The water in the Atlantic is bright blue and shimmers, in Maine it’s teeming with lobsters and in the Caribbean it’s so clear that you feel like you are floating on air, all these things make the heart soar in different ways. The water in the Chesapeake, by contrast, is a greeny brown, coats Ruffian in a slimy film and when the wind blows it’s choppy in the extreme. Even though the water in the Chesapeake is not a joy we’re elated to have made it to this great cruising destination where Washington DC awaits us in weeks to come.

Before we could get to the Chesapeake we had to once again negotiate the Delaware and the C & D canal. The tide in the Delaware screams along the 60 mile length of the bay and so it’s imperative to ride it all the way north. We ripped north with the tide sweeping us magically along and as we got to the C & D canal it turned to blast us through the canal and down the Chesapeake, we couldn’t have timed things better.

Although we were going fast in the right direction on Ruffian things were very dull and boring. The engine pounded away as the featureless terrain on the Delaware passed us by. The only relief to this tedium were the cupcakes and cookies that Iain produced for Fiona from his bakeathon in the galley. After 12 hours of fair tide, cookie cooking and eating, we finally anchored in the grimy crab infested waters of the Chesapeake in the brilliantly named Bohemia River and settled down for a well deserved sundowner.

We had ‘sailed’ from New York with an Island Packet called ‘Robingsong’ and we knew that we were bound for the same locations in the Delaware and the Chesapeake. They had the benefit of having a big old engine and so they took miles and miles out of us as poor Ruffian couldn’t keep up. We finally caught them up after leaving the Bohemia River and we made plans to sail in company the following day.

The scene was set for another race and to help us get the upper hand we hadn’t briefed Robinsong about the rules, course or even that there was a race going ahead. Robinsong quickly took the lead as Ruffian’s little engine was no match for their additional horses. With sails set we nipped out of the channel into shallow water whenever we could and finally with the wind aft we could ‘pop’ the kite. All this was to no avail until the last stretch when we had to go upwind, finally Ruffian, with her deeper keel and hardier crew took the lead. At the line though, Robinsong and all her horses, stole the victory. They were victors without even knowing there was a race. Next time we’ll change the position of the finish line as we sail along.

Robinsong not only shared their spoils of victory with us in Stoney Creek that night, they also shared all the top spots that they had heard about in the Chesapeake. They told us of idyllic little anchorages where the water is flat, the wildlife stunning and you can hike all day without seeing a soul and towns so welcoming they make you want to stop and settle. Amongst many others they introduced us to Wye Island and so this blog finds us sat on water so still we don’t need mirrors, surrounded by scenery so stunning that we don’t need art and the prospect of such good hiking that we don’t need a gym.

Is that a late night or an early morning in Lewes? Time to ‘do’ the Delaware again.


The wonders of tide.


No wind + No Sailing = A Bakefest. Any one for cupcakes or cookies?


Goodbye ocean. Hello the greeny browny sludgy water of the Chesapeake.


We thought that we’d left the fog behind in Maine.


That’s more like it, a cloudless sky.


The race is on. Robinsong takes an early lead.


Ruffian unleashes the magic ‘Geordie Lad’ in an effort to get ahead.


Is 65knots the best that you guys can do?


Brrrrrrrrrr.


It’s cold. Time to break open the tomato soup.


The scruffy ospreys are replaced by graceful pairs of eagles.


The water at Wye Island is so flat it looks like it’s been ironed.