My soon to be wife and I are planning a 2 week sailing trip on our 46' Morgan this July.....We are starting from the upper part of the Chesapeake bay. The debate is weather to sail up thru the C&D down the delaware around cape may and up the LI sound maybe to Newport or Block Island. Or sail down the bay stopping at Annapolis, St Michels etc......the question is...on a easy sail not pushing that hard (vacation) We are trying to judge how far in each direction we can go before we have to turn around? has anyone made either of these trips or point me to a reference? I would appriciate any and all input. thanks Rob
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I'd plan to leave in June and make the first stop
The Hunter Rendevous at Solomons Island. You don't have to own a Hunter to come...the seminars aren't "brand specific," the parties and other events are great, and you'll get to meet a bunch of the best people who hang out on this site. This will be the third year I've been invited, and if this one is anything like the last two, it's just about the most fun you can have with your clothes on! From there you can sail back up the Bay to Herrington Harbor, across to St Michaels and any other points north you want to explore.
The Hunter Rendevous at Solomons Island. You don't have to own a Hunter to come...the seminars aren't "brand specific," the parties and other events are great, and you'll get to meet a bunch of the best people who hang out on this site. This will be the third year I've been invited, and if this one is anything like the last two, it's just about the most fun you can have with your clothes on! From there you can sail back up the Bay to Herrington Harbor, across to St Michaels and any other points north you want to explore.
Trip to LI
I assume yo regularly cruise the Bay since your from the Sassafrass. Therefore recommend Long Island Sound if you have a full 2 weeks. We have made trips to Block Island and LI over the last two years from Annapolis. The trips were each for two weeks. From your location, Id push to get thru the C&D Canal with the tide late on a Friday and anchor behind Reedy Island Shoal (about 2 mile south of the C&D entrance in the Delaware). Catch the next tide and exit the Delaware and go to Atlantic City. Note that you can't use the short cut thru the Cape May Canal due to a 50' bridge. This is a long trip and will take 12-14 hours. From AC go to Atlantic Highlands NJ behind Sandy Hook - another long day (10 hours). From there its just a few hours thru the East River to the LI Sound but you need to be in synch with the tide at Hell's Gate. The trip thru NYC is always fantastic. There ar many places to go on the Sound. Don't miss Mystic or Block Island. If you are up to an overnite on the Atlantic, we also go directly from Cape May to Block Island, about 140 miles. If you leave Reedy Island at 6 AM you can get to Block before sunset the next day.
I assume yo regularly cruise the Bay since your from the Sassafrass. Therefore recommend Long Island Sound if you have a full 2 weeks. We have made trips to Block Island and LI over the last two years from Annapolis. The trips were each for two weeks. From your location, Id push to get thru the C&D Canal with the tide late on a Friday and anchor behind Reedy Island Shoal (about 2 mile south of the C&D entrance in the Delaware). Catch the next tide and exit the Delaware and go to Atlantic City. Note that you can't use the short cut thru the Cape May Canal due to a 50' bridge. This is a long trip and will take 12-14 hours. From AC go to Atlantic Highlands NJ behind Sandy Hook - another long day (10 hours). From there its just a few hours thru the East River to the LI Sound but you need to be in synch with the tide at Hell's Gate. The trip thru NYC is always fantastic. There ar many places to go on the Sound. Don't miss Mystic or Block Island. If you are up to an overnite on the Atlantic, we also go directly from Cape May to Block Island, about 140 miles. If you leave Reedy Island at 6 AM you can get to Block before sunset the next day.
Counterclockwise about
We too have two weeks but we are starting from Rock Hall. We'll head South to Norfolk stopping at Herrington Harbor, Solomons, Crisfield, Windmill Point and Yorktown along the way. Then we will hop out in the Ocean to Absecon or Little Egg Inlet (weather depending) in New Jersey (our first overnight passage in the Ocean!). We will then spend a few days in Beach Haven on Long Beach Island, and a day in Cape May before slogging up the Delaware Bay and back down the Bay to Rock Hall. That's the plan anyway!
We too have two weeks but we are starting from Rock Hall. We'll head South to Norfolk stopping at Herrington Harbor, Solomons, Crisfield, Windmill Point and Yorktown along the way. Then we will hop out in the Ocean to Absecon or Little Egg Inlet (weather depending) in New Jersey (our first overnight passage in the Ocean!). We will then spend a few days in Beach Haven on Long Beach Island, and a day in Cape May before slogging up the Delaware Bay and back down the Bay to Rock Hall. That's the plan anyway!
