Entering Chesapeake Bay

While we still have good internet access I'll post our travels since Atlantic City:

Sunday night we had a calm stay at the Brigantine anchorage across the Absecom channel from Atlantic City. The pooches really liked the sandy point at the entrance to our anchorage. Monday was a calm sunny day, perfect for going outside and cruising off the beach for 35 miles down to Cape May NJ. The only downside to that cruise was the tide timing as we had 3 knot opposing (flood) current to fight getting out the Absecom Inlet, then 2 knot opposing (now ebb) current getting into the Cape May inlet.

Monday night we splurged for a marina slip at the South Jersey Marina, which is the closest one in Cape May for a walk downtown, which is what we did after we were settled in. Cape May is a beach resort town and quite nice even though its post season so 2/3 of the stores were closed up. The town must be hopping in Summer. Staying at the marina allowed us to take long hot showers, do laundry (they have cool equipment that emails you when your loads are done), and to depart with full water and empty holding tanks, which are all good things. We also enjoyed great Mexican food at '5 de Mayo' across from the marina.

Yesterday we departed the marina at first light (which is 7 am now), crossed the Cape May peninsula via the canal, and were spit out into lower Delaware Bay, where we turned right and headed up the bay for a long slog in choppy conditions (waves were from abeam which we don't like). Fortunately, and for the first time, the tides timed perfectly for us, giving us a 1-2 knot boost for all of the 48 miles up the bay, plus for the 12 miles in the C & D canal, which connects Chesapeake and Delaware Bays, until at 3:30 we ducked into the lagoon here at Chesapeake City MD.

Four years ago when I anchored here Spray was the only boat but this time we shared the small lagoon with 7 cruising sailboats (5 of which were from Canada), so space was a bit tight. They have 2 dinghy docks here, one at the town and one at a grassy park. After 60+ miles aboard Spray (longest passage of the trip so far) the dogs were most happy to hit that park. After walking the town (at least a dozen gift shops, zero food stores) we, all 4 of us, dined al fresco at the Chesapeake Inn for supper.

This morning we played in the park, walked around more, and generally loafed until the current in the canal becomes favorable to continue on into the Chesapeake. We are aiming for Turner Creek, off the Sassafras River, about 20 miles from here. That is a very rural area so we'll see if we have Internet coverage there.

Posted with Blogsy