Rock Hall to Bohemia River to Delaware City to Cape May

Day #590; Loop Miles to Date = 6,741

We've now added States #10 and #11 to our bucket in the last week, having cruised through Delaware, and now sitting in Cape May, NJ. And boy is the wind blowing! We really, really wanted to be able to stop briefly here and move on up the coast, but the winds are in charge at present. But...we digress...first a bit of catching up on our progress.

Rock Hall to Bohemia Bay Marina was a nice easy day...we had beautiful weather, and the waters were protected enough that we didn't have any issues with wind. We found Bohemia Bay to be a nice peaceful stop...we are a bit early in the season here, and the local boaters are just starting to enter their prime season. Of course we were here mid-week, so it was nice and quiet.
 

Just like the local gas stations, the marinas with fuel docks advertise the going rate. This was at Bohemia Bay...fortunately, we filled up at Rock Hall at $1.95...good for us.

A small replica on the point at the entrance to Bohemia Bay...you can see what a gorgeous day it was!

From Bohemia Bay, we had another easy day up to Delaware City Marina. The bulk of this travel day was in the C&D Canal, which connects the upper Chesapeake to the Delaware River. This is often a busy commercial section, but on this day we had a very quiet transit. The dock master/owner of Delaware City runs a very efficient operation...he is very precise with your entry instructions, and it counts. The currents in the area can be substantial, and the marina is on a side channel that is small, and therefor magnifies the current. Add to this some shallow areas on the approach, and it can be tricky to the unaware.

The highlight though on this stop was that we received a visit from Rob's Mom and Sister. Gigi, Linda and Carl drove down for the afternoon and early dinner. We had a wonderful visit and were so glad that they could adjust to our schedule to make this visit happen!

Rob and his Mom...thanks for making me look tall, Mom!

The transit from Delaware City to Cape May is one that commands a boaters full attention. The first 1/3 of this 64 mile leg is on the Delaware River, with the remaining portion on the Delaware Bay. Although this segment doesn't receive the press that many other notorious sections of the loop do, this can be one of the toughest crossings of them all. The winds and current are both significant factors, and when they team up it can be treacherous. Fortunately, Tim the dock master at Delaware City provides a nightly briefing that is detailed and extremely informative. For any Loopers out there approaching this section of travel, a stop in Delaware City is fully worthwhile (for the briefing alone) to make this crossing comfortable.

As it was, we stayed here an extra night in order to time our crossing appropriately...and it paid off with a very manageable day of travel. And we were glad to get across when we did, because as predicted, substantial winds picked up after our arrival in Cape May. We are now on our 3rd night here, and not sure when the winds will next let us make the jump to Atlantic City. This next few days of travel will be on the outside in the Atlantic, so we want to be sure that we pick our weather windows wisely.

The best part about Cape May is that we are now rejoined with both Act III and Corkscrew. We split up a ways back down the Chesapeake, and we're glad to have the gang back together for as long as it lasts this time. We expect to split back up again shortly, but reunite for most or all of the summer as we make our way through the Erie Canal and up through Canada. Good times to be had by all!

A good sized commercial tug that we passed on our way to Delaware City...this one gave us a pretty sizable wake to ride!

The Cape May Lighthouse.

The crews of Sandrobber, Corkscrew, and Act III.