Chesapeake & Delaware (C & D) Canal to Delaware Bay
Once we stuck our nose out into the Chesapeake Bay from the Patapsco River early on the morning of 6 June, the seas were 2 to 3 feet, mostly three feet, for the first two hours of the trip. It was a little uncomfortable, but it could have been a lot worse. If we haven’t said so already, the Chesapeake can be downright dangerous if one goes out in the wrong weather. After our experience in Marathon, FL, we have learned to watch the weather very closely. Once we got to the point in the northern Chesapeake where the Bay narrows, the seas flattened out and the ride was smooth for the rest of the trip.
We heard a “May Day” on the marine radio while traveling today, and a May Day is never a good thing. It means that there is an immediate danger of loss of life, the vessel sinking, or both. In this case, a Sports Fisher-type boat radioed the Coast Guard that smoke was coming from his engine compartment. The USCG responded immediately, on the radio, asking all the right questions (location of the boat, number of people aboard, injuries, safety equipment aboard, and so on). The last contact that we heard was that that the smoke had gone from grey to black and all persons on board were about to abandon ship. We saw two Coast Guard fast-boats rushing to their destination, but we do not know what the final outcome was. A boat on fire is one of the most feared events that can happen to a boater.
Our anchorage for the night was Anchorage Basin in Chesapeake, City, on the C&D Canal. We arrived there about 11:30 a.m. and settled in for the day/night. The current on the C&D canal is something else. Three to four knots of current can make for an interesting time trying to maneuver the boat where you want it to go, but once again our trusty Captain kept IRISH AYES under control. Once we made the turn to go into our anchorage, the current wanted to push us back under the bridge that we had just passed under. Mike had to fight the current but was successful in getting the nose of the boat pointed in the direction we needed to go. We were concerned about anchoring in these conditions, but once we got into the mouth of the basin there was no current—thank goodness. We anchored with no problem and had an enjoyable time at anchor.
We left Anchorage Basin on the C&D canal at 0600 on 7 June. Once again, as we traveled the C&D canal, we fought the current and dodged debris in the water. From the C&D canal we entered Delaware Bay. We (all boaters) have heard horror stories about crossing this Bay, so we were rather apprehensive about this part of the trip. Later, in talking with other boaters, they expressed the same concerns that we had about crossing this bay. The Delaware Bay is a massive body of water (reminded us of the Gulf of Mexico crossing), and can be very nasty and dangerous when conditions are not right (and we know folks who have had bad experiences on this Bay). We had monitored the weather for several days, watching for a good weather window, and determined that today would be a good day to make the crossing. Once we made it to the mouth of the Bay, we really did not know what to expect. We were just praying that the weather reports that we had been following were correct! As it turned out, it was a beautiful day to cross the Bay.
The wind and seas were not bad so we had a very comfortable ride, with the exception of the huge wakes that the big commercial ships and tankers put out as they passed by. Since the Bay has deep water, we ran outside of the shipping channel most of the morning, giving these big guys all the room they needed. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the C&D canal is the busiest canal in the country, with only two busier ones worldwide.
We saw numerous freighters, container ships, tankers, barges/tugs, and recreational boats on the bay. We passed several lighthouses on the C&D Canal and the Bay, many of which we were not close enough to get a picture of.
The lighthouse shown here is the the Ship John Shoal.
We exited the Bay at the Cape May Canal and traveled about three miles in shallow water to reach Utsch’s Marina.
We docked at Utsch’s at 1:30 p.m. and, as usual after arriving at a marina, we prepared to wash the boat. We plan to be in Cape May until Sunday, 10 June. Stay tuned.
We heard a “May Day” on the marine radio while traveling today, and a May Day is never a good thing. It means that there is an immediate danger of loss of life, the vessel sinking, or both. In this case, a Sports Fisher-type boat radioed the Coast Guard that smoke was coming from his engine compartment. The USCG responded immediately, on the radio, asking all the right questions (location of the boat, number of people aboard, injuries, safety equipment aboard, and so on). The last contact that we heard was that that the smoke had gone from grey to black and all persons on board were about to abandon ship. We saw two Coast Guard fast-boats rushing to their destination, but we do not know what the final outcome was. A boat on fire is one of the most feared events that can happen to a boater.
Our anchorage for the night was Anchorage Basin in Chesapeake, City, on the C&D Canal. We arrived there about 11:30 a.m. and settled in for the day/night. The current on the C&D canal is something else. Three to four knots of current can make for an interesting time trying to maneuver the boat where you want it to go, but once again our trusty Captain kept IRISH AYES under control. Once we made the turn to go into our anchorage, the current wanted to push us back under the bridge that we had just passed under. Mike had to fight the current but was successful in getting the nose of the boat pointed in the direction we needed to go. We were concerned about anchoring in these conditions, but once we got into the mouth of the basin there was no current—thank goodness. We anchored with no problem and had an enjoyable time at anchor.
We left Anchorage Basin on the C&D canal at 0600 on 7 June. Once again, as we traveled the C&D canal, we fought the current and dodged debris in the water. From the C&D canal we entered Delaware Bay. We (all boaters) have heard horror stories about crossing this Bay, so we were rather apprehensive about this part of the trip. Later, in talking with other boaters, they expressed the same concerns that we had about crossing this bay. The Delaware Bay is a massive body of water (reminded us of the Gulf of Mexico crossing), and can be very nasty and dangerous when conditions are not right (and we know folks who have had bad experiences on this Bay). We had monitored the weather for several days, watching for a good weather window, and determined that today would be a good day to make the crossing. Once we made it to the mouth of the Bay, we really did not know what to expect. We were just praying that the weather reports that we had been following were correct! As it turned out, it was a beautiful day to cross the Bay.
The wind and seas were not bad so we had a very comfortable ride, with the exception of the huge wakes that the big commercial ships and tankers put out as they passed by. Since the Bay has deep water, we ran outside of the shipping channel most of the morning, giving these big guys all the room they needed. According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the C&D canal is the busiest canal in the country, with only two busier ones worldwide.We saw numerous freighters, container ships, tankers, barges/tugs, and recreational boats on the bay. We passed several lighthouses on the C&D Canal and the Bay, many of which we were not close enough to get a picture of.
The lighthouse shown here is the the Ship John Shoal.
We exited the Bay at the Cape May Canal and traveled about three miles in shallow water to reach Utsch’s Marina.
We docked at Utsch’s at 1:30 p.m. and, as usual after arriving at a marina, we prepared to wash the boat. We plan to be in Cape May until Sunday, 10 June. Stay tuned.
posted by Irish Ayes | 7:22 PM
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