We left for Delaware City on April 19. We entered the Chesapeake/Delaware Canal at 1140 hrs. Cloudy, light wind and chilly – no sailing on the canal. Turned up the Delaware River to go to Delaware City Marina. Tied to the dock on starboard and using the current and long lines we flipped the boat so we were tied on port side for an easy departure. We walked around town – Delaware City is somewhat depressed but they have a nice park near the water. Cost for stay was $87.20. The dockmaster had a captains’ meeting at 1700 hrs to discuss currents, weather and waves           on the Delaware River.  We were advised to leave early in the morning to catch the current running down river.

We left at 0630 and had an uneventful, easy sail down the Delaware. When we hit the lower Chesapeake there were standing waves where the currents from the ocean and the river met.  We couldn’t use the Cape May Canal because the tide was too high for Dutchess to clear the bridges on the canal. We motored around Cape May Point and into Cape May Inlet where we docked at Utch’s Marina. Cost was $176 for dockage (2 nights) and $114.95 for 50 gallons of diesel. The marina was being dredged and it was turned into a rough construction site rather than an upscale marina. The restroom facilities were well-maintained however. We dined twice at the Lobster House – once in the luncheonette and also in the diningroom.  We took a cab to the pedestrian walking mall for shopping, made our way to the beach, and enjoyed seeing the Victorian homes.  Cape May is beautiful and very well kept – blooming flowers in all the yards – no litter or debris anywhere.

Walking the beach.

On April 22, we left for Atlantic City by traveling about 3 mi offshore in the Atlantic for 40 nautical miles.  There were 20+ knot winds on the nose which made for Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride! We were bouncing and rocking and rolling all the way – even the Skipper was sick!  We docked in front of the Golden Nugget Casino at the Farley State Marina (formerly belonging to The Donald). The cost here is $1.80/ft with the AGLCA discount.  We had planned to stay just one night but conditions off-shore are keeping us here a few extra days (and we don’t even like to gamble!).

Casinos at night.

Testing sails for Dutchess - 007 at Severn Yacht Center in Hayes, VA prior to leaving on the trip to Canada.

We left Solomon on April 16  and enjoyed warm temps and calm seas as we traveled to Annapolis,MD.  The first night we attached to a mooring buoy - the dogs could not be coaxed to do their business on a rug placed on the stern deck for that purpose.  On the morning of April 17 we moved to a bulkhead in "Ego Alley." The dogs were quite happy to disembark!  One of our neighbors in Ego Alley was a 300-ft yacht on its way to the Mediterranean for the summer.
We enjoyed walking around and exploring Annapolis. The facilities were close-by and were fair to middling, but shops and restaurants were steps away. Cost for the buoy was $35 and the docking fee was $2.25/ft x 44 + electric = $109.
April 18 saw a relatively short (6 1/4 hrs) trip further up the Chesapeake in calm waters to Bohemia Yacht Harbor near Chesapeake City,Maryland.  It is a large marina with good facilities.We can even watch MSNBC! Cost is $1/ft+$5 electric and $5 pump out = $54. We had pizza delivered to the boat for dinner -- a real luxury! We plan to move on to Delaware City in the morning.

We traveled from Hayes, VA to Tangier Island, VA on 4/12/17. Waters were calm and no wind so we were on the engine all the way.  We arrived at Parks Marina around 4 pm.  Parks is a very basic marina with no amenities other than restrooms which were not yet open for the season. (The cost reflects the lack of extras)  $30/day + $5 electric x 2 days = $70.




We had dinner at the only restaurant that was open - Lorraine's - and while there found ourselves in the midst of a birthday celebration for the pastor's wife with about 30 island residents. The people were very welcoming and even invited us to share in the cake and ice cream. As the residents were leaving, most stopped by the table to say hello, talk awhile, and even give hugs!
We did some extensive walking on the island and John also rode his bike.
 There are now about 700 residents (and perhaps as many cats!)









We left Tangier on 4/14/17. The main activity during the trip was avoiding crab pots. We saw several container ships on the way. We arrived at Solomon's Island, Maryland in mid-afternoon at Zahniser's Yacht Center. This is a lovely facility with many clean and well-maintained amenities. The cost reflects the upscale nature of the marina. $1.50/ft x 44 ft x 2 days + $6 for electric = $144 for two nights. They even offer a free ride to the local grocery store to stock up. There is also a boardwalk nearby.
John and Juli had dinner at the Dry Dock Restaurant on-site on 4/15/17.
Leaving for Annapolis in the morning!

Hello I am back again.

We are still in Severn Yacht Center on the Severn River in Hayes Virginia but tomorrow we are leaving for[JCK1]  Tangier Island. We have been busily prepping the boat since 3/30/17. Juli and I spent the winter in Richmond, VA along with Skipper (John’s ‘pound puppy’) and Sadie (Juli’s 11-yr-old Cavachon).

Paul, a former crew mate, is back from Montreal for this trip.

We plan to keep up the blog during this trip – welcome aboard!

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 [JCK1]