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May 26, 2012  Day 15                                                              Total miles to date: 348.44

A very early morning! Up at 5am for our 6am departure for Cape May.  As 
planned, Tim our trusted dock

Our Dockmaster Tim

master was there to help us cast off. We had to do this in sequence with Gold Leaf to be able to turn the boats around in the narrow canal. Thank you to Tim for his help!!


Delaware City Marina on the old canal




Following Gold Leaf our of Delaware Bay
into Cape May Canal



Lighthouse on the Delaware Bay

Gold Leaf was first out. We followed them into the Delaware River to discover heavy fog. For over an hour we had visibility of no more than 300 yards.  Thanks to our new radar, AIS, and Bill’s good skills, we did fine. We passed Gold Leaf and took the lead through the fog.  We were going with the current for at least half the trip so we were able to be at 10 knots at 1350 RPM.  About an hour before our destination Gold Leaf took the lead and we entered the Cape May Canal at 12:10.  The canal is narrow and very busy, especially on Memorial Day weekend! The ferry boats that go back and forth from Cape May to Lewes, DE are docked here just inside the entrance to the canal.  Gold Leaf ducked into their marina and we continued on to Utsch’s Marina, arriving at 12:50.  We are docked right next to Quest! It was good to see them again! Skip and Barbara, on Moor Stuff whom we met at the AGLCA Rendezvous, are also here and we enjoyed talking with them after their long bike ride. 

The beach at Cape May

We took a taxi into the downtown area and wandered through several shops, had ice cream sundaes at the local soda fountain inside a “dime store”, and walked along Beach Avenue so we could see the ocean. We did not buy the required “tags” that allow you to actually walk on the beach.  We were not wearing the right shoes for that anyway!  Cape May is known for its lovely Victorian architecture with many homes painted in beautiful pastels with gabled roofs, and gingerbread trim. Many of these have been converted into Bed and Breakfasts – a good thing with all the tourists that come here! Cape May has a light house that can be toured and climbed, several marinas, parasailing adventures, whale and dolphin watching boat tours, a trolley car ride through the historic district, horse drawn carts, and of course the beach on the Atlantic Ocean, etc. – something for everyone!  We had a quick dinner, watched a movie, and called it an early night. We were very tired after our 7 hour trip and our walk through Cape May on a hot sunny day!

We liked this B&B but they were full!

Utsch's Marina - our home for two days!

Our plans to stay here are flexible. We may depart Monday or Tuesday heading to Atlantic City. We have to take the ocean route (“go out”) as Carried Away has about a 4.5' draft. Boats with a shallower draft can take the inside route through New Jersey – it is shallow and narrow, and we do not want to take the chance on damaging our props.  We are not sure of ocean wave height yet, so that will be a determining factor for our departure. We hope all of you are having a Happy Memorial Day and remembering all those who are no longer with us.