Our First Trip to Cape May

We live less than two hours from Cape May, but have wanted to take the boat there for years. The weather conditions after tropical storm Debby passed looked to be really nice for almost a full week, so we decided to take advantage of it and head north. I was aching to do some cruising as we had not done much all summer due to an extended repair period for the whole month of June (I did not blog about that, but in addition to regular maintenance, it was found that our port pod had water intrusion and had to be replaced. Thankfully, it was covered under warranty. We also finally got the Seakeeper repaired after the pod replacement. The boat is in great condition now.) We have never been north of Still Pond on this boat, so we were looking forward to a new adventure.

We left Rock Hall on a beautiful Sunday morning, August 11, and started heading north. The Bay waters had risen quite high during Debby, flooding many areas, so we kept a sharp lookout for debris in the water which is quite typical after large storms. There were a number of places where we spotted large debris fields and were forced to navigate around some pretty large logs and branches. There was some significant boat traffic on the water as it was the end of a beautiful summer weekend.

The C & D (Chesapeake & Delaware) Canal was very calm and we passed a few boats near the Chesapeake Inn, a popular dock and dine restaurant. You can also dock there overnight or anchor in an adjacent cove. Two tugs with barges came along heading the opposite direction. There was plenty of room to get by.

We had made reservations at Delaware City Marina for the night to stage for our trip down the Delaware River to Cape May, where we had reservations at South Jersey Marina. At the end of the C & D, you have to make a turn to port and travel a short distance to the entrance for Delaware City. It was clearly marked and we followed a very slow catamaran. There is one canal that runs through the town. It has docks for a ferry as well as some other commercial and first responder vessels and also a boat ramp on the opposite side. There was quite a bit of weekend activity, so it took a while to get to the marina at the far end of the canal.

While we were taking on some fuel, I received a phone call from South Jersey Marina in Cape May. They told me that due to a couple of "broken" boats, they had to cancel my reservation. Fortunately, they had called the Canyon Club marina and made arrangements for us to stay there for the two nights. Flexibility is frequently required while cruising. We finished fueling and the dockmaster walked the boat up a few feet to our dock space for the night. While all of this was going on, he assisted another boat that was coming in for the night.  ​

Delaware City is a quaint little historic town with a few shops and restaurants. The marina was not busy and we had a quiet stay. They have floating docks, a nice ships store, decent bathrooms and are convenient to the town. The narrow canal has a pretty swift current at times and could make the required turning around a challenge for boats lacking enough power.

The boat that came in after us was from New Jersey and we had a good time visiting with Jill and John. They were heading south to Rock Hall and St. Michaels and had just been in Cape May. We exchanged notes about the various locations.

After a quiet night, we had breakfast and then went for a walk on a well-maintained trail that was also used by bikers. We didn't take advantage of the entire paved trail as it went all the way to the C & D Canal. We stopped for a few minutes at an historic site commemorating the local African-American settlement and veterans of "Colored Troops."

We left Delaware City Marina at 9:30am, making a 180 degree turn in the swift current and headed out into the Delaware River. It was a beautiful day and the water was very flat. I don't see how the conditions could be any better. Our trip to Cape May was uneventful, we passed a few ships and barges as well as other recreational vessels. 

It was impossible to miss the Salem Nuclear Plant on the Jersey side of the River and we enjoyed listening to the fog horn as we passed Ship John Shoal Light, a classic lighthouse.

The Delaware Bay gets quite wide and I could see how it could be much rougher in less ideal weather. It was good to see Cape May in the distance and plan for our passage through the Cape May Canal and arrival at Canyon Club Marina. We passed the Cape May - Lewes Ferry port at the entrance to the canal. Fortunately, one ferry had just docked and another departed before that, so we didn't have to deal with ferry traffic in the tight space of the canal.

Canyon Club Marina was on our port side after crossing under the bridge. The dockmaster gave us the necessary instructions and guided us to our slip. We passed a number of very large and impressive sportfish boats. The dockhands were very proficient and helped us get securely  tied up on the floating docks for the next few nights.

We checked in at the marina office which includes a well-stocked ships store and sits behind a beautiful infinity swimming pool. The bathrooms are well-kept and in the same building.

Our plan was to stay two nights in Cape May and then go to Lewes, Delaware for a night, but the marina in Lewes did not have room for us, so we decided to stay an extra night in Cape May. We were disappointed to miss Lewes. Perhaps we will have another chance to visit.

The marina is not convenient to the town, but they did have a shuttle that we used to get to a restaurant. It was  pretty long walk back as the shuttle had stopped for the night. We used our dinghy for the next trip over and tied up at the docks next to the Lobster House, a popular landmark in Cape May. Our first choice, South Jersey Marina, is next door to the Lobster House and that was the reason I wanted to be there. 

We had beautiful weather while we were in Cape May and enjoyed a very nice sunrise and comfortable evenings. We were also able to have a wonderful visit with our good friends Linda and Don, who we haven't seen for a number of years.

We decided to travel back to Rock Hall in one day and that worked out well. We left Cape May at 8:00am and arrived Osprey Point at 2:45pm, a very comfortable travel time. It was actually a little chilly leaving Cape May and the Delaware Bay was a little choppier than when we arrived. It warmed up and calmed down as we got further up the Delaware. We passed the ferries on the way out as well as some other ships on the River.

After the C & D Canal, we again were on the lookout for debris. There were still quite a few large logs and branches in the water. As we neared the Sassafras River entrance, we noticed a familiar boat approaching. It was Jill and John, the boaters we met in Delaware City earlier in  the week. We communicated on the radio and wished each other safe travels back home. 

What a great week of boating!!