Left our anchorage in Sunset Lakes and motored back to Cape May to check out the canal in the daytime. We then anchored back in front of the Coastguard Station again and we went to bed early, in readiness for a really early start.
At 4 am we set off to catch the tide going up the Delaware Bay. By late morning we were making the turn at the Ship John Shoal lighthouse
and heading up the Cohansey River to Greenwich and our anchorage for the night .
Wednesday 15th October
Anchoring in a strongly tidal river was a new experience as we switched direction three times during the night with currents up to three knots. The anchor chain made some strange noises.
Timing our departure as best we could to fight minimum current out of the river and yet get maximum current assistance once back in Delaware Bay, we headed off to reach the C&D canal that connects to Chesapeake Bay.
We passed some quite large ships on the way and looking at this you can see how containers go over the side of some ships and create a shipping hazard.
You also see some quite unique bridges too. This is a railway bridge believe it or not.
Chesapeake City is the place to stay on the C& D (Chesapeake and Delaware) canal as it has free docking (if you get there soon enough – we didn’t) and ample easy and protected anchoring. But between a moron with a cigarette boat and earth moving equipment that started early in the morning, we couldn’t wait to get out of there.
Thursday 16th October
Out of the canal and into the Chesapeake proper. It was a little hazy but very beautiful as we motor sailed down to the entrance of the Sassafras River. 11 miles up the river is Georgetown, Maryland where boats abound, huge marinas with hundreds of boats, boats moored in the channels so it’s hard to see which way to go.
We opted for a quiet anchorage up from the main area with tree-lined banks and deer that we caught swimming from shore to shore.
Friday 17th OctoberWe were under the illusion that Georgetown was a good place to shop for provisions. Turned out it was a two mile walk to a pretty limited supermarket. But, hey walking is what the cruising life is all about.
Saturday 18th October
Small craft warnings in the Chesapeake until Sunday afternoon so we decide to hang about until Monday.
A very cool start to the day but we have plans. The Georgetown Yacht Basin, apart from having a pretty comprehensive marine store has moorings for 80c/ft giving access to laundry, hot showers and Internet. As Albert from Nova Scotia on Tiptoe said, the little things are the best and 27 bucks was a small price to pay for a really hot shower on a cold day.
1 comment:
We never have seen deer swim! We are in DC til Wednesday, back to the Bay by Friday!
Jim & Laurie
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