Kingston to Chesapeake in 30 days
Thirty days ago we set off from Kingston with no real timeline or much of a plan. In fact, now we’re sitting in Chesapeake City, after making it from Cape May, up the Delaware Bay and through the C&D Canal yesterday, and we’re really not sure where we’re going to go today. Our “no plan” plan is working out for us so far. 🙂
Yesterday’s trip didn’t go exactly as we had hoped it would though. To start, we were expecting some decent winds from the west which would have been excellent for sailing. With that in mind, we swapped our small self-tacking jib for our 150% Genoa, anticipating that it would give us some extra power when sailing. I’m sure the sailors can guess where the winds were though… right on the nose, with some nice big waves to add to the discomfort.
Challenge 1: Get under 55′ bridge. Not a lot of room to spare!
Another early start. We were off before sunrise. That is the Delaware Bay up ahead at the end of this canal.
Not to be dismayed, we decided to motor sail anyway, thinking that it would at least help to ease the boat’s pounding into the waves. This lasted an hour or so until I looked up and saw that the flap which holds our top batten into our main sail was open. The other day we saw this flap open and the batten partly out of the sail! We didn’t want that to happen again so we quickly dropped the sail to repair it. Ummm… the batten was gone! GONE! How the hell did we miss seeing the batten go flying out of the sail? Oh well, by this time the sails weren’t adding very much to the equation anyway so motoring the rest of the way it would be.
Rebecca practicing with her new djembe.
My new favorite place to sit when not sailing: on top of the bimini.
Continuing the “musical theme” of this passage: Rebecca dancing on the bow.
Disclaimer: The water was like glass and we were motoring. Had we been sailing or had any kind of waves, she obviously wouldn’t be doing this. 🙂
Happily, by this time, the wind and waves had dropped and we had started to reap the benefits of the current. We were making such good time that we decided to bypass our planned anchorage and head right through the C&D Canal to Chesapeake City. Sunday afternoons are really smoking here in Chesapeake City. We are on a free dock right beside the Chesapeake Inn which had a live band seemingly competing with the live music right beside us. Just our kind of place!
Salem Nuclear Power Plant.
Three things about this photo: 1. There are a lot of these crab pots in the bay. 2. This one is well marked with a good orange float. Some of them are marked with hard-to-see black floats! 3. Look at the current flowing past it. Fortunately, by plan, not by luck, we were going with the current.
We made it to Chesapeake City and grabbed the only spot
available (at that time) on the town’s free dock.
Immediately after arriving we set to work to make a replacement batten for the one we lost.
Chores done so it’s time to go exploring (the nearby pub).
We were docked right beside some good live music and an old car show.
This coast guard tug pushed a barge (not shown very well in the pic) right up beside us into the very busy bay and “anchored” it by dropping large vertical shafts from the barge down into the water. We’ve never seen that before!
One other super cool thing is that we have received multiple emails from “internet friends” and blog readers in this area, not only offering to meet up with us but also offering us a free place to dock, use of their cars and hot showers in their homes. Completely awesome!
Once again guys I’m really enjoying the pics!! It’s great to see a different part of the world from a different perspective I’m not used to; the sea. I will keep looking forward to these as I’m eating breakfast before heading off to work….take care, Mark
Thanks Mark. Have a great day.
Me being a former graduate of Arthur Murrey School of dance…I am not sure what dance Rebecca would be doing. Is this a new style as only seen on Dancing with the stars
Let’s see some pics of you dancing on your blog then. 😉
Ahhhhhh……Those who ask, get…..
Waiting…
“Disclaimer: The water was like glass and we were motoring. Had we been sailing or had any kind of waves, she obviously wouldn’t be doing this. 🙂 ”
Ah Mike-a-son…you under estimate Rebecca-no-kimi…her Kung-Fu is strong !! She has strong root…mighty core like cheetah before the pounce 🙂
The disclaimer was for those people reading who do not possess Rebecca’s Kung Fu powers.
I hate black crab pot floats too… We always see a lot of them offshore of San Francisco Bay. Really hard to see compared to the nice orange ones…
Yeah. Why use black? It has to even be hard for the fishermen to find them.
What did you make your new batten from? I lost one of mine the last time I was out.
The previous owner of our boat was kind enough to include a spare batten. It was long enough to fit the 2nd one from the bottom so I just had to trim it. We won’t be losing that new one now as I put a couple of stitches through the webbing which holds it in.
Hey Guys, That vertcal shaft the Cost Guard used to anchor is called a SPUD, Hence the name Spud Barge, Be well Mark
Thanks Mark. It was very cool, especially considering they brought it right up to the little dock where all the expensive power boats were.
Wind against tide – always a pleasure on the Delaware Bay. It take surprisingly little to make it unpleasant.
But now you are at the head of the Chesapeake. I’m sure you can find MANY suggestions, but these come to mind as unique to the area:
Annapolis. Major sailing center. Major racing on Memorial Day. Major cruising center. A must-see. I would probably stay on one of the mooring balls right off the town dock (I have). You’ll need a full day.
Tangier Island. A very isolated fishing village with a unique character. It’s dry (b-y-o-beer) and the one good restaurant (Fisherman’s Corner) closes at 7. The swimming beach at Tom’s Hook is the best on the Bay. Stay at Park’s Marina. Last time we were there we bought 5 gallons of shaved ice at the crab packing house next door and had a snow ball fight. You can rent bikes or golf carts.
Thanks for the tips Drew. We’ll be sure to go to both of those places.
I like that John guy even though he has a motor boat. Hurricane Earl is getting close. Find a place to stay safe. I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t start my day with coffee and Zero to Cruising! Take care!
Yes, he’s OK, in spite of the power boat thing. 😉
Earle is just now decimating our favorite place in the world – Anegada, BVI. Eye passed 30 miles to the north. For now it looks like it is projected to stay coastal, out of the Chesapeake…. but you can never tell. Keep a weather eye, as they say.Welcome to the Land of Pleasant Living. Don’t leave the bay without having at least one “Natty Boh”!
🙂
I had to google that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Bohemian
Has it been 30 days already?! Time does fly. Looks like a perfect place to stop and enjoy the music. Followers with offering free services… you’re a celebrity now! =)
LOL @ celebrity. When will Nike be coming by with that sponsorship offer?