Delaware and Chesapeake Bays

One of our concerns during this trip was the sail up Delaware Bay which can be very miserable and difficult due to tides, currents, and wind.  Again, we waited for the wind and tide elements to align (lucky for us it happened after only a one day wait) and followed some good advice from our Florida friends.  We sailed to Lewes Delaware to anchor for the night and pick up the early incoming tide.  Only 12 miles from Cape May, Lewes Bay is really just an extended sand dune area that is just off the Atlantic. It is very exposed and desolate except for the freighter traffic coming down Delaware Bay in the distance.  We anchored mid-afternoon and felt as though it was mid-July, sunny and hot.  The evening was very quiet but around 10:00 PM we felt the slightest "bump".  It could only be one thing...we were bumping the bottom !  Clocking winds and a deep tide conspired to put the rudder on the ground.  We can tolerate the strong keel grounding out but the rudder can be damaged if grounded too hard.  It was very dark and we had to move.  The chart plotter proves to be a crucial instrument aiding our relocation.  Thankfully we were in a large bay with only two other boats.  We ended up dropping the anchor in 30 feet of water. This is deeper then we prefer to anchor in but it was the prudent thing to do considering how blinded we were due to the darkness of the night.

We became very intimate with this beach later that night

The alarm woke us at 5:30,we were weighing anchor by 6:30, and realized there was a pod of dolphins right beside the boat. Their breathing sounds were quite noticeable as they dove right beside us – that made the long night worth while.  Unfortunately the sun was just beginning to come up so there wasn’t enough light for photos.  We caught the flood tide and its favourable current all the way up Delaware Bay and through the C&D Canal to Chesapeake City. Strong winds most of the way also helped push us up the bay and we only encountered one freighter going in each direction – how fortunate not to have to avoid a lot of commercial traffic. 

Fortunately we encountered very little commercial shipping on the Delaware Bay

We anchored in Chesapeake City Bay and enjoyed time wandering in town. A very adorable (but teeny) historical town, left high and dry when the interstate bridge cut them off from the world.

We are now in Chesapeake bay with a new challenge - crab pots ! We picked our way through what seemed like a thousand crab pots to arrive at Annapolis City for a three day stay. 

Navigating, piloting, trimming sails, and watching for crab pots keeps you very engaged

Annapolis is heaven for boaters, particularly sailors. They are the self proclaimed ‘Sailing Capital of the US'.   Every street that ends at the water (and there are many) has a dinghy dock, so you can use your dinghy to get around instead of a bus, cab or walking. It was an exciting weekend to be there – it was Homecoming weekend and reunion for the Military Academy, the World Sailing awards and a college football game.  The Spirit of Baltimore (some of you may have toured it when Redpath had the Tall Ships festival) sailed in very close to us where we were swinging on a mooring ball.  They were part of a ceremony where they shot their canons four times and raised the US flag. 

Moored in Annapolis harbour

Sharing the harbour with the "Spirit of Baltimore"

We spent much on-shore visiting time with our "Jazzabelle" friends and "Slow Waltz", a Gozzard 37 from Bronte Marina.  Annapolis is another place where the grocery store is a very long way from the harbour, but we did find the Farmers market, so had fresh veggies and fruit. Harvest season just goes on and on this year.  Our cruising group had the required ‘Painkillers’ from Pusser’s  - you need to be a Boat Show person to understand this one.

A Chesapeake Bay sunset

We sailed and motor sailed our way through another 1,000 crab pots (can you tell we don’t take the main channels) to The Solomons to anchor in a beautiful bay. In the town of Solomons we noticed a real seasonal change.  Most leaves were green and still on the trees, hedges were often of holly or magnolia and we saw a tiny palm tree- our first!   Lighthouses are frequent and often out in the middle of a body of water in this area.  There are hundreds of breathtaking anchorages all through the Chesapeake and it is every bit as beautiful as people say.

The lighthouse in the Solomons anchorage

We will return some day to more fully enjoy the Chesapeake

Unfortunately, we were 17 days behind our original schedule (remember lock 14), and the cold was nipping at our heels, so we didn’t stay long this time.  We do plan to return and spend an extended time here.