Saturday - June 18, 2011

Mommy, Daddy and Baby






Lat 39 09 27; long 076 30 00; Fuel 175 gal; eng 859.06; Maryland Yacht Club
Left the Maryland Yacht Club at around 8:30 this morning after saying goodbye to Barb and Greg of Goncruzn III and who are also the AGLCA Harbor Hosts. The Yacht Club was a great place to stay and see the area particularly Washington and Baltimore. Yes it was a little way away and you had to rent a car, but it was quiet, had a pool and the people were great. It was ideal since it was about 20 minutes to Baltimore, and to Annapolis, and an hour to downtown Washington. Seems preferable to going up the Potomac for 2 or 3 days to stay at one of the marinas in Washington, but that is just me. The location worked well.

Moved out into channel and started traveling north with our destination being Delaware City Marina where we were to meet our friends from Serendipity since we last saw them in Marathon. The seas were calm. The only issue was the go-fast boats which leave big wakes. They go running by with no warning and unless you move quickly to turn into the wake, stuff could go flying all around the galley as the boat rocks side to side. Of course, being the weekend, there were a lot of these guys out on the water and it is always a guy driving fast. I don’t think they know the size of the wake they throw up and I have heard of people being hurt by an unexpected large wake.



Looking down the C&D from the western end




We arrived about 1:30 at the C&D canal, which goes from the Chesapeake to the Delaware River. I thought it was just a little canal, but it is quite big because large freighters use the canal to cross. Depths were always around 40 to 50 feet so it was quite easy to make the crossing to make the crossing. Saw an entrance on the canal which led to Delaware City Marina so I radioed to see if I could come in that way. The dock master said there was plenty of depth but there was a 6 foot bridge that I probably could not get under. Agreeing with him, we continued down the canal to the Delaware River and turned to port and entered the channel from the other end.

I forgot that since the channel was open at both ends, there probably would be current one way or another. Unfortunately we were going with the current and the marina was unlike a lot of marinas into which you go behind a breakwater to get to you slip, Delaware City Marina is laid out along the channel which was about 60 feet wide as and narrowing as we went down the channel. Our speed picked up as we were going down the channel and past the docks. I heard the dock master through the radio tell me to put it in reverse and as I looked ahead, I saw why – the 6 foot bridge was directly ahead of me. Throwing it into reverse and then forward allowed me to turn into the current and tie up alongside the dock, but because of the narrow width I bumped a few boats. Minimal damage to The Old Grouch and some damage to one of the other boats. This is a full service marina, so they will determine the cost of repair and I will pay. It would have been a lot easier to turn if I had a dual engine boat, but with a single engine, I was using my rudder to turn quickly. Anyone coming into this marina, has to be aware of the current issues and how fast it goes down the channel and the fact that the channel is very narrow as you approach the bridge. Unlike most marinas, you should radio the dockmaster well before you enter the channel that you are close so they can be ready for you as you move down the channel. I radioed as I was just arriving at the marina and that was a mistake. Anyways, no one was hurt and the damage was not much considering I could have hit the bridge and basically destroyed The Old Grouch. Another lesson learned. Lots of experiences and lots of lessons learned.