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.
This guy made us remember our days on the rivers. He was getting a push from the current while we were still fighting it, but soon after, the current changed to push us along on our way south.As he got closer, we saw his name and I needed to take another picture. My maiden name is Hays, so this guy was quite a surprise!Further south we came across quite a staging area for cargo and tanker ships waiting to get into port, waiting for the current to change, or waiting for who knows what before they head out into the big blue ocean. These are 2 of the 15 boats that were waiting off to the side of the Bay.Tobin kept busy underway making a dragonfly house and catching a few new pets.
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.
INNTW hiding from winds at the dock.The boys headed out to play pinecone baseball. Check out the height of those piles!! We experienced about 6 foot tidal swings in this area. Yowzers! See that ramp in the background? It’s obviously low tide because the angle is so steep. At high tide they were much closer to being level.Kailani was gracious enough to have the kids over for coloring, snacks, and arts and crafts. Hayley was in her glory when she decorated this fan blade. I was thrilled for someone else to provide the entertainment and amazed that other boaters would be willing to get into such detailed (and, ahem, messy) crafts on their boat with someone else’s kids?! Many thanks to you, Kailani!! This masterpiece hangs at her grandma’s house now!Loopers from 4 boats gather for docktails. We told many war stories involving generators, invertors, wind, and waves. We shared lots of plans for the future and reviewed the paths we took to get to this spot.
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!
Hayley rocked that ninja warrior headband for the second day in a row, I see.
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.
Seeing these houses made us wonder about their history. What beautiful homes! And this picture is so quintessential with the tandem bike in the foreground. We had the most delicious ice cream here at Fine Fellows. We made a quick stop at the Cape May Fire Department Museum on our way back to the boat. It was a long walk back that included some essential grocery shopping and a stop at a playground because….INNTW?!
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!
Quick stop at a brewery on the way. The kids kept busy with life-sized jenga here!There was a Jeep gathering on the beach, so we got some swag and checked out some awesome Jeeps. There are several amusement park areas along this stretch of boardwalk. Honestly, there was so much to see and do, it was overwhelming! And expensive!
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:
TA DA!!$2 pizza on the boardwalk?! Yes, please!!Look at these goofballs!Wow! This fun was calling their name, so we headed to the games and rides area.Hayley just living her best life.
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.
Tobin was a winner!! (Thank goodness!!)Colin planned very carefully how he could earn the big sloth prize from this game. He even had to give Hayley one of his tickets so he could beat her in the game in order to win his best new buddy. I think it was worth it. Big Slothy is now a regular fixture on INNTW and he’s actually pretty awesome!The kids and their prizes. I’m so glad to report that everyone was happy with their prizes. Thank goodness they all won!!Pizza, prizes, and lots of fun! Don’t forget to watch out for the tram car!!Taking it all in. Unfortunately I didn’t see Pauly D or Snooki…
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!!
Leaving Baltimore Harbor we remembered to look for the Stars and Stripes bouy that the city maintains marking the spot where Francis Scott Key wrote the poem that later became the Star Spangled Banner. I missed it on the way into Baltimore, so I was very careful to keep an eye open when we left. Sure enough, the sun was shining so brightly, it was hard to see and quite anticlimactic. Cool to think about, but not very exciting to see.
There she is–the stars and stripes bouy. Apparently it is painted red, white, and blue and is very well maintained. Did you know Francis Scott Key was a lawyer who went on board a British ship to negotiate release of an American civilian when he was detained during the battle at Fort McHenry? Just a little historical info!
We headed out into the Bay at the most optimum time to get a push from the current up the top of the Chesapeake Bay and thru the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal (C&D Canal). It is important to pay attention to the current thru this section because it can be pretty strong through these bottleneck areas and can make or break your fuel economy.
This does not look like the most comfortable way to travel, but apparently she’s fine with it…This looks much more comfortable!!
After we turned and headed north in the Chesapeake, we had 2 foot waves on the beam for a while. Mike was trying to get some stuff done on the computer, so I was at the helm. We were rocking and rolling and stuff was crashing down all around–not the most comfortable trip, but after a few hours we neared land and the water calmed down.
Entering the C&D canal is kind of crazy because it is a long (14 miles), narrow (450 feet) canal that is used heavily for shipping. It was hand dug between 1824-1829 by almost 3,000 workers. The idea is similar to the creation of the Dismal Swamp, but the C&D canal is MUCH bigger and deeper, as it is meant for big ships, where the Dismal Swamp couldn’t handle a boat much bigger than INNTW. Also, the C&D isn’t near as swampy and woodsy nowadays, though it might have been more natural almost 200 years ago when it was built.
