Bev and I would like wish everyone at home a Happy Thanksgiving and hope you had a great meal with family and friends. Our dinner was homemade tortiere made by Bev which she had frozen and packed away for a special occasion. Certainly not turkey but just as enjoyable, a just reward for our last 3 days of travel.

While we were preparing to leave Atlantic Highlands Saturday morning I remarked that this would be Dagny's 6th trip along the Jersey coast and we had yet been able to sail the entire way. The forecast looked favourable so with crossed fingers we hoisted the anchor at 10:30 a.m. and headed out of the harbour. The wind was 15 knots + from the north so we had to pound into short steep waves for 5 miles until we turned the corner of the hook and set a southerly couse for Cape May. Once we turned the corner we set the sails for a nice beam reach and enjoyed a picture perfect day of sailing. The wind was forecast to hold but shift a little to the west in the evening so before dark we put the first reef in the main and settled in for a long night under a full moon. As the night wore on we put a second reef in the main to reduce the load on Otto as he held us on course at 7 knots. Despite the cold, it was a beautiful bright night as we steamed towards Lewes Delaware. We finally had to drop our sails and motor the last 10 miles into the harbour where we happily dropped the anchor at 8:30am after 22 hours and 135 miles.

Once we had a chance to sleep for awhile and tidy up the boat it was time to check weather and tide forecasts for the next few days.
Although we were still a little tired we decided the best thing to do was depart Lewes at 4 a.m. Monday morning and ride the tide all day long up Delaware Bay, through the C&D canal and into Chesapeake Bay. We both crashed early after dinner in anticipation of the alarm going off at 3;15 with plans to be anchor up before 4. Once again we had great visibility under a bright moon and cloudless sky as we made our way out to the main channel. Good thing too, we had to deal with 5 freighters , a pilot boat and numerous channel marks all in the first 45 minutes, and believe me when the ships are doing 17 knots they close in a hurry. Once the sun came up and the traffic died down we enjoyed an uneventful trip and our timing was perfect. Other then a 1/2 knot adverse current for the first half hour we rode a 1 to 2.5 favourable current all day. After 85 miles in 11 hours we anchored in the Sassafras river for the night. Annapolis tomorrow.

Today's picture is the full moon rising off the New Jersey Coast,