Cape May - at anchor

Only three boats in the anchorage! I've seen a dozen in the past.

Once we exited the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal and stopped at the Delaware City Marina, we wanted to make a run for Cape May instead of stopping halfway at the Cohansey anchorage. We had 54 miles to cover so it was a long day for us. I got up at 5:00 am and we were able to get off the dock by 6:00 am with the help of the dockmaster who typically comes in around 5:30 anyway, he's a great guy, very helpful, especially with the current that runs through there at 2 plus knots.

Getting to the  bay we discovered that the fog was pea soup thick. So on went the radar and close attention was paid to the chartplotter which also has AIS reception - so we knew where all the big tankers were located. We heard over the VHF that the C&D Canal was closed due to fog. The Coast Guard is very protective of the safety on the canal after a serious accident several years ago where mariners were killed due to poor visibility. 

You have a good view of the sunset from Cap May

So we headed down the bay while those in Chesapeake City were still bottled up by the fog! The forecast was for 10 kt winds and 1 to 2 ft waves but instead the water was perfectly flat - so much for the Morning Lies. We did get a few waves by the time we reached the end of the bay. We had wanted to take the Cap May Canal so we didn't have to go around the point where it's invariably rough. However, time ran out on us and the tide was rising for our 55 ft mast to get under a 55 ft bridge (at high tide). Weighing anxiety on the bridge verses the rough seas going around the point, the rough seas won out - although - it's another 30 minutes longer.

Eventually we made the Cape May anchorage by the Coast Guard station around 2:00 pm and settled down to a calm evening. We surely do like the calm nights and we'll probably never be ocean sailors, we like our anchorages at night too much.

We have a window to reach Atlantic City on Tuesday but then we'll be trapped there for awhile according to the latest forecasts. The Trump marina there is only $1.50/ft through May so we'll take advantage of that and rest up for whenever a window opens up for the trip north.