After leaving Annapolis Maryland we were like a horse headed to the barn! With our sights set on Cape May Delaware and ultimately New York City it was all about finding a good weather window to make the 120 mile Atlantic Ocean run.

We had originally planned to spend a few days in Baltimore but with the inner harbor access still limited due to the bridge accident we had to cross that a stop off our list. Instead we made a few more short stops in Kent Narrows and Havre De Grace on the Chesapeake Bay, then we transited the C&D Canal to Delaware City where we waited for a few days to time the long run down the Delaware Bay to Cape May NJ.

As I sit here in Brewerton NY and look back on how far we come since we left Norfolk VA in May… I am amazed! Here is our Nebo log for the month of May. So far in June we have traveled over 400 nautical miles further for a total of 735 nautical miles.

We really enjoyed our one night stop in Havre De Grace. Nestled where the Chesapeake Bay meets the Susquehanna River, Havre de Grace is a charming historic town – known for its waterfront views, scenic trails, parks, museums, entertainment venues, festivals – and so much more!

This friendly small town is also rich with history and the residents are incredibly proud of their history. There is a park filled with murals that depict the history of the town and its transition over time. These mural are incredible and are the creation of one man who we actually met in the park while he was finishing one of his last creations.

I suspect the brothel had some interesting visitors over the years. During the Revolutionary War, the small hamlet known as Harmer’s Town was visited several times by General Lafayette, who became considered a hero of the war. He commented that the area reminded him of the French seaport of Le Havre on the English Channel. It had originally been named Le Havre-de-Grâce. Inspired by Lafayette’s comments, the residents incorporated the town as Havre de Grace in 1785.

George Washington stayed overnight in the town in 1789 on the journey to New York City for his first inauguration. During the First Congress in 1789, Havre de Grace missed by only one vote being named the capital of the fledgling United States.

The early industry of Havre de Grace included oyster and crab harvesting. Extensive fruit orchards were cultivated in and near the town. Products were shipped to markets along the East Coast and upriver. In. the 19th century, Havre de Grace became known for duck hunting, and was a seasonal destination for hunters. They stayed at the town hotels and hired local guides to escort them hunting on the river and along the bay. Local artisans became known for making high quality decoys, which they carved and painted.

We visited a local shop, Vincenti Decoys whose owners and family have been making duck decoys for over 60 years. Some of these early decoys are collectors items and are really beautiful pieces of art.

From Havre de Grace we cruised up the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal to Delaware City where we had a few maintenance things done on the boat while we waited for a good day to run the Delaware Bay to Cape May New Jersey.

Many thanks to the staff at Delaware City Marina… this an important stop for us loopers as our next two cruises are the dreaded Delaware Bay and then the Atlantic Ocean. The daily weather briefings here at the marina are great as the Delaware Bay isn’t exactly a pleasure boat mecca because of the weather off the ocean.

The marina owner Tim is a long time supporter of the AGLCA and loopers are treated like royalty. The marina itself is on the Delaware City Branch Canal which is a long canal off the Delaware River. The water in this area can have some strong currents and can also be very windy – Yay, a boaters dream for docking!

The staff gave us excellent advice about when to arrive, the communication from the time we left the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal to the time we docked was awesome.

Since the canal that the marina is on is narrow and and current can be strong, the staff gets you tied up on the dock and then, using the current and the wind and ONE line on either the bow or stern of the boat… with the help of the wind and current, they flip you around facing the direction you need to go to exit. Quite the party trick!!!

It was hard to get a good video of Escapade since I was onboard when they spun us but I was able to get a completed spin on video when our loop buddies on La Gypsie arrived.

The marina is a short walk along the Delaware City Branch Canal to the very old historical area with some cute shops and restaurant’s … so much history here.

We got lucky in that good weather was forecasted so our cruise down the Delaware Bay to Cape May NJ was uneventful. The Delaware Bay is not a pleasure boating destination and really is just a way to get from point A to Point B. It’s really not even pretty and the Nuclear facility is definitely operational. Get to close or stop to take pictures and you will be getting a visiting from the security team.

The reason the Delaware is so dreaded is because it’s a 60 mile long bay with only one potential hop off spot. If the wind and current are opposing the conditions can get really ugly. Strong winds have that 60 miles to gain momentum and cause fetch. Standing 5-6 foot waves are common and sometimes up to 8 ft waves. So weather planning and timing is everything on this bay. We had 1-2 foot wind waves during our run but the wind was also following us down the ways as was the current so it made for an easy ride.

Cape May was another one night stop as the ocean conditions looked perfect on June 1st for the 120 mile run to NYC. We had the afternoon to explore some of Cape May and had a fun evening with some fellow loopers at dinner later.

The marina we stayed at in Cape May caterers to sport fishing which is a big, damn deal in NJ. We were just one of two transient loop boats and it was really quiet while we were there. Come July when the big tournaments start, this place is hopping!

With the dreaded Delaware Bay behind us, we were ready for a long day on the ocean. We decided to make the long, boring run in one day just to get’er done! There are a few potential stops along the NJ coast but none of them interested us.

We were only about 3 miles offshore so we could see all the gaudy casino buildings and amusement parks that loomed on the Atlantic City horizon. Besides AC, there are two other potential inlets that boaters use to bail out if conditions changed or they just didn’t want to run 120 miles in one day. Both those inlets are insane with fishing boats on the weekend and since it was Saturday, that was another reason not to stop. Both inlets can also be notoriously dangerous if the wind and currents are opposing so we were happy just to keep on motoring.

And motor on we did, I prepared the inside of the boat for the worst case scenario where the conditions changed and it got rough. Anything that could become a projectile was put on the floor in the salon and master stateroom. We brought our e-bikes inside too. Fortunately, it was a BLUEBIRD day and we had mostly smooth seas all the way to NYC.

I was hoping to see right whales as they are active in this area in early June but none graced us with their presence. We did how ever see loads of dolphins and even a butterfly!

Here is our voyage report for the day… it’s mostly accurate but, LOL… we did not go 44.2 miles per hour. Not sure why Nebo glitched on that!!! Escapade performed like a champ and we ran faster than we normally do but it was still an 8 hour day. At one point. I told Wally to look out the back of the boat. He nervously asked why is something wrong and I chuckled and said “no, but you will see all the $$$’s flying out the back of the boat!! I think we burned about 200 gallons of diesel fuel that day going 16 knots for 8 hours!

We got off the Atlantic Ocean near Sandy Hook, NJ and headed to Great Kills Harbor on Staten Island NY. We were able to get on a mooring ball in the harbor. After we got settled, we opened all of the doors, enjoyed being still and the nice breeze rolling through the boat. Dinner was a simple Chicken Caesar salad and a few glasses of bubbles!

Pinch me… we made it to New York!!!