Focus: Baltimore

Finally on September 9^th the winds calmed down and the skies cleared.  NOAA was forecasting great weather for the next few days so we decided to prepare for a run down the New Jersey coast.

The 8:30AM slack tide at infamous Hell Gate forced an early morning departure from City Island.  Lazy W’s chafed lines were a testament to the battering she took at the dock!

 The Throgs Neck Bridge looked beautiful in the early morning light.

 Frank timed our travel through Hell Gate perfectly and soon we were cruising in the East River with a clear, haze-free New York City sky overhead.

New York City from the East River near the bridge to Roosevelt Island

As we neared New York Harbor, the East River became as muddy as the Hudson due to flooding in upstate New York from the torrential rains of Tropical Storm Lee.

The anchorage behind the seawall at Atlantic Highlands near Sandy Hook turned out to be the staging area for Lazy W and about twenty other storm-stranded boats preparing to cruise south.  Except for the noisy chorus of seagulls and cormorants congregating along the seawall, it was an exceptionally quiet evening.

Many of the sailboats pulled up anchor hours before sunrise but not us.  There is always a risk to cruising unfamiliar waters in the dark and as we rounded Sandy Hook we were reminded just how dangerous it can be.  A cruiser from South Carolina had gone hard aground and was getting assistance from TowBoatUS.  Radio communications indicated that an ambulance was needed for a passenger onboard.  Other than coming upon that mishap we found a beautiful morning awaiting us.  And the water at Sandy Hook was the calmest we had ever found it to be.

Sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean near Sandy Hook

We have never had much company on the Atlantic Ocean while cruising the New Jersey coast and we have rarely ever cruised fast enough to pass any other boats.  This day was different!  We were ‘speeding’ by all those sailboats from Atlantic Highlands and made great time to Atlantic City.  However, we arrived at low tide and were not brave enough to make our way through skinny water to our previous anchorage at Rum Point.

An in-water boat show with live music was in full swing when we docked at Farley State Marina.  We were able to snag a slip here because of the bad weather earlier in the week – many exhibitors cancelled their plans to attend the show.  After such a long day on the water we rewarded ourselves with cocktails at the Chart House near the Golden Nugget Casino before heading back to Lazy W to watch the Michigan-Notre Dame football game.  Unfortunately the game was broadcast on ESPN, a channel unavailable at the dock, and so we missed seeing Michigan pull off an exciting come-from-behind win in their first ever night game at The Big House.

On the ten-year anniversary of 9-11 we were back on the Atlantic Ocean heading for Cape May.  As we reflected on our own 9-11 experiences we noticed two small planes flying together off the coast of Wildwood – one pulling a giant American flag, the other a banner “Remember the 2977 murdered this day 2001.”

Cape May is one of our favorite cruising stops and the staff of Utsch’s Marina is always so welcoming.  Their location is within walking distance of the Lobster House where we always pick up fresh shrimp and scallops for an onboard seafood feast.  Once again the lack of cable TV thwarted our attempt to watch football, so we listened to the Redskins beat the Giants, thus knocking Frank out of the NFL suicide pool the very first week of the season:(

The chances of having four great cruising days in a row are slim but we woke up to a sunny, calm day number 4!!  Time to leave Cape May without biking to the beach.  We were on a mission to leave Lazy W in Baltimore while we drove to Michigan for a football game.   We’re off to the Delaware Bay.

We made great time up the bay catching the current and cruising, at times, at speeds of 10.4 knots!!!  And then, just south of the Salem Nuclear Plant, we encountered a dense debris field that caused us to slow to 6 knots as we picked our way ever so carefully through giant logs, 2 x 4’s, and other hazards.  The remainder of the Delaware Bay turned out to be more of the same and the debris was especially dense at the entrance to the C&D Canal.

Trash blocking our path to the C&D Canal entrance

Along the C&D Canal

We had the C&D Canal all to ourselves which made it easier to navigate among the logs floating every which way along its length.  At Chesapeake City we noticed that there was room at the town dock but we remained focused on reaching Baltimore.  Why is there never any room at the dock when we want to stop??  We continued on to the Sassafras River where we spent a quiet night under a full moon.

We thought the Delaware Bay was a minefield of logs and trees but the Chesapeake Bay was even worse.  The VHF radio was abuzz with Coast Guard warnings to use extra caution while cruising the bay – the Susquehanna River was releasing massive amounts of debris-riddled water into the Chesapeake.  Entangled with weeds and scattered among the logs on the mocha-colored water were errant crab pot markers.  We were relieved to finally make it to the Patapsco River and get out of that muddy mess.  As we made our way up the Patapsco River to Baltimore’s Anchorage Marina we passed the US Naval Hospital Ship Comfort.

And so, in record time and with the weather gods smiling upon us, we arrived safely in Baltimore and tied up to our slip at Anchorage Marina.  We had two days to get things in order before heading off to Michigan...