Depart: Dun Cove Anchorage #2 10:40
Arrive: Still Pond Anchorage 5:40
Distance: 49 nm
Conditions: Sunny; N / NE wind; 20 – 30 mph winds; 50s à 60s
With high winds expected on Chesapeake Bay, we did not know how far we would get, but as predicted, we needed a pump out of our holding tank, so it was time to make a move. Clark said that instead of taking the long way back to the main channel, we could go through Knapps Narrows. He planned for us to stop at the Knapps Narrows Marina for a pump out and then continue on our way. In his typical way, he said we would “poke our nose out” to see what the conditions were and then decide how far we would go.
Views through Knapps Narrows ...
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| Bridge at Knapps Narrows |
When we got out into the Chesapeake Bay, we kept going.
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| Visibility through the front panel of the full enclosure |
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| Clearer shot of above |
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| Other traffic on the Chesapeake |
Chesapeake Bay Bridge
49 nautical miles later we pulled
into our next anchorage at Still Pond.
10 May 2022
Depart: Still Pond Anchorage
9:45
Arrive: Cohansey Cove Anchorage
4:40
Distance: 53 nm
Feeling very tired, I spent most of today lying down on the seat behind Clark in the captain’s chair. That way I could rest and still be available if he needed anything – lunch, head break, etc.
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| Lighthouse at Turkey Point, Elk River |
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| Homes in the area |
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| Big tent in someone's backyard |
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| And here's another tent |
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| C&D Canal Museum |
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| 2 Perfectly aligned bridges on the C&D Canal (guess who took that picture - CW) |
We had the current carrying us quickly south on the Delaware River to set ourselves up for the trip to Cape May the next day.
Clark captured a picture of the smoke / steam from the Salem Nuclear Plant making "reflections" on the smokestack.
Clark tucked us into the Cohansey Cove anchorage for the night where we got another great sunset show.
11 May
2022
Depart:
Cohansey Cove Anchorage 8:45
Arrive:
Utsch’s Marina, Cape May, NJ 1:10
Distance:
34 nm
Conditions:
strong winds; 60s à 70s
Every day we have had heavy winds but have still been able
to make progress towards home. Today we made it to Cape May, NJ. We are almost home!
The Cape May - Lewes Ferry ...
Travels went smoothly until we got to Utsch’s Marina where it became real interesting. The entrance to the marina requires a sharp righthand turn in tight quarters. As I stood on the side of the boat with my lines ready, I watched in awe as Clark maneuvered the boat in the heavy winds through the opening. To me it looked like he was “threading a needle” with the boat. Amazing!
Then we had to get into the slip. We hoped for the one we
most often get which is a straight entry down the fairway. No such luck today.
We were given a slip parallel to the fuel dock. Having been here a number of
times, we knew what to expect and it is not pretty.
Clark was given docking instructions – bow in; starboard
tie. He almost always docks stern in. As we approached the dock, I could see
him setting himself up for stern in. Of all times for this to happen, he had
forgotten to put on his headset. With the front panel closed due to weather, I
started madly waving my hands to wave him off.
Meanwhile, the dockhand is yelling at me to tell him to bow in. Luckily he saw me and remembered to abort.
After that aborted docking attempt, Clark made several more
tries at docking into this tight space in a strong wind. He tried making it via
a left-hand turn in. Then he tried backing into the fairway cattycorner from the
slip and making an approach from there. He hoped to lay the boat up on a pole to pivot his way into the slip,
but the corner of the dock stood out beyond the pole making it a no go on that
plan. While all these failed attempts were happening, the dockhand and I were
standing out in the rain ready to catch / throw lines.
Finally, he managed to make a perfect right-hand turn into
the slip. I believe very few could manage what Clark can do with our boat. With
me as his eyes for his blind spots, he managed to make a very sharp turn in a
narrow space from a narrow fairway! All with no mishap! A couple came over
from their boat to help with lines and we quickly got tied up snug in our cozy slip.
When Clark went to the office to check-in, he mentioned to
the dockmaster that he needed to get supplies in town. Surprisingly, the
dockmaster said it was a slow day due to the weather, and he would drive Clark
to the store. I texted my grocery list to Clark, so he had the info and off he
went. Yay!
After the grocery run, Clark decided to visit the boat store
near the marina in search of a new pair of boat shoes. When he got back to the
boat, he had a lot more things in his bags than a pair of shoes. He bought a
few essentials for the boat while he was out.
12 May 2022
Depart: Utsch’s Marina, Cape
May, NJ 8:30
Arrive: Conklin Island
anchorage, Barnegat, NJ 6:20
Distance: 71 nm
Conditions: Dense fog; strong,
cold winds; 25+ knots; small craft advisory in effect; 4 – 6 foot waves on the ocean
with 9 second period.
Well, today did not go as planned. Clark said we should get an early start as the waves on the ocean would likely be less in the early morning and build through the day. That sounded like good reasoning. Unfortunately, we woke to a thick fog which came as a surprise. Clark turned on the radar for the fog, and we walked through the boat and did a “pre-trash” (where we put things on the floor that we think will fall off shelves under heavy wave action) in preparation for high seas. We locked the fridge doors, lowered the coffee table, put my laptop on the sofa, …
We always miss something. Underway we heard banging and
found the medicine cabinet door had opened itself and was swinging back and
forth. Clark’s bicycle fell over – we should remember this by now as it happens
every time. As we piloted from the pilot house, we heard banging from the upper
helm that turned out to be the lift for the dinghy swinging back and forth. Clark
cushioned that with a boat cushion.
In Clark’s defense, he did say “what do you think” when we
got out into the ocean. My response was “Okay so far”, and then we were on our
way. We had waves hitting us on the nose, so Clark slowed the boat down and
tacked to lessen the impact. We traveled on the ocean at a crawl of 6.5 knots.
5.5 hours on the ocean felt like forever to reach Atlantic City.
When we arrived at Atlantic City, we were in for another
surprise. We expected that the fog from the morning would have lifted inland. Instead,
we found thick fog greeting us as we came in the inlet. It stayed with us for
the remainder of the voyage. We used team work to make our way along the NJ ICW to
Barnegat. I have better sight for spotting markers, so I stood as lookout and
told Clark when I spotted the next one.
Fog at Atlantic City ...
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| Safety Boat going towards AC inlet |
Of the two – high waves on the ocean or fog on the NJ ICW – I think I prefer the high seas. Though both were exciting, watching water depths while searching for the next marker in the fog was definitely more tiring. Some people go to an amusement park for excitement. I go boating with Captain Clark and pay no admission fee!
I got some serious finger-wagging "you shouldn't do that" remarks on Facebook regarding today's travel. Folks need to remember that I have Clark as my captain. I trust him to keep us safe. Everyone has their own comfort levels on the waters. Our threshold for wind and waves is somewhere in the "you've got to be kidding me" category. Everyone should enjoy boating in their own way.
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