Day 279, May 19th, 2010
We set off with some trepidation at 7:00 the next morning. A delay right off the bat - we got through the first bascule bridge and then the lock at the end of Virginia Cut but then had to wait for the 2nd bascule bridge as it did not open at 8:00 at all. We doodled, meanwhile a bunch of other boats caught up.
We were a little leery, to say the least of anybody coming close and giving us a lot of wake but kept our fingers crossed, nosing right into the wake if somebody came by. It seemed to work.
The weather was fine and the water flat. We plugged on. All the other boats took off, once through the second bridge, we didn't want to push the engine. Then another delay, a railway bridge that is usually open, closed just in front of us and we had to wait for a train to come by. However, water conditions remained good as we entered Norfolk and then Hampton Roads. This was one of our concerns - that the engine would overheat just as we were in the middle of a lot of traffic. On our first visit through the area I'd managed to get on the wrong side of the channel and had to wiggle our way through between a freighter and a destroyer! However, we were lucky, traffic was light, and we came all the way through that heavy Naval area with no trouble at all. Its quite an imposing sight at any time, with aircraft carriers and destroyers, etc. etc.!!!
With the delays, there was no way we could make Deltaville, so instead set our sights on Back Creek off the Poquonson River, just North West of Hampton. We got out onto the Chesapeake and still the water was virtually flat and hardly any wind at all. We looked at each other and agreed - "Lets just keep going!" And we headed straight up the Chesapeake, right up the middle!!! Only one time did we get hit by a bad wake and the popping started, and the high temp. light came on. We couldn't believe our good luck, knowing that the Chesapeake can be quite a challenging waterway with rough seas and heavy traffic. There was none of that. We kept chugging along and started three hour watches when it got dark.
Day 280, May 20th, 2010
38 hours later we got into Chesapeake City in Maryland, halfway along the C & D Canal. There was no problem in arriving just as it got dark as the canal is lit along both sides by street lights! We found the anchorage easily, edging in at low tide. First try we grounded on the mud but second try we sneaked in on the side of the channel and anchored in 10 ft of water, right beside a busy restaurant with the music blaring. It was as much as we could do to secure the boat, turn off the instruments and climb into bed. We slept like logs!
Day 281, May 21st, 2010
The book told us that if we left the anchorage 1 hour before high tide, the current would help take us down the Delaware. We set off at 4:45 a.m. but we had to work hard against a current until we reached the end of the C&D 12 miles further on. However, once we came out on the Delaware River the current worked in our favour and we were sliding down the River and then the Bay as if on a sled. There was little to no wind and still the water was flat, oily flat!!! No trouble at all, the engine kept chugging away. Mr. James Taylor, of Atlantic Yacht Basin, we think you fixed it with the wire coat hanger - the water intake strainer on the through hull m ust have been partially occluded?! There was still some concern, we still had to travel up the ocean and surely there would be some rough water.
We arrived at Cape May at the bottom of New Jersey at 5:00 and stopped at a marina to refuel.
There was some wind at the dock but the weather forecast sounded okay. Winds 10 - 15 knots out of the East, backing to South East, waves 1 -2 feet. We decided to go out and try, knowing that we could always turn back if it looked too much. As we left Cape May we saw another boat we knew anchored there - Beltane of New Brunswick. We had a short chat on the radio - they were going to sleep the night and leave in the morning. We told them that if we didn't like it out there we'd come back and anchor and join them. The weather forecast had also mentioned a "Canadian cold front" arriving on Sunday with winds out of the North East. John and I both felt that we'd be better to try and make it to New York that night. There was a much cooler wind heading in off the Ocean, so I donned my long underwear and layered on more clothing on the top. I was warm and cosy. Even John put on his fleece and fowlies!
It was gorgeous out there. A little wind, perhaps 10 knots and the waves perhaps 1 foot. We double reefed the main, knowing that shortly we'd be taking watches, and put out the whole jib. We kept the engine running very gently and were going along very nicely at 5.9 knots.
Atlantic City came and left in the dark with the bright lights shining. The wind died when I came on watch at 2:00 and the water was totally flat again. There was hardly any traffic during the night but in the morning we had to watch carefully for a myriad of fishing boats.