There is really only 1 place to stop once you’ve entered the canal, so once you’re in, you’re going all the way thru. As I mentioned earlier, the current is really strong in the canal, so it is essential that you look ahead to see the rate of the current and plan accordingly. Luckily, this information is on the Navionics app we use regularly as a back up for our navigation system.
There is an actual stoplight at the entrance to the canal telling you if it is safe to proceed or if you need to wait for oncoming traffic. I believe this stoplight is meant mostly for the large cargo and tanker ships that use the canal regularly because turning into the canal could be dicey if there was a ship right there heading out (those things don’t exactly turn on a dime). In the middle of the canal, there is plenty of room for these big ships to pass each other when they are just chugging along straight, but turning is a different story. In the canal we only passed by 1 big Army Corps of Engineers ship along the way. Unfortunately, I have 0 pictures of the canal?!
We exited the canal just south of Delaware City in the Delaware Bay. We headed towards the marina which was located down another long, skinny channel. We got very detailed instructions from the marina about how close to stay to the banks so that we didn’t run aground in the shallow channel. It didn’t really work, because we heard a loud bump that sounded like we hit something hard. Mike was annoyed, but there was very little water and no other alternative marinas, so there wasn’t much we could do beside proceed with caution.
This giant nuclear power plant was in the distance, looking ominous.
We fueled up and then headed to the very end of the 1 loooong dock to tie up. The channel is so narrow that the dockhands have a very unique way of tying up boats. We pretty much gave them both the lines from the stern (starboard was along the dock). They pushed our bow out into the current, holding on to the stern lines tightly. The current caught our bow and pushed it around so that eventually our boat did a 180 and now the port side was along the dock. The dockhands then caught the port bow lines and tied us up. Confused yet?! It’s basically that they use muscle and the power of the current to turn these big boats around instead of trusting the captains to spin on a dime and parallel park. I’m not quite sure their plan is a better way to dock, but they have obviously come to this system for some reason, so who are we to say we can dock ourselves?!
Whew…we were glad to be done with that skinny, shallow channel getting to the marina.
After we checked in, we saw some other loopers headed out to dinner, so off we went. There is a small town adjacent to the marina so it was a short walk to Crabby Dick’s. How can you say no to dinner at Crabby Dick’s?! We enjoyed visiting with the other loopers and many of them have the same plan to stay one night and head for Cape May the following day. Traveling the Delaware Bay can be quite daunting as it is big water and very open to the Atlantic. The current again plays a big part of when you should travel, but you also need mid to high tide to get out of the marina here, so we touch base with the other loopers and everyone decides to head out around 7am.
Tobin got an actual whole crab in his kids meal. I have to say, he wasn’t thrilled.We enjoyed the short walk through town back to the marina.Writing thank you notes to send out with our INNTW stickers.We had an absolutely gorgeous sunset to enjoy.Mike saw an equally beautiful sunset from his evening bike ride.
Thanks for reading and following our adventures about our quick 1 night stop in Delaware City! Our one and only night in Delaware!
**Obviously this is being posted extremely late. There are lots of reasons (excuses) why I fell behind on the blog, but I will attempt to catch up and post about each stop along the way, even if it is a few months late. If you’re still reading, thanks for being patient and following along! If you don’t follow us on Facebook, you should!! INNTWadventures–look us up and see what we’re actually up to after being home for a month!**
Leaving Annapolis, we saw a lot of big ships out in the Chesapeake. They were far away from us, but it was a busy place! The kids worked on some schoolwork and played, as we had a pretty smooth trip up to Baltimore.
Naval vessels out giving tours to kids attending summer camp experiences.Big ships out in the bay!Finishing another book!Practicing his coding skills on Scratch.This girl loves playing in her room!There are many lighthouses in the middle of the Chesapeake. It is interesting to look up the history of each of them and imagine the lives of the keepers before the lights became automated. This is the Sandy Point Shoal Lighthouse, built in 1883.This is the Baltimore Light, the last lighthouse built on the bay, constructed in 1908. It is the only American lighthouse to ever be powered by nuclear energy (in the 60’s) before being converted to generator power.
Heading in to Baltimore there was a lot to see!! Industry and ships and bridges oh my!!
A replica of the Lazaretto Lighthouse built in the early 1830’s at this spot across from Fort McHenry. It was named the Lazaretto because of a well-known quarantine hospital on site in the early 1800’s that was meant to contain contagious diseases that immigrants brought over to the new country.
We finally caught up with our friends Kent and Heather from Heartbeat, and they even helped us land at the dock. We made plans to meet up with them and other loop friends on Ceci Kay for docktails later, and then headed to the office to check in. During the process of checking in, we also had some questions about picking up our rental car and using it to catch a train to get us to DC. The lady in the office seemed to think there was an easier train direct from Baltimore to DC which got us thinking maybe we didn’t have the best plan. (Side note: She actually said to Mike “If you’re the adventurous type you could…” which cracked me up–11 months and 6,000 miles on a boat with his kids–he’s probably a bit adventurous, though I’m sure she didn’t know our story.) We talked to a few other people on the docks about it, as well and ended up cancelling our rental car and deciding to take an Uber to the train station to catch a certain train that would take us right into DC.
