After
11 days the weather finally began to clear off the NJ shore, so we could bid
farewell to Stamford and Old Greenwich.
Oct 7 was a cool, sunny day; perfect for the run down the East River
through NYC. It is always exciting to
view the NYC skyline, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island from the water. We spent the night again at Great Kills Yacht
Club on Staten Island. This is a member
run club with basic but good facilities.
There are 150 members with a waiting list of 300. Our contact there put his son on the waiting
list when he was 18, and is now putting his grandson on the list as he turns
18. His son is still not a member! Our night there was Mah Jung night and Tuna club
night. The bar was full of friendly
people.
The
next day we departed early for the 125NM run to Cape May after first stopping
in Atlantic Highlands for fuel. It
turned out to be a pleasant ride in 2’ swells on the port quarter and a 10 kt
breeze out of the east with temps in the 60s.
Once again we stayed at Utsch’s Marina where we took on more fuel for
the run up Delaware Bay.
We
left early again the next day only to find very uncomfortable conditions in the
bay. Both Delaware Bay and Buzzards Bay
are notorious for rough seas even in modest winds. Fortunately, Debby had one last ear patch for
sea sickness and as the day progressed conditions got better. We stopped at the small town of Delaware City
at the entrance to the C&D Canal and decided to stay two nights to
recuperate from the three long days of travel.
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| Rough Seas in Delaware Bay |
The
dockmaster at Delaware City marina was the best we have come across with very
specific instructions on the approach in the tight canal and for docking in the
strong current. It is a misnomer to call
this a city as it is barely a village.
It is historically significant as the location of two forts that
protected the approach to Philadelphia.
Although neither of them fired a shot one served as a prison for Confederate
soldiers during the Civil War. As the
season is now past we could not visit either one. Morning temperatures are now in the 40s and
we can literally watch the leaves turn color.
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| Only game in town in Delaware City |
On
Sunday the 11th we moved on to Havre de Grace, MD (pronounced
haverdee grace). This town, which most
of us have never heard of, came very close to being the nation’s capital. In 1789 the Speaker of the House broke a tie
vote giving Washington that honor. It
sits at the mouth of the Susquehanna River, the headwater of the Chesapeake
Bay. We spent both Sunday and Monday
roaming the town and enjoying its laid back atmosphere. We met a couple at a wine bar who have
recently moved to Pompano Beach, but were back home for a wedding. They gave us some great recommendations for
restaurants in Baltimore.
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| Unique homes in Havre de Grace |
On
the 13th we progressed to Rock Hall on the Eastern Shore of MD. As it is the end of the season not much is
going on there (not sure there is ever much going on there), so we relaxed for
a day then went across the bay to Baltimore where we had a fiasco docking in a
strong west wind and ended up wrapping a dock line around the prop. With a few exceptions we have been totally
unimpressed with the dock help in the Northeast. Our friends, Dan and Madeline, were on the
way south from their vacation cottage in the Berkshires. They stopped in Baltimore for a visit and
dinner with us at “One Eyed Mikes” in Fells Point neighborhood; a short walk
from our marina. As usual we had a great
time with them.
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| Fun at One Eyed Mike's |
