Cape May, NJ to Summit North Marina, Bear, DE

We left the Canyon Club Marina fuel dock at 0830 bound for Summit North Marina on the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal (C&D Canal). The winds and waves had considerably increased since we entered Cape May harbor two hours earlier. The forecast for the Delaware Bay was for winds in the low twenties and waves on our beam 4 to 6 feet. Normally, we would not have ventured out into the Delaware Bay under these conditions as it has a reputation for being very nasty during a blow. However, we didn't want to get locked into Cape May for a week waiting for things to settle down which looked worse every day and the possibility of Hurricane Matthew hitting as well. Summit North Marina is a hurricane hole half way through the C&D Canal and the best place to be if a hurricane threatens this area. We decided to press on and hoped conditions got no worse or improved as we moved up the Delaware Bay and entered the Delaware River.

Foreign Affair - Motor Sailing with Reefed Genoa

We worked our way around the shoals off Cape May in 6 foot seas. Most of the time the waves were abaft abeam so the ride wasn't as rough at it would have been otherwise. The waves caught us on our starboard aft quarter when we turned up the Bay. This was a bit unpleasant at first but we eventually got used to it. We unfurled a reefed genoa to help us keep the bow down and that helped us gain some speed while at the same time dampen the effect of the waves which gradually diminished in size as we moved up the Bay.

A huge storm front started to threaten us with rain about three hours into our journey. It looked really bad on the radar. We could see heavy rain falling on the Delaware shore. The winds increased to the mid-twenties and occasional big gusts. We still had a good ten hours to go before reaching the canal.

Alembic - Salty Sailors Making Good Time With Reefed Sails

Alembic showed up astern of us half way up the Bay. She took a break in Cape May and left sometime after we did. She was making good time sailing and eventually caught and passed us. We were only flying a reefed genoa and motoring. We decided it would be safer not hoisting the main sail under the current conditions. We took photos of each other as we drew abreast. We will exchange the photos later. It is not often you get photo of your own boat underway.

Alembic Taking the Lead on Delaware Bay

We were just entering the Delaware River when the sun went down. The wind stayed in the twenties but the waves dropped some so our ride improved. Alembic called to discuss places to stop for the night. Her home port is Portland, Maine. These waters are unfamiliar to them. Foreign Affair was in home territory and we had good local knowledge which we gladly shared with Alembic. They helped us down the Jersey coast. Now, we were very pleased to be able to reciprocate their kindness.

Their first thought was Reedy Island on the Delaware River. Dwayne advised them this was not a great choice as the island was very low and would offer very little protection based on the wind direction predicted for the rest of the night.

Dwayne suggested heading into the C&D Canal and stopping at Summit North Marina which was easy to get into and on the way to the Chesapeake Bay. Alembic was concerned there might be too much ship traffic on the canal and that it might be difficult to negotiate in the dark.  Dwayne advised them the canal was well lit with street lights along its entire length and it was plenty wide enough to pass ships headed in either direction. Alembic replied she would give it consideration.

Alembic next offered the Salem River as an option. Dwayne told them he had never been up the Salem River which has a narrow 3 miles long channel leading into Barbers Basin on the New Jersey side. He had not heard other sailors suggest it as a layover point prior to traveling the Delaware Bay. He advised Alembic to also consider the fact it was a long way to an anchorage in a very narrow channel which was unfamiliar to us and might prove to be more difficult than it appeared on a night like we were experiencing.

Alembic suggested bypassing Summit North and going all the way to the Chesapeake to anchor in the Bohemia River. Dwayne advised them the Bohemia was too shallow and suggested the Sassafras River instead. Alembic agreed the Sassafras looked better and responded they were either going to head on to the Sassafras or stop at Summit North.

At about 2130, Alembic called to warn us of an uncharted, unlit green buoy at the entrance to the C&D Canal. They missed it by about 5 feet and had they hit it there could have been severe damage to their boat. About a half hour later we reached the canal and we were so focused on not hitting the unlit green buoy, we overshot the entrance by about 100 yards. We made a u-turn and hugged the red buoys as we entered the canal channel.

Just as we cleared the riprap and entered the canal proper, we heard three loud blasts from a ship entering the canal channel and warning of her approach. We quickly hailed her on channel 13 to make sure she saw us. The captain replied in the affirmative.

A Ship On the C&D Canal Similar to One We Encountered at Night

There was a highway bridge a short distance ahead of us and it soon became obvious we would both reach it at the same time. Of course, Foreign Affair had to give way since the ship was less maneuverable and had no place to go but under the bridge. We advised the ship that we were moving to the right side of the canal to let her pass.

We moved out of the main channel and soon discovered the current was rapidly pushing us toward the bridge which was too low to pass under except in the main channel. Trying to hold our position by placing the engine in reverse wasn't working well. Dwayne decided to make a 180 degree standing turn to point the bow into the current and also put the bow into the wake of the passing ship. This would give us good control of our vessel. We completed the turn just as the ship began to pass us. The ship captain's voice came over the radio: "I've seen a lot of things on this canal. That was a first. Good job, captain." We felt pretty good with that compliment. We fell in behind the ship and continued down the canal expecting to reach Summit North in about an hour.

We hailed Alembic to warn them of the approaching ship. They had it on AIS and said they had decided to go into Summit North Marina for the evening. Dwayne advised them to not attempt to turn directly into the marina as they would most likely run aground due to the shoaling at the marina entrance. The best approach was to pass the marina entrance and make a u-turn in the canal to come in from the west. Then, stay mid-channel at the entrance and upon reaching the first dock, hug the docks along the channel until finding an open t-head on which to dock. They thanked us for the advice and said they would help us land when we arrived.

We reached Summit North about 45 minutes later and hailed Alembic to report we were heading into the marina. Bill and Helen said they'd be on a dock with a flashlight to guide us in and take our lines. It sure made docking in the dark easy. We thanked each other for sharing our knowledge and working together to reach a safe harbor. We were then soon off to bed and asleep.