We were up early and ready to get underway at 7:00 AM this morning when the Army Corp of Engineers came over the VHF Radio announcing that the Chesapeake Delaware Canal was closed to all Marine traffic due to restricted visibility. This was disappointing since we had planned on leaving early to take advantage of the outgoing tide on Delaware Bay. However we were pleased to hear a second radio report opening the Canal at 7:40 AM. Here is a picture of us leaving the Marina, bridges on the Chesapeake Delaware Canal, Bill at the helm, and Lulu wrapped up on the fly bridge seat.
We did take advantage of the tide and had a smooth trip down the Delaware Bay to Cape May. I ran at 2300 RPM, speed 9.1, but speed over ground was between 11.7 to 12.3 knots. we made great time in a light following wind. We passed many ships on the way:
We reached the Cape May Canal at 1:30 PM at the same time that one of the ferries was returning from Lewes, DL. I thought that I could get into the canal ahead of the ferry, but decided to pull back on the throttle and wait until the ferry entered the channel. We followed him into the Canal
and eventually turned into the Canyon Club Marina at 2:00 PM.
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Here are the Navigation tools that I am using as we go down the Bay. My notes made before the trip, the nautical chart, binoculars, and my daily log,
There is a good bouy system for 3/4 of the way down the Bay, but a waypoint has to be set to leave the ship channel and head toward Cape May. There are no navigation aids for this 14 nautical stretch,
The multigauge records oil pressure, coolant temperature, alternator voltage, and fuel level. Tony will appreciate the oil pressure reading on the gauge.
The Chartplotter shows us leaving the ship channel to head toward Cape May:
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