October 10th and 11th- Atlantic Highlands to Cape May NJ
We finally have a weather window that is good for us to get down the NJ coast. The combination of tropical storms and fall/winter weather make for a balancing act. Add into the mix – there is less daylight every day. We’ve been into Barnegat Bay a few times but the inlet can be challenging if conditions aren’t right. Atlantic City is easy to get in but we’d have to leave Atlantic Highlands in the dark to make Abscon Inlet (AC) before night. Our choice was to do the NJ coast in one night. We’re not big on the “over night thing” so this choice was not made lightly. I’ve often said that we are day sailors, and I’m not kidding! Our next Port of call will be Cape May, down at the southern tip of NJ. This is roughly 115nm.
Atlantic Highlands. Breakwater in foreground. NYC behind.
We prepared Evergreen for the voyage and left Atlantic Highlands around mid-day. Traveling with us would be S/V Clara. We met the crew of Clara during our stop in the Highlands. Traveling with a “buddy boat” provides for mutual moral support and extra sets of eyes in the night.
The weather was perfect rounding Sandy Hook. It almost looked like we’d have some nice sailing down the coast. ALMOST. The wind died. Then it picked up and was coming from the southwest, which is the direction we were trying to head. The wind increased and the sea state worsened. We had all checked the various weather models and this wasn’t in the predictions. Making any headway was difficult. Evergreen has a lot of weight in the bow and has difficulty pounding into rough seas.
Clara pounding into the headwind.
Eventually, I tacked towards the shore looking for flatter water. We tried sailing but again had problems leading to a small tear in our genoa. Luckily by night fall the predicted weather models took over and the wind and sea calmed down. The conditions were clear and the rest of our trip down the coast was uneventful. This was our second over night sail and I think we’re getting better at it.
We arrived in Cape May around 9:00 am. Anchor down. Dinghy hoisted off deck and lowered into the water. Ollie to shore. Sleep. Later on we woke for eggs and potatoes before catching a little more sleep.
Sunset off the NJ coast.
Wildwood Crest. Good sign! We are approaching our destination.
Ollie prefers the beach over the North Atlantic Ocean.
October 12th- Cape May NJ to Cohansey River NJ.
Feeling somewhat rejuvenated, we got an early start to head up the Delaware Bay. In the past we have brought Evergreen up the Cape May canal and entered the bay. This time we decided to follow Clara around the tip of NJ. Last year we had a close call with a bridge and decided to try something new.
Heading out of Cape May inlet.
Cape May light.
Delaware Bay can be a rough patch of water but was beautiful today. We couldn’t make it all the way up to the C&D canal due to the tide reversal and opposing current so we stopped halfway up at the entrance to the Cohansey River. We’ve been here before and I know of a spot for Ollie’s evening commando raid.
Calm day on Delaware Bay.
Sunset at the Cohansey River. Seems like this place gets great sunsets. Maybe it’s due to the big nuclear power plant that’s near by!
October 13th- Cohansey River NJ to Chesapeake City MD
We had a quiet night at Cohansey. A few others were anchored in the area. We watched a couple of boats nearly go aground on the way out. The entrance isn’t tricky but the charts aren’t right about the depths. There is one safe way to get in to the river. Venture outside of the marked channel at your own risk.
Today the Delaware Bay was in a state that I have become used to. We traveled up the bay with the current but with a north wind opposing us. This makes for a choppy, wet, ride due to the wind against the tidal flow. We’ve seen it worse. It was unpleasant. It only lasted a few hours. Once we made it into the protected C & D Canal everything calmed right down and we were back to having a perfect day.
Flat water on the C&D canal.
We anchored for the night in Chesapeake City, right off the canal. It’s a calm, protected, spot with great shore access for Oliver. I think we’re not more than 25 yards from a dock.
October 14th Chesapeake City MD
Today is a grey and rainy day. It’s getting cold so I dug out the propane heater and prepared the wood stove. We were feeling like we needed some extra rest so today is a good day for it. To ward off the dampness Lynne just cooked up a batch of “everything soup”. This consisted of our leftovers in a broth. Heat up the broth enough to kill the mold and weevils. It’s a great lunch! Clarification – no mold or weevils were harmed in the making of this story.
View off the back porch in Chesapeake City MD.