Happy 4th of July, I hope a fun, family and fireworks day to you.
We are sitting in a lovely Cape May, NJ marina waiting out the passage of Arthur. It is supposed to pass out in the Atlantic sometime this afternoon but in the meantime we are being pushed into the dock and the fenders are getting a workout.
Over the past few weeks we have made good time up the ICW to Norfolk and then up the Chesapeake Bay. We had friends to meet near Annapolis so we put in some long days and we had some interesting experiences.
One day we went up the Pungo River, NC and into a 25 mile long canal, Alligator-Pungo Canal and then across the Albemarle Sound. We were cutting it close to get to an anchorage before dark when a huge thunderstorm hit us with 60mph winds. Thankfully all sails were down, we did see it coming but within a minute we couldn't see for all the water being blown in our faces. Mike turned the boat to run with the wind and we waited out the heaviest blasts all the while watching big lightning strikes around us on shore. There was no rain so we turned back and made for our anchoring spot but then the rain and wind came and we really couldn't see because the sun had set by then. We ended up anchoring out of the channel and waiting until morning to move north again. It was the most scary storm we have ever been in, the shallow water around us not allowing us much room to maneuver.
We had an equally good day on our way from Norfolk, VA to Solomons, MD which we did in one day, anchoring again in the twilight but under much better conditions.
Solomons, MD is across from the Patuxent Naval Air Base so we were treated almost daily to jets and transports crossing the air above us. There is a very entertaining museum, Calvert County Maritime Museum complete with a screwpile lighthouse, Drum Pt., a skipjack and otters and skates and rays. We had two days with our friends which made all the long days worth it.
We moved up the Chesapeake to stay in Eagle Cove, a popular spot in summer for boats to anchor and spend the day. There are no sea nettles as of yet so we swam and had a quiet night there.
Our ride through the C and D canal, connecting the Chesapeake with the Delaware Bay was quick as we caught the tide just right. The motorsail down the Bay grew tedious when the wind went to 27 on the nose and the waves grew to 6-7ft. We made it into the Cape May canal in the dark, yet again and because of the crazy lights it was more like a haunted house ride at Disney into the anchorage in the basin across from the US Coast Guard station.
Our marina here in Cape May is near several restaurants and we even made it to an old style Acme grocery. We'll wait out the storm and then head out for Block Island or wherever we can up the eastern seaboard.
More from Maine when we get there.
For now, remember how hard our Founding Fathers worked while you celebrate with fireworks etc.