May 29 Delaware City Marina to Cape May, NJ

May 29

The weather settled overnight and so all 6 looper boats docked at Delaware City took off at 6AM headed down the length of the Delaware Bay for Cape May, NJ.  

Loopers heading out as dawn breaks on a flat calm Delaware Bay

Yesterday we crossed Maryland off the list of states we passed through and today we marked through Del. At least it now feels like we’re making progress again.  After delays due to high water it sounds like the Erie, Oswego and Trent Severn waterway locks are all finally open and beckoning us for the summer. 

Todays waters were as good as anyone could ask for on the Delaware Bay.  Very light breeze, no waves to speak of other than from passing ships and a mixture of tidal currents that  over the day were probably net neutral  for our passage.   Not sure if the light breeze was a good thing as we were invaded during the trip by small biting black flies.  We made good use of the fly swatters the previous owner had left on board!  Yesterdays trip through the C&D was full of boats and bridges and today the scenery consisted mainly of boats and lighthouses.   

Boats and lighthouses

Boats and lighthouses

And even more boats and lighthouses

 We stayed just off the main shipping channels as these big boats travel at deceptively fast speeds and we wanted no part of being in their way.   We also got to see the Hope Creek nuclear power plant, a couple of dolphins and some schools of busting bait fish.

Fellow looper getting close to the  nuke plant

A pair of dolphin surface and say hello

Our only real excitement of the day was upon entering the Cape May canal.   The big car ferries from Lewes, DE have a landing just inside the entrance and as we entered through the breakwater with 2 other boats right at the stern, I hear him signal one long blast and 3 short.   Danger – reversing.  And with a puff of black out the smokestack  he revs the diesels and begins backing.   We all go to idle speed as the entrance channel is not very wide.  With him fully backed out of the slip, he blocked all the navigable water.  He then spins the boat 90 degrees creating a huge swirling backwash and leaves us jockeying for position back into the main channel as he heads out the breakwater.   Wish we had gotten some pictures but we were both preoccupied with watching him, the boats behind us, the chartplotter, and the depth gauges. 

Finished our trip and got tied up at Utch's Marina.  We'll wait for the  right weather window for our offshore passage  up the NJ coast to NYC. 

Snug in our slip somewhere on the right side of the picture

Journey for May 29