Stats for June 12, 2019

Origin: Delaware City, DE

Destination: Cape May, NJ

Distance: 60.2 miles

Speed: 8.4 mph

Time on the Move: 7 hours and 8 minutes

We headed out of Delaware City early to start down the Delaware Bay, bringing up the rear of a dozen loop boats all heading the same direction that day. Delaware Bay is known to be some of the most unpredictable water on the loop because it is large, open to the ocean, and shallow. It can blow up and get really nasty really fast, and there aren’t a whole lot of places to hide, so it’s best to know that there is calm water out there before you head out.

We went back and forth trying to get in to Utsch’s marina in the days leading up to our arrival, but there were windy conditions expected the day after we arrived and that jammed up their boating reservations. Sometimes boats have reservations, but they don’t arrive because bad weather halts their travel. Likewise, the boats that are supposed to leave can’t leave because bad weather also halts their travel. It is a cycle that marinas usually don’t worry about too much. They know that if boats can’t leave, boats won’t come in, so they don’t hold slips for their reservations. Finally, about 10 miles from the marina, they called and said they could get us in. We were happy because this particular marina was closest to the action in Cape May.

I have to say, it wasn’t the easiest docking experience for us. There was very shallow water just outside of the break wall and we had to be sure to stay in the channel. The wind had started picking up and it was difficult to not get blown into the shallows. Then, just as we were about to turn into the entrance to the marina, a parasailing boat backed out of their slip and started coming down the fairway towards us. There wasn’t enough room for both of us in the fairway, especially with the wind blowing us around, so we backed off and attempted to hold station in the channel. Finally we were clear to head in towards our slip, but the boat next to us was sticking out significantly which meant we had to make a very tight turn into the slip. The wind was blowing, the fairway was narrow, and we just didn’t make it. Mike backed off at the last minute and tried to spin it around and come at it from the starboard side, but without thrusters that wasn’t going to happen either. Reluctantly we headed all the way back down the fairway, past the break wall, and out into the skinny water channel to turn around and make another attempt. We made it in the slip that time, and we were so relieved to be tied up and in place for a few days. Whew! At check-in we got a goody bag filled with fun stuff, including a bottle of local wine. After that landing, it was the perfect surprise!!

You can see that there were quite a few loopers in the marina, getting ready to hide from the winds. Many of these boats were boats we had traveled with in the past and most of them came down from Delaware City with us earlier in the day. Parrot Bay is another Michigan boat we’ve known since Florida, and Kailani was docked right behind us in Chicago way back in September, though we didn’t see them again after that until Titusville, Florida. It’s funny how it goes that way on the loop, but it adds to the camaraderie when you finally run into boats you know again.

The next day we headed out to explore Cape May. It was quite a walk to get to the beach and then you actually had to pay to go on the beach. So this is where we stopped, took some pictures, and then got right back off that expensive beach! It was a blustery and windy day, but there were several whale watching and other sight seeing boats out and about. I’m guessing lots of their passengers didn’t feel well out there on those waves!

The walk along the ocean was beautiful with old Victorian houses lining the street and the boardwalk on the other side. Of course, we can’t sit on a bench like normal people, so this is how we roll.

On day #3 we headed to nearby Wildwood in the windy sunshine to see what a real New Jersey boardwalk is all about. It was an amazing day to be a kid or an adult. It isn’t my absolute favorite type of beach/vacation environment, but it was sure fun for a day!

Tobin is really into hat tricks after seeing several street performers in different cities. He didn’t have his ball on this day (usually it’s hat and ball tricks, but the gig might be better without the ball), but apparently the Jeep gathering struck him as a great place to practice for his future as a street performer. Enjoy this 4 picture sequence:

Leaving life (and work) behind for a year means that we are on a budget everywhere we go. Sure, we spend lots of money, but we have to carefully weigh all of our options. We walked around all of the games and rides to see what was there and we told the kids they could spend 10 tickets each. It turns out none of them wanted to do the rides, but instead, they all were desperate for some stuffed prizes. Just looking at these pictures makes me smile.

We had a great time hanging out on the boardwalk, but one day was enough. Back to the boat and time to get ready to head out tomorrow. On to the next adventure! Thanks for following along on our adventures!!