-lee and our dog, Duke. 

There were quite a few other boats anchored there as well so we picked what seemed like a reasonable spot and dropped our trusty plow. The wind was blowing at about 15 knots out of the south and the current on that portion of the Delaware is rather strong. We were curious how things would play out when the current changed. Slack tide was around 9:30 pm and by 10 pm wind and current had settled into an opposing condition. This caused one of the other boats nearby to swing extremely close to us. It would veer away to a more suitable distance and then veer back. So, after about 15 minutes of deliberation, we decided to move a hundred yards or so away.  No trauma to report. The move paid off and we had a very restful sleep. 

The following day we motored on a windless, bug-less Delaware Bay to Cape May. We had considered going on to Block Island but did not have enough diesel fuel and the weather predictions indicated that we might have to motor quite a bit. We chose to take a slip at a marina and take in a dinner at Lucky Bones. 

Upon the routine check of the motor for oil leakage, I discovered an unusual amount of green liquid caught in the oil drip pan that lives under the motor. Tracing the leak to the source, we determined that it was anti-freeze leaking from the cooling system water pump. I'd seen a few drops of this before but didn't recognize it as anti-freeze. Anyway, we ordered a new pump that we expect will be delivered on the 22nd. We'll then head to Atlantic City to give it a test and to visit our friends Paul and Coleen. Paul is the good Samaritan that helped us back in 2005 when we broke the cable to our transmission. New Jersey people are the greatest!

So, while waiting for the pump, we will enjoy Cape May. 

--Ken

BEGIN AMY :

It feels good to be cruising again, though I did not feel the delirious joy I did when we set off two years ago. It was more like relief to finally be pushing off. My back had been bothering me, so our departure was delayed and I was beginning to fear we'd never go anywhere. I'm glad to say my back is getting steadily better.

Unlike our previous trip, when I shot loads of video, I have not shot 1 frame. In fact, I'm still editing the video from the last voyage. I do plan to complete it before I leave this earth.

Somebody once said, "cruising just means fixing your boat in exotic places." I couldn't agree more. What's more exotic than Cape May, New Jersey? We took a lovely bike ride into town yesterday and ogled the beautiful Victorian B & Bs, checked out the beach and settled into a beer at a sidewalk cafe to watch the passersby. It's one of those places that makes me feel like maybe I'm not such a bad dresser.

Here's a typical interaction between Kenny and I.

Kenny: Mumble, mumble, mumble...

Amy: What?

Kenny: Mumble...

Amy: Are you talking to me?

Kenny: No, I'm singing. (Or) I'm talking to the radio.

Apart from the fact that we're already over budget, all is well. Life is good.