Mainship Many Moons is “parked” inside a boat lift on the Cohansey River and sitting in mud about three miles inland from the cantankerous Delaware Bay. A boat lift is for putting boats into the water and taking them out again … not for letting boats “hang out” inside. I asked for permission anyway, and got it. Lucky thing, because the small marina is unable to take our boat.
We planned to anchor in this river when we took refuge here from the increasing winds on Delaware Bay. We read reviews and knew that many boats have done so, but the combined six-foot tide and strong currents made anchoring an unnerving prospect. (We first tried tying up to an abandoned waterfront wall, but that didn’t go well!) So we’re grateful for the unconventional security of the boat lift as strong winds approach, even if we are sitting in mud at low tide.
Yep, we’re back into tides and currents again. I have the right apps and am back into “research mode,” but each region is different. It keeps us on our toes.
We cruised 50ish miles yesterday, which was enough after the 95-mile cruise the day before. We had a very long sleep after securing the boat. (Constant decision-making and negotiating is tiring, as any leader knows!) Will we head south into the widest part of this unpredictable bay tomorrow? Our next destination is Cape May on the Atlantic Ocean. It’s just 30 miles away, but it could be a grueling 30 miles in the wrong weather.
Photos and captions from C&D Canal and Delaware River/Bay below.
P.S.: Check off State #15 (Delaware) and #16 (New Jersey) on our Great Loop adventure.
Arriving at Chesapeake City (Md.), the start of the 17-mile Chesapeake & Delaware (C&D) Canal, supposedly the busiest shipping canal in the country. Passing working boat Delaware Responder on the C&D Canal. We saw just one barge on our transit….…and one big cargo ship. The canal is 450 feet wide; this ship is 110 feet wide. I remember how nervous I was the first time we approached a big ship back in August. This time, no big deal. Plenty of room.
Approaching Salem Nuclear Power Plant on the Delaware River. When we left the canal and entered the river (which flows into Delaware Bay), we immediately lost 3 mph of forward momentum. Hello, currents! It’s been awhile!
Salem Nuclear Power Plant, New Jersey. (The Delaware River runs along the Delaware/New Jersey border.)
We went about three miles into the 30-mile Cohansey River to check out the marina there. When the marina manager said he was full, we checked out an abandoned dock as an alternative to anchoring. The dock we used at Whitefish Point in Lake Superior looked sort of like this, so we thought it might work….…but as the tide dropped, it exposed underwater hazards that could damage the boat. Getting off this dock was a challenge with the hazards at our stern and the wind pushing us in — but after three tries, we made it safely away. Our home for two nights, the boat lift at Hancock Harbor Marina. The tide is up here, but it will drop six feet from this. Getting on and off the boat can be a challenge. Our boat is sitting in mud here, imside the lift at low tide.Shot from the bow, inside the boat lift at low tide. Jeff visiting with crabbers who came in next to us. They get $1 per crab right now — a good business!Another crabber came in just as the rain hit. I’m grateful for the heavy-duty plastic that protects our exposed stern during storms. Jeff added it in Florida.Two days of vigorous travel, then hard-stop. That’s how it is on The Great Loop at times. The pink dot in lower left is where we began just two days ago at Solomons Island on Chesapeake Bay. The pink dot on upper left is where we anchored after a 95-mile day. The pink dot on upper right is where we sit now, 1/3 of the way down the Delaware Bay. See how wide it gets before it enters the ocean? That’s why it gets rougher the further south we go.
Mary, We enjoyed reading about your adventures in Egypt.
We are on the Erie Canal, hope to cross to Canada on Monday. It has been a good trip for us so far.
Hope to see you along the way.
For Many Moons 
Mary, We enjoyed reading about your adventures in Egypt.
We are on the Erie Canal, hope to cross to Canada on Monday. It has been a good trip for us so far.
Hope to see you along the way.
LikeLike
Thanks! Hope so! (Which boat are you again? I lose track. 😉 )
LikeLike