Changing the plan we already spent hours figuring took us a while, so before we knew it, docktails were in order! It was nice to catch up with some friends we hadn’t seen since back in the Bahamas. We reviewed all things Bahamas and East Coast and also covered plans for the coming months. One of the best parts about this trip is how we cross paths with the same boats again and again while always meeting new people, as well. Having a loop flag means instant camaraderie with other boaters everywhere you go. We had a nice evening and then went back to the boat to make dinner.
Side note: we brought scooters, sidewalk chalk, and legos to keep kiddos occupied during docktails. It turned out that we were right next to the boaters lounge with big comfy couches, large tables, and a water cooler, so the kids played inside most of the time. I thought this was worth noting because we are regularly trying to find that balance between kid entertainment and adult entertainment. Sometimes we have to get creative, but today worked out great. And luckily our boating friends didn’t seem to mind the kids eating up all the snacks they brought.
The next morning we wanted to get out and see more of the city, so of course we headed for the nearest playground!! There was a giant park with several playgrounds and even a pool nearby. It was a perfect spot to run around and burn off some energy!
This pagoda-style building is a landmark in Patterson Park. It was built 1890! Hampstead Hill is a portion of the park that played a part in the Civil War and the War of 1812. Some signs of it’s history still exist today.
In the evening we went to dinner in the Fells Point neighborhood with Ceci Kay and Heartbeat. We had delicious Italian food and it was great to spend time with friends once again. That is something Mike and I have been missing since we left Livin the Dream behind in Florida, having friends to boat with. Nothing is as much fun if it’s not shared, and we’ve been feeling this big time lately. When we got back to the boat, we finalized packing for heading to Washington DC in the morning.
Dinner with Heartbeat and Ceci Kay. Not pictured is Heather who is actually taking the picture! Can you believe it is one of the adults and not one of the kids giving bunny ears?!
We were up and at em early, catching an Uber by 7am to get the Metro train to DC. The train was mostly empty when we got on because it actually starts picking up passengers in Baltimore. We headed up to the second level and got comfy for the trip. It was just over an hour with a few stops on the way. The train goes up to speeds over 100 mph and that was absolutely crazy to us, considering we travel at about 8 mph most of the time.
Adios INNTW!! We’re heading to the big city!
We got to Washington DC no problem and decided being sheep was our best bet, so we followed the crowd and ended up easily following the signs for the Metra train or subway. We stood in line to buy cards (of which everyone needs to have their own which seemed crazy!! 5 cards to manage!) Mike put some money on them and off we went.
Luckily, Google Maps has a “transit” option (as well as a “walking option, that we use quite regularly–I wonder why no “boating” option?!) that tells you exactly what train you need to get on, what time, and where to get off to get to your destination. That was a lifesaver getting around the city!!
Our hotel was right by a subway station so we headed there first. We were not able to check in yet, but we were able to extend our stay with an extra night, which was great. 1 night in Washington DC was just not going to be enough!! We left our backpacks and headed off to check out the town.
On our first day we:
-visited the Museum of Natural History
-Checked out the Air and Space Museum
The kids completed some experiments, making a project that would fly level in a stream of air.Checking out some space stuff! We even got to touch a moon rock!This is the actual plane that Amelia Earhart flew solo across the Atlantic Ocean and also nonstop across the United States. She was the first woman to achieve both of these feats. Hayley was super excited to see it!
-saw the Declaration of Independence, Bill of Rights, and US Constitution
-selfies in front of the Washington monument
-mastered mass transit
-took a train to a shopping mall to buy swim suits. (Since we were staying 2 nights we would definitely need to check out the hotel pool!!)
-took dinner back to our room where we watched Disney Junior and put our feet up
We also choked on our dinner when we saw our view!! The POOL we were so excited about ended up being right outside our window….but it was closed for renovations and completely under construction!! No note of the closure at booking, online, when adding an extra night, or upon check in. We were so disappointed, partly because we went well out of our way to go buy suits, and partly because we thought the Washington DC Hilton would have an amazing pool!! Or at least a decent view?!!? Mike went down to the desk to talk with them and we ended up with free passes to the breakfast buffet for the next 2 mornings. It wasn’t the pool, but it did save us hundreds of dollars in breakfast (can you believe it’s that much $$??) and get us a pretty deluxe start to our day.
