We started our Delaware Bay transit from Delaware City early today (0530hrs) in order to catch the outgoing tide. We had a 3 knot push cruising effortlessly along the 25 miles of the flat waters of the Delaware River, then the river turns into the ‘big bad bay’, and it did not disappoint. I was glad to have spent some time with the owner of the Delaware City Marina the previous evening to gain local knowledge of the Delaware Bay transit and reviewing/confirming the marine forecast (the actual conditions proved worse than advertised). He stressed the need to stay in the commercial ship channel until we clear the shoals half way down the bay. The shoals in and of themselves can be navigated with good charts, but it is the numerous wrecks in and around the shoals that may not be well documented.
The flat smooth waters of the river turned pretty nasty out in the middle of the bay with winds reaching 20 to 30 knots. Fortunately, the 3 to 4 foot waves spaced with a 5 second interval were arriving just off the starboard bow. That said we were fine, not necessarily overly comfortable. Catan was more than up to the task and we had to endure less than 2 hours of rough conditions before we were safely tucked into our Cape May marina.
Cape May was recommended to us as a “must stop and see” destination and it did not disappoint. This beautiful historic town is full of classic old homes and a “pedestrian mall” downtown shopping area. We had a relaxing afternoon wandering around and look forward to an early night to bed. We plan on spending a week or so poking along the Jersey ICW before we make our run into New York City (i.e. waiting for favourable weather). Our slow pace is provoked by the late opening of the Erie Canal (19 May).
The following pictures provide some views of Cape May…there is one that warrants an explanation. The pic of the bar & restaurant called the "Ugly Mug" has quite a story behind it. In the beginning, this building was a fishing club for locals and each member had mug with their name on it and their club membership number painted on. Any mug which hangs pointed to the sea means that club member has passed. Eventually the fish club folded only to become a restaurant & bar, which has continued the local tradition of the issuing and maintaining mugs for the locals.
