Marc,
Check the tides in Delaware Bay, carefully watch the weather forecasts and check the bridge clearence of the bridges over the Cape May canal (we once scraped them at high spring tide). Then enjoy the sail. We have made this trip numerious times in our Pearson 36-2, although we always stop in Chesapeake City and time the tides in Delaware Bay so that we leave the C&D at the start of the ebb.
Here is a story I wrote after a very plesant sail down the bay.
A DREAM BECOMES REALITY
May, 2008
by Dave Nance
I frequently day dream of the perfect sailing passage, one where the wind is from the optimum direction, the seas in the correct pattern, and the weather mild. This situation seldom happens in real life; in fact, it may happen only once in years, or may never happen. It’s that anticipation that keeps us sailing, looking and hopping for that perfect sailing passage.
It finally happened. We left Rock Hall, MD on Tuesday bound for New York Harbor. The weather forecast was for a cold front to pass over the New Jersey coast on Tuesday night and a high to build rapidly over Cape Cod on Wednesday. As we sailed up the Chesapeake to the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal the wind was light and at our back. We motor/sailed to the canal and picked up a strong flood tide to rapidly carry us to the first nights anchorage at Chesapeake City.
The front came past about 2 AM on Wednesday as predicted. We departed the anchorage at 6 AM to meet the beginning of the ebb at the mouth of the canal at 8 AM. As we left the protection of the canal and entered Delaware Bay the wind was from the north at 15 to 20 kn with gusts to 28. We set a reefed main, joined the ebb and flew down the bay at 7 kn through the water and with the fair tide, over 9 kn over the bottom. We carried the ebb to Cross Ledge before it ran out. At that point the bay is wide enough that the new flood tide had little impact. We easily made the Cape May Canal, squeaked under the bridge with eighteen inches to spare and had a restful night in Cape May. Eight hours of downwind sailing in Delaware Bay is a rare treat on such a notoriously messy bit of water.
Thursday dawned calm with winds forecast to be light and rotating to the southeast as the high began to build. We left Cape May bound for New York City and set all sail in a west wind off the coast and in smooth water. We sailed at 5 kn in beautiful blue/green water and marveled about the weather. By noon the wind began to clock to the southwest and continued to strengthen. By 2 PM it was 15 to 20 kn and seas building. We were now running with reefed main and no jib. Our speed increased to 7 kn and surged to over 8 kn down the larger waves. We were having much too much fun to get any rest in preparation for nightfall.
As dusk came the wind lightened as anticipated and as a precaution we put a second reef in the main before darkness. This slowed us to 4 kn as planned so that we would arrive at the New York shipping lanes at dawn.
The night was beautiful. The high brought in dry air and stars were everywhere and seemed close enough to touch. We counted satellites and looked for constellations. A sliver of moon rose in the early hours of Friday morning and cast a red glow on the water as it rose and turned silver.
Throughout the night Lois and I applied the sleep strategy of alternating naps of 30 to 50 minutes as we had read in Erin Myers article
The Sleeping Enemy. Amazingly it worked well. We both stayed alert and were not dead tired when we arrived in New York. (Those of you that read my review of this sleep strategy article know what I am referring to).
We arrived at Sandy Hook at dawn as planned, shook out the reefs and made course for the Verrazano Narrows. Twenty hours and a perfect passage from Cape May to New York. What a treat.
Our next treat is to enjoy New York City for several days.
Hope you can also fill your dream sail soon.
Dave & Lois Nance
S/V ARIEL
. Wind is to be from the south when he leaves and has invited me to go along. The boat is a Catalina 36 with radar and autohelm and I've sail it before and its comfortable. I need the experience so I think I'm going. Any advice besides life insurance?