Its so beautiful out there, both at night and in the daytime. With each inlet we passed we realised we were getting closer and closer to New York City. (We had each inlet marked on our route, just in case something blew up and we needed cover.) There was one weather forecast by the Coast Guard just before we reached Atlantic City that haunted us a little. He spoke of winds up to 20 knots, small craft wind warning and thunder storms. However, it all looked so benign we had trouble believing him and it certainly never happened. We used the sails when we could and just kept on chugging.
Day 282, May 22nd, 2010
Finally arrived at Sandy Hook (at the mouth of NY Harbour) around 11:00 a.m. We remembered how, hit by a sudden squall, we'd torn the main right across, at this exact spot in 2006. However, nothing like that happened this time. A freighter was brought in under tow - one tug in front and one behind, but that was as interesting as it got on that front. New York Harbour is truly amazing as you come in under the Verazzano Bridge. There are barges, and freighters, anchored and underway. There are helicopters overhead and Staten Island Ferries crossing the channel. Lots of sailboats of every size sailing without a care in the world. Its awe inspiring. We were taking pictures and pointing out the sights of Manhattan and, of course, the beautiful Statue of Liberty. She is really a lovely lady!!!
The tide was coming in as we headed up the Hudson River! How could we be this lucky? At one point we noticed our Speed Over Ground at 8.8 knots!!! It was a rush. Up through New York, past Yonkers, under the Tappan Zee Bridge and there was one of our favourite places - Nyack Boat Club. We took the sails down and headed in. There was the tender and the guys came over when they heard us call out. "Need a mooring for the night?" "Yes please!" "Just follow me!" And in we went. Its a mooring field at Nyack, we'd been there twice before and the people are so friendly. Nyack is a dear little place, artsy crafty little place about 20 miles north of New York. We got settled on the mooring and then went into pay! The last time we stayed there, they'd chased us as we left and gave the money back! This time, they just refused to take it. The yacht club building was all decorated with flags and lots of people were sitting down to supper on the deck. It was the finish of their Sail Past. We were invited to buy tickets for the supper and sit down and join them. It was delicious! Good conversation with the people at our table - a lovely end to a great 38 hours again!
We set off with some trepidation at 7:00 the next morning. A delay right off the bat - we got through the first bascule bridge and then the lock at the end of Virginia Cut but then had to wait for the 2nd bascule bridge as it did not open at 8:00 at all. We doodled, meanwhile a bunch of other boats caught up.
We were a little leery, to say the least of anybody coming close and giving us a lot of wake but kept our fingers crossed, nosing right into the wake if somebody came by. It seemed to work.
The weather was fine and the water flat. We plugged on. All the other boats took off, once through the second bridge, we didn't want to push the engine. Then another delay, a railway bridge that is usually open, closed just in front of us and we had to wait for a train to come by. However, water conditions remained good as we entered Norfolk and then Hampton Roads. This was one of our concerns - that the engine would overheat just as we were in the middle of a lot of traffic. On our first visit through the area I'd managed to get on the wrong side of the channel and had to wiggle our way through between a freighter and a destroyer! However, we were lucky, traffic was light, and we came all the way through that heavy Naval area with no trouble at all. Its quite an imposing sight at any time, with aircraft carriers and destroyers, etc. etc.!!!
With the delays, there was no way we could make Deltaville, so instead set our sights on Back Creek off the Poquonson River, just North West of Hampton. We got out onto the Chesapeake and still the water was virtually flat and hardly any wind at all. We looked at each other and agreed - "Lets just keep going!" And we headed straight up the Chesapeake, right up the middle!!! Only one time did we get hit by a bad wake and the popping started, and the high temp. light came on. We couldn't believe our good luck, knowing that the Chesapeake can be quite a challenging waterway with rough seas and heavy traffic. There was none of that. We kept chugging along and started three hour watches when it got dark.
Day 280, May 20th, 2010
38 hours later we got into Chesapeake City in Maryland, halfway along the C & D Canal. There was no problem in arriving just as it got dark as the canal is lit along both sides by street lights! We found the anchorage easily, edging in at low tide. First try we grounded on the mud but second try we sneaked in on the side of the channel and anchored in 10 ft of water, right beside a busy restaurant with the music blaring. It was as much as we could do to secure the boat, turn off the instruments and climb into bed. We slept like logs!
