15 October 2021
Depart: Atlantic City / Brigantine Anchorage 7:35 a.m.
Arrive: Cohansey River Anchorage 4:40 p.m.
Distance: 73 nm
Conditions: calm seas; Sunny / Hot in Sun; Mild Winds
Once again we were up before the sun and got to enjoy the sunrise.
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| Sunrise at Brigantine Anchorage |
Clark said the weather and water conditions would be perfect for traveling yesterday and today, and he was, as usual, correct. The waters were even calmer today than yesterday. Amazing!
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| Clark and I enjoying the trip down the Jersey coast. |
Below is a map where I drew on a rough line indicating our approximate travels for today.
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| Map of today's travels Atlantic City - Cape May - Delaware Bay - Cohansey River |
Heading towards Cape May, New Jersey, we passed the Wildwoods.
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| The Wildwoods of New Jersey as seen from the ocean - Clear day and calm waters |
Then we entered the Cape May Canal and stopped at the Utsch's Marina for fuel before continuing on the canal to Delaware Bay.
Somewhere along the way, we picked up a hitchhiker! A tiny bird with a yellow / brown breast came on board. As I was looking down at my phone, I saw something dark fly past me and go into the pilot house. I decided to take a look to see what kind of bug flew down there. Instead of a bug, I found a bird sitting on the steering wheel with its head tilted sideways looking back at me. I yelled up to Clark, "There's a bird in the boat!" He handed me a flyswatter. Huh??? "What am I supposed to do with that?" I asked.
Fortunately, the bird decided the lower helm, and specifically me being there with him, was not to his liking. He flew out to the upper helm, and I shooed the bird the rest of the way out the back of the full enclosure towards the stern.
I think the wind was just too much for this little guy. He tried to fly a couple of times and had to land again. He stayed on board until we were just about to lower anchor. Apparently two things happened. He saw land nearby, and we slowed down enough that he could fly away. He was cute, but I was not looking for a pet today. Thank you very much!
We decided to anchor in the Cohansey River tonight. Clark had a second choice, but it was questionable as to whether we could reach there before dark. Deciding an earlier stop made the most sense, we dropped anchor just after 4:00.
As usual, once anchored, Clark did some routine checks of the boat including looking at the status of the battery charge. The numbers he saw alarmed him. The batteries looked to be overcharging which will kill the batteries. We know that from experience.
So, instead of taking a shower and relaxing for the evening, Clark pulled out manuals on alternators to research the error codes displayed on the units. Once he had the info he needed, he ventured into the over 100 degree heat of the engine room to reprogram the alternators. After an hour or two of that, he came out of the engine room dripping and needing that shower more than ever.
With no good way to test the modifications he made, we needed to wait until the next day to see if his work resolved the issue.
Note: With Clark so stressed over batteries, neither of us managed to capture a sunset picture tonight. It was not the top of our list of worries.
16 October 2021
Depart: Cohansey River anchorage 7:45 a.m.
Arrive: Bohemia Bay Yacht Harbour marina 12:30 p.m.
Distance: 42 nm
Conditions: Gusty winds; white caps on the Delaware River; cold front approaching
Last night we anchored in 30 feet of water with a swift current. All night long we could hear the water rushing by the bottom of the boat. The resultant noise resembled that made by the white noise generators our grandchildren have in their bedrooms to help them sleep. Additionally, the wind rocked the boat side to side all night long. So we had white noise while being rocked as in a cradle. We both slept quite well.
The one thing that I enjoy as a result of getting up before the sun is getting to see the sun rise.
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| Sunrise at the Cohansey River anchorage |
Having enjoyed two wonderful weather days, Clark said today would need to be a shorter travel day because a cold front was coming through in the afternoon, and we needed to be secure somewhere before the front hit.
We had sections of travel today where we had somewhat rough water. We had white caps in the Delaware. With the waves, it was particularly hard to tell one white thing in the water from another. The sea gulls look like traps, and worse yet, traps resembled sea gulls. The problem is that the traps do not fly away when we get too close to them. Fortunately, we did not get entangled with anything.
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| Lighthouse on the Delaware River |
As we travel by areas where we know fellow boaters live, we frequently reach out to say hello. Sometimes this results in impromptu get togethers. Clark let our friend Kenny know we were coming his way, and Kenny managed to find us a slip to dock at for the night at the marina where he keeps his boat.
As we left the Cape May Canal and made our way towards Bohemia Bay, the winds kicked up with gusts approaching 30 knots. Fortunately, once we had completed our turn into the bay, the wind's effect on us slackened. Then, as we entered Bohemia Bay we found shallow water as we approached the marina. We both watched the depths closely as Clark navigated in.
We docked for the night in a covered slip with very little room to maneuver. Clark mentioned several times what a tight space he had to work in to dock the boat. He told me to "keep an eye out". When I asked him where he wanted me, he said he needed to know how much space he had at the bow and the stern. I told him there was no way I could do both - he'd have to pick one. I stayed at the bow until that was clear and then ran for the stern. He did great. He put the boat right where it needed to be like he docked there all the time.
We arrived just after noon and found Kenny and his wife Jeanne standing on the dock ready to help us tie up. After we got tied up, we sat and talked and eventually made plans to go out to dinner at a nearby restaurant.
The front passed through in the afternoon ,as promised, with a "red cell" going right over our area. We had no worries as we were safely protected in our covered slip. We could hear the heavy rain pounding on the roof of the building.
At 5:30 we went to Schaefer's marina hoping to beat the crowd to the restaurant. Many people had the same idea. The parking lot was packed, and we found a line waiting for tables. Fortunately, even thought they told us 30 minute wait, we did not have to wait anywhere near that long for a table. Dinner was great and the company better. What a great night even with the rain and the change to much colder temperatures.
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| Tall Boat on the C&D Canal passing by as we ate at restaurant |
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| Rough drawing on Map showing today's travel Cohansey River - Delaware River - C&D Canal - Bohemia Bay (at the north end of Chesapeake Bay) |
Note: We could not find a sunset given the clouds and rain, so no sunset delight tonight.
Note: Clark monitored his battery charging situation all day long today. So far, things look resolved but he will keep an eagle eye on it for a while to be sure all is okay.
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