Reedy Island to Cape May

Hi everyone,

Yesterday we sailed down the Delaware River.  It lived down to its reputation!  The predicted ENE-ESE 15G25 wind became E-SE 20G30.  Twas not a pleasant passage.

Close reach motor-sailing under storm jib

Here are the usual plots...

Track

Arrival Track

Graphs

The 40nm passage started at 0700 with 1.5kt of adverse current.  We motored down the channel inside the Reedy Island dike with about 6m water depth.  Once clear of the dike we angled across the river to get on the upwind side of the river.  The wind was ESE but the seas flat since wind was more-or-less with current.

Sunset

0700 Departure

One of at least 5 yachts southbound

For a couple of hours we had a reefed mainsail set.  But as the current turned in our favour and our course became directly into wind we took it down.  As the current increased so did the sea state.  At its worst we had extremely short, steep 1.5m waves right on the bow.  Normally we motor at 1500-1800 rpm.  In these conditions we needed 2200 rpm to keep the boat doing 2 knots through the water.  At least our SOG was 4 knots.  The wind was SE 20G25.  It wasn't much fun.  Huzzah for our Craftsman CM3.27 engine and Brunton's Autoprop!

Behind You!

After a several of hours of nasty conditions the wind started backing to the E and the current slowed.  We were able to head up a little into the shallows which further reduced the current and improved the ride.  Eventually we could set the storm jib which improved our boat speed substantially.  The wind was 25G30.  We used Navionics SonarCharts which were very accurate.  They helped us avoid the very shallow spots.  We saw a few fishing floats along the way.

Approaching Cape May Canal

The Cape May Canal is a great short cut for boats with air draft less than 55 feet.  At least that's the documented minimum clearance at highest high water.  It is only a few nm long and much shorter than the alternative of sailing around Cape May and its extensive shoals.  An alternative is Cape Henlopen on the W side of the river.

Passed by a New Zealand registered Powerboat

As we approached the first of two "55 foot minimum clearance" bridges we found the actual clearance on the boards to be 52'.  Zen Again is about 15m or 49'.  With current helpfully against us we edged under the bridge with about a metre to spare.  Phew!

Reading the Boards - 52 feet!

Goin' Under!

Through the normally-open Railway Bridge

Once through the bridges we entered Cape May Harbor.  It was a short motor to the anchorage off the US Coast Guard station.  We anchored in 4m.  The new 10mm anchor chain is performing better each time we run it out.  It had be catching every few metres and hopefully that'll keep improving.  The difference in Zen Again's behaviour between 8mm and 10mm is substantial - reduced sailing to and fro.

US Coast Guard Station at Cape May

The temperature during the passage went from a chilly 15C in the morning to a cold 9C in the afternoon.  About 5C including wind chill.  Good practice for further north!

The weather outlook for the next couple of days is poor.  Overcast with occasional rain.  Maximums of 15C today and 18C tomorrow.  Winds E 15G20 becoming S 20G25.  We'll be here for a couple of days! 

Trust all's well where you are.