Night Passage

 Chesapeake and Delaware Canal -West to East. Oct 7, 2021

14 miles long

http://www.pennways.com/CD_Canal.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesapeake_%26_Delaware_Canal

Barge and Tug pass at Chesapeake City Bridge

Chesapeake City lit up

Summit Railroad Lift Bridge in Open position ( they announced it's open on radio )

Sen William V. Roth, Jr ( gold cable ) and St Georges Bridges

Roth Bridge around 9:15 pm

If it wasn't for GPS, it would be hard to tell how fast you are going at night. We boaters normally tell by looking at the water and scenery go by, then look at the GPS to see if you are getting the extra 10th of a knot out of your sail trim.

It's quite unnerving to not be able to see the water or shore go by clearly. We can fortunately mostly rely on the chartplotter updating our location every few seconds. The channel is wide enough for 2 big ships to pass, but you don't want to go down the middle in case there is something coming the other way. 

It's great there are the mercury vapor lamps every 500 feet which light up the water and rocks on the side by the light. Between light's it's pretty dark on the shore, but if you hold your course, you'll be fine at the next one.

Since the C& D Canal connects 2 waterways that are upstream from the sea, the "Red Right Returning" buoy system from the Chesapeake side reverses at Chesapeake City.

Here are some of the navigation rules on the C&D, taken from NOAA website:

(12) (c) Right-of-way. All vessels proceeding with the current shall have the right-of-way over those proceeding against the current. Large vessels or tows must not overtake and attempt to pass other large vessels or tows in the waterway. All small pleasure craft shall relinquish the right-of-way to deeper draft vessels, which have a limited maneuvering ability due to their draft and size.

(13) (d) Stopping in waterway. Vessels will not be permitted to stop or anchor in the ship channel.

(14) (e) Water skiing. Water skiing in the waterway is prohibited between Reedy Point and Welch Point.

(15) (f) Sailboats. Transiting the canal by vessels under sail is not permitted between Reedy Point and Welch Point.

source: https://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/publications/coast-pilot/files/xml2html.php?xml=cp3/CPB3_C07_WEB.xml

The Chesapeake Bay "empties from the eastern end of the canal, so high tide floods toward that point and ebbs back west and south. Sometimes the Delaware Bay is on a different schedule and you'll see water in turmoil at the eastern canal entrance. Know or see the current there and be prepared to be pushed left or right. If there is a ship coming, they might steer wide to get into the channel. If you don't know if the ship you see will cross your path or not, just call them on the VHF radio to ask. Identify your boat and location. You can at least tell them your intentions and what you intend to do. Hopefully they will let you know if you need to do something different. AIS can tell you how fast a ship is going and it's draught.

Ships dock in Delaware City, but there is room outside the channel for boats. Look out for dredge "cities" as i call them. Sometimes they plant floating barrels round them to protect them.

Going south on the Delaware Bay just south of the Canal, there is lots of room outside the channel, but look out for the yellow "danger" cans. They are there to warn you about the breakwater paralleling the river and the ship anchorage area by the power plant. Read your chartplotter carefully there and zoom in to see the wall, which is not visible at high tide.

Heading North

 

Remembering Wye River anchorage.

Enjoyed a smooth kayak ride along the shore.

Above, from our anchored boat, the St Michaels catboat prowled.

Oct 6, Under the bridge again.

Cape St. Claire at Magothy River entrance. Where is Cape St. David?

to anchor in Sillery Bay on the Magothy, by Little Dobbin's Island

TowBoatUS in action.

A watched pot never boils

curry chicken, rice and brocc

After dinner we made chocolate chip cookies and watched a movie

there were some leftover for breakfast Oct 7 ( before the blueberry French toast )

Looks like a good way to relax to me. We slowed down for him on Magothy bay.

Oct 7 am very little wind at entrance to Magothy River

Red 2M Magothy River entrance

noonish, Oct 7, motorsailing today. we put out a jib to help when the little breeze was off the nose.

Headed north to Delaware City, Del.

There is almost NOBODY out up here today,

but meanwhile south of the Bay Bridge,....

Right now, the Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race is on

https://gcbsr.org/

But there is no wind...

follow them on facebook

https://www.facebook.com/GreatChesapeakeBaySchoonerRace/

St. Michaels, MD

 Visit the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum https://cbmm.org/

The Maryland Dove!

Blocks, each made out of a single piece of wood.

We kayaked from our anchorage just outside St Michaels. Not far at all.

We spend part of one day shopping the wonderful little shops, limited by what we can carry in a kayak, of course.

The 1912 River Tug is under renovation.

Sassafras to Swan Creek to Wye River

 

We hoped to spinnaker all day to the Wye River, but it was not to be.

We ended up motorsailing to Rock Hall's Swan Creek. 

Several boats anchored there, but we fit in.

Sunset at Swan Creek

Chesapeake Bay Bridges

through the ship anchorage

Lotsa races going on near Annapolis!

South to Bloody Point Light ( but we are not scared )

Turn left on Eastern Bay, then right on Miles River. Then left up Wye.

We see watermen every morning.

Pretty boat houses!

We anchored beyond Grannary Creek, then back down to Shaw Bay, 

where we first met on the water. A few years ago, the Wilmington Sail and Power Squadron cruise i was on, gathered on Shaw Bay and coincidentally Dave was anchored there too. He came over for dinner with the group and it was a nice evening.

Good bye Wye River ( looking back  at the river entrance. Bennett Point is on the left.)

We sailed out on wide tacks in the light winds.

Bennett Point Lighthouse. Moments before running aground...but just briefly.  We were about a half mile farther out than this when the we hit soft bottom, on the shoal that goes out from the lighthouse point,  where it was supposed to be about 14 ft. About where shallower keel boats take the shortcut around the lighthouse. We just tacked and started the engine, just in case to help us get out, which we did quickly.

Fall 2021 Cruise to Middle Bay: Del City to Sassafrass

 Waiting for the current to change direction

Departed Delaware City, DE Wed  Oct. 29. The current changed direction early again and we wanted to follow the outgoing tide down the bay, so we (Dave, Claire and a guest) scrambled to get our last minute items and jumped aboard at 3 pm instead of 4.

At our dock, in Delaware City Marina

Dave skillfully backed out of the slip, almost taking out the pontoon boat at the end of the dock. Missed the fireboat. We headed out the old branch canal, down the Del River, turned into the east end of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal.

The Summit Railroad bridge was lowered for a train, just before we arrived. Clearly, it knew we were coming. We just circled and chatted until it was raised.

Snack time. The fridge is full. The shelves slide sideways on tracks. Tall bottles at the bottom. It's a test of remembering where we put things we can't see.

A NOAA boat and Coast Guard ship were keeping an eye on us.

We arrived in the Sassafrass in the dark but the next day we could see the pretty trees and houses.

Sept 30

We took our guest to a marina restaurant with family that met us to pick her up.

There are 5 marinas in a row on the north shore. 3 have restaurants.

Pretty view from the restaurant with Justice tied at the end of the fuel dock.

Oct 1, we were up for sunrise 

we love the morning mist rising from the water

It was a little chilly outside but we were cozy in the cockpit enclosure Dave sewed, finished recently with the back panel. It kept the little green bugs out that look like mosquitoes, but didn't seem interested in biting.

The aroma of coffee and breakfast filled the "new" room.

We discussed how much farther south we think we'd make it next wtih the weather forecast.