June 6-7               Cape May, New Jersey

As promised, Dave and Glenn were on the dock at 7:00 AM to help us leave Henderson’s Wharf.  It was a lovely morning with little wind and a sunny sky as we headed out of the harbor on the same route we had made on August 29, 2013, our last day of cruising for that year.  We would go north on Chesapeake Bay, through the C & D Canal, south on Delaware Bay, and through the Cape May Canal to one of our favorite places, South Jersey Marina.  It was a long trip but weather conditions were favorable and the boat was running great.  Hopefully, Glenn had found and repaired any problems or might-be problems.  Many invoices showed that considerable work had been performed during the boat’s winter hiatus in Baltimore. 

Again, we marveled at the lovely homes along the western Maryland shore and the banks of the C & D Canal.  Spring rains had produced a lush green countryside pristinely maintained.  Traffic was minimal throughout the day.  Delaware Bay, a conduit for frequent freighters headed for the DuPont facilities up the Delaware River, was uncrowded.  Taking two-hour shifts at the helm, we reached the Cape May Canal a little before 6:00 PM.  We were on schedule!

A large ferry docking station is immediately past the entrance to the canal.  Large red balls were positioned in front.  Although we had been through the canal several times, David misinterpreted the balls to mean clearance for the ferries rather than the important maxim “red right returning” and on impulse headed to the left.  We were immediately stuck on a sandy bottom.  Stopping all forward motion, David repeatedly attempted reversed the engines resulting in a churning of the props and a muddy turbulence in the water.  We gradually moved backward into the deeper water.  It appeared no damage had been done to the props but our autopilot was not working.

Cape May Bay is very shallow and it is essential to stay within the markers (red on starboard, green on port as I reminded David).  Carefully negotiating the suggested route, we easily docked at South Jersey Marina.  It was a party scene with all the festivities associated with an on-going fishing tournament.  We arrived only minutes before the arrival of the fishermen in their large boats with multiple rods and reels proudly displayed overhead.  One docked behind us and hauled out a 380 pound Mako shark.  It was later declared the winner in the Mako shark category of the tournament.

 A large party was held on the dock for the fishermen and the marina was filled with guys enjoying the great ambiance produced by beautiful weather, food, beer, and conversation that probably included lots of lies about the sizes of their catches and the duration of their struggles to land them. We enjoyed sitting on deck and observing the fun.

On Saturday, we needed to buy more supplies for our northward journey so we headed for Tony’s Marine.  On our way, we stopped at the wonderful antique shop across from the marina to see what had been added since our visit last year.  Filled with thousands of items, the store is carefully organized and meticulously clean.  Browsing through the aisles always gives us an opportunity to reminisce about the past.

Our guide books on the Down East Circle Cruise had recommended having on board at least six lines of sixty feet or more for docking in the locks of the Eire and Oswego Canals.  Our longest lines were thirty feet.  Tony had received that morning a large spool of ¾’ line that would meet our requirements.  Unexpectedly, he gave us a discount on the price and offered to deliver the lines to our boat. 

As we had been in Cape May for a week last year, we decided to forego a visit to the beach or the downtown area and enjoy the marina ambiance with the swarm of fishermen and their boats coming and going.  Considerable excitement ensued when Dumb and Dumber (the name of the boat) came in with a huge Fresher shark.  With the help of twelve men, the fish was hoisted aloft, measured, and weighed.  At 684 pounds, it was almost a record.