Anchor up at 5:30 AM, we motored east through the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal and entered the Delaware River for the 68 mile run south to Cape May, NJ. As a cruising destination, the Delaware River and Delaware Bay have little to offer. There are no towns. There are no harbors. There are no marinas. There are no safe anchorages. Therefore, this run must be completed in a single day.
The mast height on Cutter Loose is 62 feet above water line...too high to squeeze under the fixed bridge that spans the "shortcut" canal that connects the Delaware Bay with Cape May harbor. Our course takes us beyond the canal to the very southernmost extremity of New Jersey...Cape May Point. From here, we parallel the beach, working our way east and north through the tidal rips and entering Cape May inlet from the Atlantic Ocean. At 5 PM, we are safely anchored in Cape May harbor adjacent to the USCG station. That's a long 11.5 hour day on the water. We celebrate our accomplishment with an outstanding dinner in the cockpit of Cutter Loose, consisting of vegetable korma and basmati rice from Taj Mahal (takeout frozen in seal-a-meal boiling pouches), together with a glass of chilled Pinot Gris that we received as a retirement gift. Life is good.
There is talk on NOAA marine weather of a weak cold front passing through the area tomorrow. While no severe weather is forecasted, it may be prudent to remain here in Cape May for another day while the complicated weather picture becomes clearer.
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