Monday - June 20, 2011

Lat 39 24 26; long 75 35 42; fuel 174 gal; eng 867.09 Delaware City Marina

We left Delaware City Marina at around 9:30, the tide was starting to slow down so there was no problem, leaving the dock. We pulled out into the Delaware River and for the first while it was quite a nice cruise. However the tide switched to a flood and the winds were coming at us. As we moved down the main channel the water got rougher and rougher until at one point we were bouncing over 6 foot waves that had a very short period. Luckily they were coming at us but the boat took a little beating. Finally when the river widened into Delaware Bay, we moved east out the main channel closer to shore and it became a lot calmer. However I think that the mass of water being pushed by the wind and tide into the small narrow opening caused the large waves much the same as the action that occurs on the Bay of Fundy in Canada when the tide floods down the Bay. The rest of the trip was quite uneventful and we enter the channel to Cape May to stay at Utsch Marina. When entering the marina you have to stay within 20 feet of the breakwater to enter the marina otherwise you end up in very shallow water. I was outside the 20 foot mark and was in 2.5 feet before I knew it but I powered through to the marina.

When we got there, we were placed beside Bade Boomer who we had not seen since Myrtle Beach when they stayed behind to play some golf. We discussed that we would make a run for New York tomorrow morning. We would have to leave early since it was 110 miles. However the weather looked good. Boomer wanted to get out of Cape May as they had been there a week. We were looking forward to traveling with a few folks again.