One Year!

Exactly one year ago today, on June 20, 2019, we started our long dreamed about adventure.

At the time, we realistically expected to be back in Canada by mid-June of 2020 (in other words, now).  Alas, the world pandemic has changed a lot of things and one of those things is how we are doing this trip. Since re-entering the US from the Bahamas on March 12, we have been travelling very slowly up the eastern coast, anchoring out a lot, avoiding big towns and cities, and practicing social distancing (which is actually quite easily accomplished on a boat).  We are very self-contained and take our home with us wherever we go. We have learned to carry masks and alcohol wipes with us whenever we leave the boat. We have created a small social bubble of like-minded friends who all have the same goal in mind – to return home to Canada.

Everyone is getting anxious to get home.  Our main obstacle, the New York Canal System, is just starting to work on the projects that were put on hold at the start of the stay at home order.  At this point the earliest we expect we can return home is the end of August. We miss our family and friends and can’t wait to see you all! Every day we get a little closer!

Our last stop on Chesapeake Bay was an anchorage at Fairlee Creek, Maryland.  We arrived early on a Friday afternoon; there were two other boats in the anchorage when our small flotilla of three boats arrived.  By late afternoon, the anchorage was packed (with over 50 boats).  Apparently, Fairlee Creek is a very popular anchorage for both Baltimore and Annapolis – it is not too far away for them and it was the start of the weekend. We were having so much fun people watching that I actually didn’t get any pictures of the busy anchorage.

I did get this picture though. 

And here we are leaving Fairlee Creek anchorage.

Our next stop was Chesapeake City.  Don’t let the name fool you – it is a very small town and not a city at all.  It is very picturesque and they have done a great job of keeping all their older homes in good repair.

Connecting Chesapeake Bay to Delaware Bay is the Chesapeake and Delaware (C&D) Canal.  While the canal was first proposed in 1661, it only opened in 1829.  It reduced the water routes between Philadelphia and Baltimore by nearly 300 miles.   It is 12 miles long and is the busiest commercial canal in the US and the third busiest in the world. 

We did not spend too much time in Delaware – just two days in Delaware City (another small town).

Tim, the Dock Master at the Delaware City Marina, was amazing. He provides a daily ‘Captain’s briefing’ on the Delaware River and Delaware Bay (and because of COVID he now provides these briefings via Zoom).  Delaware River and Delaware Bay are big bodies of water heavily influenced by tide and currents. The briefing was invaluable for us to plan our trip down the Delaware to Cape May, New Jersey.  Due to winds and tidal current, we decided to divide our trip on the Delaware into two segments:  the first part, on June 18, we travelled the Delaware River portion.

In order to have the best cruising conditions on Delaware Bay, we got up at the crack of dawn on June 19 and continued the second part of our journey.

For the first time on our trip, we ran into some fog.

Next up: the New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway.