We debated whether to make our next stop the Chesapeake or go offshore straight to Norfolk, VA. Skipping the Chesapeake entirely would save us a few weeks, but we had both really been looking forward to some Chesapeake sailing. Our original plan was to stay for the Annapolis boat show, but that would have had us hitting Virginia really late in October. Ultimately we decided to scrap the boat show but spend a little time exploring the Chesapeake.
We got an early start out of Cape May to take advantage of a favorable current, which we’d heard you could ride the whole way through the C&D if you timed it right. On our way out of the channel, we saw a couple pods of dolphins, and a baby came to check out Silent Sky. We also saw some pelicans as we sailed along the coast using a track some local friends shared that took us in close to the lighthouse and safely through the shoals. The Delaware Bay was a bit sloppy with light wind against the tide, but it laid down as we got into the narrower parts.
The C&D had a lot of small boats, but we didn’t see any commercial traffic and it was an easy trip. We got to the Bohemia River around 1730 and were torn whether to stop or push on to the Sassafras River, which was our intended destination. The Bohemia was pretty, and there were a few other cruisers we’d been leapfrogging there, so we decided to call it a day. We got a flyover from four bald eagles, and a stunning sunset gave way to a beautiful night.
We were able to sail all the next day, and I took the first watch on our way to Annapolis. I don’t do well in shifty winds that are up and down in speed, so I wasn’t sad when my watch was up. Chris is much better in those conditions and I felt like we immediately started making better progress when he took over. The sailing was sporty to say the least, but I really enjoyed it. Jack did not. And he made sure we knew. I couldn’t get over how much sail was out there with us, and I loved it.
We got to Annapolis around 1630 and decided to check for a mooring – we had little hope of actually scoring one, but we tried anyway and it felt like winning the lottery when we managed to snag the last open mooring by a matter of seconds. It’s a big shift from marina life to the solitude of an anchorage to being in the heart of downtown, and I’m excited to be here.