Day 281, May 21st, 2010
The book told us that if we left the anchorage 1 hour before high tide, the current would help take us down the Delaware. We set off at 4:45 a.m. but we had to work hard against a current until we reached the end of the C&D 12 miles further on. However, once we came out on the Delaware River the current worked in our favour and we were sliding down the River and then the Bay as if on a sled. There was little to no wind and still the water was flat, oily flat!!! No trouble at all, the engine kept chugging away. Mr. James Taylor, of Atlantic Yacht Basin, we think you fixed it with the wire coat hanger - the water intake strainer on the through hull m ust have been partially occluded?! There was still some concern, we still had to travel up the ocean and surely there would be some rough water.
We arrived at Cape May at the bottom of New Jersey at 5:00 and stopped at a marina to refuel.
There was some wind at the dock but the weather forecast sounded okay. Winds 10 - 15 knots out of the East, backing to South East, waves 1 -2 feet. We decided to go out and try, knowing that we could always turn back if it looked too much. As we left Cape May we saw another boat we knew anchored there - Beltane of New Brunswick. We had a short chat on the radio - they were going to sleep the night and leave in the morning. We told them that if we didn't like it out there we'd come back and anchor and join them. The weather forecast had also mentioned a "Canadian cold front" arriving on Sunday with winds out of the North East. John and I both felt that we'd be better to try and make it to New York that night. There was a much cooler wind heading in off the Ocean, so I donned my long underwear and layered on more clothing on the top. I was warm and cosy. Even John put on his fleece and fowlies!
It was gorgeous out there. A little wind, perhaps 10 knots and the waves perhaps 1 foot. We double reefed the main, knowing that shortly we'd be taking watches, and put out the whole jib. We kept the engine running very gently and were going along very nicely at 5.9 knots.
Atlantic City came and left in the dark with the bright lights shining. The wind died when I came on watch at 2:00 and the water was totally flat again. There was hardly any traffic during the night but in the morning we had to watch carefully for a myriad of fishing boats.
Its so beautiful out there, both at night and in the daytime. With each inlet we passed we realised we were getting closer and closer to New York City. (We had each inlet marked on our route, just in case something blew up and we needed cover.) There was one weather forecast by the Coast Guard just before we reached Atlantic City that haunted us a little. He spoke of winds up to 20 knots, small craft wind warning and thunder storms. However, it all looked so benign we had trouble believing him and it certainly never happened. We used the sails when we could and just kept on chugging.
Day 282, May 22nd, 2010
Finally arrived at Sandy Hook (at the mouth of NY Harbour) around 11:00 a.m. We remembered how, hit by a sudden squall, we'd torn the main right across, at this exact spot in 2006. However, nothing like that happened this time. A freighter was brought in under tow - one tug in front and one behind, but that was as interesting as it got on that front. New York Harbour is truly amazing as you come in under the Verazzano Bridge. There are barges, and freighters, anchored and underway. There are helicopters overhead and Staten Island Ferries crossing the channel. Lots of sailboats of every size sailing without a care in the world. Its awe inspiring. We were taking pictures and pointing out the sights of Manhattan and, of course, the beautiful Statue of Liberty. She is really a lovely lady!!!
The tide was coming in as we headed up the Hudson River! How could we be this lucky? At one point we noticed our Speed Over Ground at 8.8 knots!!! It was a rush. Up through New York, past Yonkers, under the Tappan Zee Bridge and there was one of our favourite places - Nyack Boat Club. We took the sails down and headed in. There was the tender and the guys came over when they heard us call out. "Need a mooring for the night?" "Yes please!" "Just follow me!" And in we went. Its a mooring field at Nyack, we'd been there twice before and the people are so friendly. Nyack is a dear little place, artsy crafty little place about 20 miles north of New York. We got settled on the mooring and then went into pay! The last time we stayed there, they'd chased us as we left and gave the money back! This time, they just refused to take it. The yacht club building was all decorated with flags and lots of people were sitting down to supper on the deck. It was the finish of their Sail Past. We were invited to buy tickets for the supper and sit down and join them. It was delicious! Good conversation with the people at our table - a lovely end to a great 38 hours again!
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