16,000 steps and in bed by 7:30. Finally around 10:00 we turned the tv off so the kids would go to sleep. I was thrilled to relax in the big comfy bed with the air conditioning blasting freezing cold air. Ahhhh…
The next morning we started off hitting the super fancy breakfast buffet for day #1. There were not many people there and those people who were there were dressed much differently than us. They all looked like they were heading to a very important meeting on Capitol Hill right after breakfast. They were definitely not in the “The hotel pool is closed and I complained so I got free breakfast” category!! Oh well—I’m sure we’re much more fun!!
On day #2 we:
-walked 26,000 steps
-walked thru the World War II memorial, just 1 day after D-Day
These stars each stand for 100 soldiers who went missing or died in WWII. It was stunning to all of us.
-Lincoln Memorial (Hayley’s favorite part of DC!! She “just thought it was cool.”)
We made some connections to our time in Ottawa, Illinois where Lincoln participated in debates in 1858.
-Vietnam Memorial
Tobin said there were so many names even I couldn’t count them all. It is always overwhelming to see the wall, and I think the kids understood how somber it is, too. There were lots of kids on field trips there and some of them had to write letters to soldiers that were left at the wall. What a great history/writing lesson. I can only imagine what the letters say.I looked up a special Hays family friend that my dad and uncle will always remember.
-visited the White House from the south lawn
-Bureau of Printing and Engraving where they make 500 million $/day?!?! Can you imagine that amount of money every single day?!
-Museum of American History (we saw Lincoln’s top hat!)
In the basement the kids build and created in a maker studio. Tobin was thrilled that he closed a circuit and made a little propeller spin. The power of discovery!
-Changing of the Guard and the eternal flame at Arlington
Did you know JFK and Jackie O are also buried next to two of their deceased children?
-stopped at a mall food court for dinner on the way back to the hotel (I’m way too cheap to actually eat at a restaurant in DC apparently!).
-once again mastered mass transit all day to get around the metro area.
-took many many amusing pictures along the way.
Isn’t this one great?!We all needed a break. Even Colin said his brain was getting full and he needed a break from museums!
Once again we were thrilled to get back to the hotel to rest our tired feet and let all that exploring soak into our brains. We watched American Ninja Warrior and relaxed in big fluffy beds with very cold air conditioning!
On our last morning we visited the breakfast buffet (of course!) and then dropped our bags off at the concierge for another day of exploring.
We visited-:
-the Capitol Building (but apparently you can’t take snacks into the Capitol Building, so we didn’t actually go in–who walks around DC without a backpack full of snacks?!)
-Library of Congress
This was one of the prettiest buildings I’ve ever been in. It was amazing!
-watched skateboarders at Freedom Plaza
Tobin decided he will be a skateboarder when he is 17. Sounds about right!
-earned Junior Ranger badges at the White House Museum
-saw the White House from the north lawn
-watched protests in front of the White House which was a good lesson in our freedom of speech and what makes our country so great.
-mastered mass transit once again to get us back to INNTW in Baltimore.
Tobin was absolutely fine sitting by himself. He only covered his eyes because I was taking his picture.
We had an amazing time in Washington DC, but we were glad to be home!! (Interesting how INNTW truly feels like home!!) All those people and all that walking!! Whew!! I was ready for a lazy evening on the sundeck, and all of us were coming down with a cold so laziness was in order!
We had 2 more days to hang out in Baltimore before moving on. The next day it was dreary and rainy for most of the day. We were disappointed to not have a good day to explore, but we were all low on energy and ambition after being on the go so much in Washington DC.
Later in the day we did drag ourselves outside during a rain break for a walk along the harbor. We were stunned to see the garbage that fills the water in Baltimore (especially after a big rain!). There was garbage floating in the harbor the whole time we were there, but the amount of trash after all that rain was astounding and disgusting. They have a few boats that drive around and collect garbage, but something still needs to be done. The water here was by far the most filled with garbage of anywhere we have been on the trip. It made us wonder why people would want to boat there because the water was so gross.
By the next day we were ready to burn off some steam, so we headed out. We wandered along the wharf and thru some old areas of the city and ended up in the Fell’s Point neighborhood. We went on a random walking tour that led to a park, happy hour, and a 7-11 for ice cream to take back to the boat. It was a good afternoon of wandering, though we wished we had a home baseball game to go to or the interest to go to Fort McHenry, but we just weren’t that motivated to navigate our way to another historical site.
Happy Hour!Love from my littlest love.Selfies with mom turned in to a competition between the boys over everyone wanting their own selfie with mom.Which led to this funny pic of Colin photo bombing us and Tobin trying to block him out. Signs of the past. We found this beer ad and it seemed quite fitting for a picture of a bunch of pirates!
Other than that, we enjoyed Baltimore. I wish we would have explored a bit more, but our marina wasn’t very convenient to many of the attractions and really our main focus was to use it as a home base for Washington DC. It served it’s purpose well, but we were ready to keep moving on!
