Hurray, Hurray, we're at Cape May!!

Sorry for the lapse in blogging!! The 3 of us are fine, and we are here at Cape May in a downpour, waiting for the three day weather window we need to get up the New Jersey coast.

To backtrack at bit: the trip from Norfolk to Deltaville was a long one. It took us 11.5 hours to make the trip (56 nautical miles). We had the tide and current against us for a while, and that really makes a difference in a slow boat like ours. Doziers Regatta Point Marina was very nice; Dave and Linda arrived ahead of us and were there to take our lines when we arrived! We stayed two nights here, and enjoyed the pool, a wine and cheese party and dinner with Dave and Linda.

On to Solomons; another long day, but we made better time on this section: 58.8 miles in 11 hours. The tide was with us, and that helped a lot. Nothing happening at the Navy firing range this trip! It was a good day, we rolled out some jib and motorsailed most of the day. At Solomons we anchored; it is an excellent anchorage, with the dingy dock at the Holiday Inn close by, so it is easy to get Colby ashore. Also a great grocery store and West Marine within walking distance. We stayed 2 nights here as well; the problem with 11 + hour travel days is that we need a rest day in between! It became very hot and humid while we were here; we sure do look forward to some cool Adirondack weather! All fall we kept looking for warm weather; now we are looking for relief from the extreme heat and humidity!

From Solomons we crossed over to the eastern shore, entered the Choptank River, and went in "the back door" to St. Michael's. Our friends Carol and Rick Clarke live just a few minutes away, and Carol met us at the dinghy dock and took us back to their house for showers!! Wow, what a treat after being anchored out for 2 nights in this weather!! After, we went out for pizza and then back to the boat. Colby opted to stay with "Auntie Carol" for the night, in the cool, air-conditioned house! Dick needed to go home for a few days; we had planned to find a marina, where Karen and Colby would stay on the boat, and Dick would rent a car to make the trip home and back. Carol came up with a wonderful alternate plan; we could anchor the boat in front of their friends' house in a nearby quiet creek, Dick would fly from Baltimore to Albany, and Karen and Colby would stay with the Clarkes in that cool, air-conditioned house! Thank you Carol! This was a great plan, especially since the temperatures and humidity were at record breaking levels for early June in the Chesapeake. Our good friend Toby picked Dick up at Albany airport in our Toyota. Colby and Karen truly enjoyed the time off the boat with our good friends Carol and Rick. Karen got to sail with Carol on Caspar, a 19' Cape Dory! This was a different and fun time. And Colby finally got to go swimming a couple of times; first time since leaving Lake Champlain in September! Very happy dog! Carol has come to our rescue several times; it is wonderful to have good friends, especially ones who are strategically located on the Chesapeake!

After Dick returned we spent another day anchored near St. Michaels, waiting for a front to pass through. There were several boats in the same anchorage, which was well protected.

From St. Michaels we passed through Knapps Narrows, and then on to Annapolis. We were finally able to sail! It was a beautiful day, with the breeze really picking up as we arrived at Annapolis. It truly is the sailing capital of the East Coast; sailboats all over, and lots of skill evident in the handling of those boats. In Annapolis harbor, moorings are available for $30 per night. A small price to pay to watch the circus! Boats of all sizes coming and going, sailboats, powerboats, tour boats, kayaks, dinghies; it is constant motion, and one can watch it all from the comfort of one's own cockpit! And then of course, when you venture ashore, there are people all over, watching the boats, strolling along the boardwalk, enjoying the beautiful weather. We enjoyed the sights so much we stayed 2 nights.

Then on to Tolchester. This is where we had ended our trip south in the fall of 2008 when we arrived a week before Thanksgiving and the temperatures were in the 20's. The folks at Tolchester Marina took very good care of us when we decided to store the boat here for the winter. It was nice to return in warm weather! Actually, it was another hot and humid day; after visiting with friends here, we enjoyed a swim in the pool and a drink at the pool bar! Colby enjoyed another swim on the beach!

Next day we traveled to Chesapeake City; we were very happy to get a spot at the free town dock! Chesapeake City is another pretty town, with lots of friendly folks. We enjoyed a great crab dinner at the Tap Room. We studied the tide and current charts in preparation for the trip down the Delaware Bay. This is a long trip (62 nautical miles), and the current is significant in the Delaware River and Delaware Bay. Timing is critical to making a successful trip in one day. We left the dock at 5:20 Am, had the ebb tide with us, then current against us for 3 hours, then the current with us. We made the rip from Chesapeake City to Utsch's Marina in 12 hours. We were very pleased to have had such a successful day.

This is our fourth stay at Utsch's Marina; we really enjoy our time here. The staff are friendly and helpful, the protection is excellent, the facilities are very good, and the village of Cape May is a fun place to visit, with a good grocery store and a hardware store. It was beautifully cool here yesterday; what a welcome relief form the temps and humidity we have experienced lately. We arrived here Monday night; we anticipate leaving either Thursday or Friday, depending on how quickly the seas settle down after today's storm. We are using the time here to provision, do laundry, clean the boat, change the engine oil, and catch up the blog! The New Jersey coast for us is a 3 day trip: Cape May to Atlantic City, Atlantic City to Manasquan, and Manasquan to New York City. Then we will be back on the Hudson River! Trefoil can almost see the barn door!