Delaware Bay
I have found the Del Bay bleak and long.BIG BOAT traffic. We did an overnight at Cohansey River ( aroud Ship John light). Nice people 3-4knot tidal current... fun docking Pay attention at cape may light.. shoals go out rather far I have gone inside and outside and although outside is a little longer I preferred it to the uncertainty of the inside channel. If you are skipping Cape May then you will be outside anyway. Previous advice re tides on Del Bay worth heeding. It can be a real bear. Rest of your trip sounds great. Chesapeake City is a fun spot. the marina has live music regularly and stops it early enough to allow a good night sleep Peggy's advise re Solomons is also worth heeding. it is a great place to visit with a number of good eateries and all close. trip sound great .. would love to leave now a.
I have found the Del Bay bleak and long.BIG BOAT traffic. We did an overnight at Cohansey River ( aroud Ship John light). Nice people 3-4knot tidal current... fun docking Pay attention at cape may light.. shoals go out rather far I have gone inside and outside and although outside is a little longer I preferred it to the uncertainty of the inside channel. If you are skipping Cape May then you will be outside anyway. Previous advice re tides on Del Bay worth heeding. It can be a real bear. Rest of your trip sounds great. Chesapeake City is a fun spot. the marina has live music regularly and stops it early enough to allow a good night sleep Peggy's advise re Solomons is also worth heeding. it is a great place to visit with a number of good eateries and all close. trip sound great .. would love to leave now a.
Thanks everyone
Thanks for the input everyone,,,,,Peggy When is the raft up??..any info? do you need an invite?
Thanks for the input everyone,,,,,Peggy When is the raft up??..any info? do you need an invite?
June 19-22
It's not just a raft-up, it's a Rendevous, held every other year at Zahnhiser's Marina on Solomons Island. This year's featured guest speaker is Gary Jobson. Attendance averages 200-300 adults, plus kids and dogs, who come by land--and even by air, as well as by water. You don't need an invitation, but you do need a reservation. You'll also need to separately reserve dock space at Zahnhisers or hotel accomodations. It's billed as a Hunter Rendevous--the largest in the country, in fact--but you don't have to own a Hunter to come. Everyone who participates on these sites is welcome. Most people arrive Thursday afternoon and early evening...dinner is on our own. Meals are included the rest of the weekend. The Rendevous officially kicks off with breakfast Friday morning, followed by seminars most of the day on all kinds of topics--electronics, sanitation, rig tuning, wiring, maintenance etc. Saturday is all fun--a regatta that's designed to let both experienced racers and novices--even novice sailors--participate without scaring the pants off the novices. The beer truck shows up just in time for the 2-person blindfold dinghy race that follows. And btw, there are also games and activities for the kids all weekend. Then we party.
The Rendevous ends with Sunday breakfast. It's a FUN weekend! An exceptionally well planned and executed balance of education and entertainment, plus GOOD food, lots of outstanding door prizes... It only happens every other year, and the planning committee work their tails off for a year to make it happen, but it's really the people who attend who make it a great event by their enthusiastic participation. The committee has posted registration info here a couple of times, but the last one seems to have scrolled off. You can search the current discussions for it...or maybe Phil would fix a link to it permanently on the home page?
It's not just a raft-up, it's a Rendevous, held every other year at Zahnhiser's Marina on Solomons Island. This year's featured guest speaker is Gary Jobson. Attendance averages 200-300 adults, plus kids and dogs, who come by land--and even by air, as well as by water. You don't need an invitation, but you do need a reservation. You'll also need to separately reserve dock space at Zahnhisers or hotel accomodations. It's billed as a Hunter Rendevous--the largest in the country, in fact--but you don't have to own a Hunter to come. Everyone who participates on these sites is welcome. Most people arrive Thursday afternoon and early evening...dinner is on our own. Meals are included the rest of the weekend. The Rendevous officially kicks off with breakfast Friday morning, followed by seminars most of the day on all kinds of topics--electronics, sanitation, rig tuning, wiring, maintenance etc. Saturday is all fun--a regatta that's designed to let both experienced racers and novices--even novice sailors--participate without scaring the pants off the novices. The beer truck shows up just in time for the 2-person blindfold dinghy race that follows. And btw, there are also games and activities for the kids all weekend. Then we party.
The Rendevous ends with Sunday breakfast. It's a FUN weekend! An exceptionally well planned and executed balance of education and entertainment, plus GOOD food, lots of outstanding door prizes... It only happens every other year, and the planning committee work their tails off for a year to make it happen, but it's really the people who attend who make it a great event by their enthusiastic participation. The committee has posted registration info here a couple of times, but the last one seems to have scrolled off. You can search the current discussions for it...or maybe Phil would fix a link to it permanently on the home page?- Status