10/23/2018
Depart: Utsch’s Marina, Cape May, NJ 7:40
Arrive: Sassafras River Anchorage at Turner
Creek Bend 4:45
Distance: 81 nm
Wanting to take advantage of the current while traveling the
Delaware River, we set our alarms for 7:00 to get an early-for-us departure. We
decided to eat along the way to save time. Before dropping the lines, Clark
captured a couple of pictures at the marina.
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| Sunrise in Cape May, NJ |
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| Early Morning at Utsch’s Marina in Cape May |
We left shortly after “Done Diggin”, the folks docked next
to us at the marina, and trailed them up the Delaware River and into the
C&D Canal. Traveling with the current, “Sunset Delight” managed to maintain
speeds well over 9 knots and occasionally over 10 knots.
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| C&D Canal |
We saw quite a few boats traveling up the Delaware
River. If they all hoped to dock at the
free dock in Chesapeake City, MD, there would be a lot of disappointed boaters.
When we reached Chesapeake City, Clark decided to poke around to see the
lay out and check out the depths in the area. Besides the town dock, we checked
out an anchorage area nearby. Clark happily noted that the depths met our docking and
anchoring needs.
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| Chesapeake City |
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| Free Dock |
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| Army Corps of Engineers Vessel at Chesapeake City |
Perhaps we will take advantage of this area in the future.
For today, however, we decided to keep going. We reached Chesapeake City around
2:00. With a fast current and plenty more daylight available, we decided to
take advantage and keep moving. Before leaving, we saw “Done Diggin” docked
across the way at Schaeffer’s Marina / Restaurant. As we passed by, Jodi
stepped out onto their back deck, and we waved to each other. Hopefully, we
will meet up with them again in the future. (Later in the day, Clark got a message
from “Cha Cha” that they managed to snag a spot at the free dock in Chesapeake
City. Lucky them!)
A number of faster moving vessels passed us on the C&D
canal today including some freighters and one pleasure craft, “Buckpasser”, measuring
well over 100’ in length. Clark was excited to see a classic wooden boat pass by us as well.
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| Old-style Wooden Boat, “Liberty” from Maine |
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| Example of Boat Traffic on the C&D |
More sights along the way to our chosen anchorage for the
night on the Sassafras River included …
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| “Diamond-studded” Water |
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| Buttonwood Beach |
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| Lighthouse |
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| Cliffs along the river |
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| Amazingly high staircase from dock to house located above (4-story, zigzag climb) |
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| View down the Sassafras River at twilight from our anchorage |
Clark truly enjoyed tonight’s sunset (I missed it while
making dinner. Sigh!) Good thing he took lots of pictures!
Temperatures did not drop as low last night as they did the day before. That, plus the fact that we used our electric blanket overnight, allowed us to have a reasonable night's sleep on the boat. The temperature in our state room did read 59 degrees when we woke this morning, which was a little brisk for getting dressed but certainly not unbearable.
For travel today, I expected cold winds on the water today and sadly was not disappointed. In preparation for the cold, I once again dressed in layers. For anyone who remembers the movie A Christmas Story, I felt like the boy in that story who had so many layers to go out and play he could not put his arms down at his sides. Well, I wasn't quite that bad, but almost.
For boating on the Chesapeake, we saw remarkably little boat traffic. Perhaps the others had enough sense to stay home in the warmth?! Actually, the ride today turned out to be quite pleasant. For most of the trip, the full enclosure on the boat protected us from the wind which came from the side. Consequently, we did not get the bone-chilling cold that we have been experiencing when the winds came head on.
When making our travel plans for this week, we decided that, since we are trying to outrun a N'oreaster, we should travel as far as possible as soon as possible. Given that, we set our sights for today on the Solomons. Granted it meant another long day on the water, but this destination came with side benefits.
I contacted our good boating friends, whom we met on the Great Loop, Betsy and Dave Frye, to let them know we would be in their area. Luckily, we were able to make arrangements to get together to say hello later in the evening. Betsy even volunteered to buy some items for me. Since I needed bread, this was a wish come true and so very much appreciated!
When I am at home in Rumson in our "dirt" house, I keep busy doing this and that. However, when I am on the boat and mostly sitting while staring at the water, I get so drowsy that by 10:30 I have to have tea time to stay awake. Today, as usual, I got groggy and disappeared for my morning tea and 'biscuits'!
Considering the distance we traveled, we made good time today and saw 9 to 10 knots of speed for the bulk of the journey. We had some help from the current, and so that we arrived before the marina closed up shop for the night, Clark did put a little extra RPM on the engines.
Today's sights mostly included water and clouds, but Clark did manage to get a couple of nice bridge pictures.
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| Chesapeake Bay Bridge |
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| Chesapeake Bay Bridge |
A couple of other boaters were out on the water. As we neared our destination for the night, we came upon a vessel, "Sea Dweller", heading our direction. Clark haled him to ask if he had seen any crab traps as we approached the Patuxent River. He cautioned Clark that we had our boat heading towards an area to be avoided. Given his input, Clark diverted slightly from his planned route.
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| Yikes! Don't want to boat into that mess! |
"Sea Dweller" was seeking a place to anchor for the night, so we parted ways soon after meeting. As we went our separate directions, he said, "Isn't it interesting that the only two boats out here are both Krogens?!" (We have a Krogen Express, and he had a Kady Krogen -- same designer, different companies.) Clark replied, "Yes. They are well-built boats."
Shortly after leaving "Sea Dweller" behind, we arrived at the Calvert Marina where we had a reservation for tonight. The dock hands at the marina went home at 4:30, but a person remained in the office until 5:30. We missed the dock hands, but managed to arrive early enough to check in before closing time.
The woman in the office asked if I wanted the key to the laundry room. Initially, I said no, but then thought better of it and took the key. If by some miracle the weather warms up to above freezing, Clark will want to anchor out. I decided I better wash clothes while I had a machine available.
Boating people are, in general, such friendly folks. I met a man, Randy, in the laundry room, and we merrily chatted while he washed his dishes in the sink there, and I got my washer going. Randy is from near Kingston, New York and decided to move here to get away from the cold weather up there. He works in the nearby Calvert Museum carving wood. To avoid paying rent on an apartment, he bought himself a sailboat and lives on that at the marina. We talked until he finished washing his dishes and then we went our separate ways.
Once again I missed seeing the sunset. This time because I was either in the shower or in the laundry room but not where I could see it. Thankfully, Clark does not let me down, and I get to see the sunset in pictures even if I miss it in person.
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