A Bucket List Dream: Circumnavigating the Delmarva Peninsula
By Stephen J. Brock, D.Min.
Throughout life, most adventures begin as dreams in the mind, but as we age some are discarded, others come to the fore as a priority, and a kind of sorting process begins that allows for the fact that one comes to realize the road ahead is much shorter than the one behind. It’s that existential awareness that creates a “Bucket List” and mine included sailing around the Delmarva Peninsula.
My friends and I have sailed on the Chesapeake Bay for 30 years, despite the fact that we all live far inland. But our love of the Bay and its special ambiance draws our souls again and again to come and share life together on its waters. We have all remarked that as we cross the Bay Bridge onto the Eastern Shore it’s like entering another world where the pressures we have faced through the years in our various professions are removed, if only for the brief time we are there. All, of which is to say that this trip was added to their bucket lists as soon as I mentioned it was on mine.
Most years our work only allowed for a week of chartered cruising, though the occasional second week, usually in the fall, was deeply appreciated. The problem with a charter is that you are limited in time and allowable activities; e.g. no night sailing, so on those weeks we tended to stay close to the Middle Bay and its many wonderful towns and anchorages. Then in 2008, I was able to purchase an Island Packet 29 built in 1991, hull number 15. Soon after that my friends and I began to retire, thereby freeing up more time on the Bay.
My boat’s name is Telos II. Many have asked about the name so I will explain briefly that I majored in philosophy in undergraduate school and theology in my graduate degree. Teleology is a branch of philosophy/theology that deals with the idea that things exist for a purpose. The name of the boat, which was suggested by my son, who also has a background in philosophy, is meant to convey that the boat exists for a reason, a purpose. That purpose is to share those special moments of life that are created by sailing with my family and friends. And after 30 years I can state, as Selma used to say on “Night Court”, “we’ve laughed, we’ve cried, it’s become a part of us”. The memories are precious. Now we wanted to add one more in this adventure.
So we began an extensive planning process for our journey around the Delmarva Peninsula. I won’t say that we did as much background research as an exploration attempting to scale Mount Everest, but it might be a close call. Suffice it to say we did a great deal of exploring what this dream would entail. We read every article we could find about others who had done it, looked at average weather reports for all the areas across several months, purchased the latest oceanographic charts, went over mileages, read about sailing after dark, looked into the safety equipment that would be required and purchased enough to withstand a hurricane, and in general did everything we could think of. Perhaps one of the reasons we were so cautious is our ages. In 2013, our projected year for this adventure, Keith and Jon would be 65, Don would be 67 and I would be 72. We simply didn’t want to overlook anything. So, I am going to claim, as we prepared for this journey, we would also be the oldest crew to attempt this on a sailboat. Someone may challenge this but until they do, I am claiming it.
As the fall of 2012 approached we set up a meeting for winter to be held in Dayton, Ohio. Jon lived in Wisconsin, I lived in Atlanta and Don and Keith lived in Ohio, where we had all lived in the 1980’s, so that seemed the logical place to meet. At this meeting we scoured over the charts, plotting out each day in several ways as well as looking at whether we would go clockwise or counter clockwise in our effort. We discussed meals and potential anchorages and marinas to stay at. And, of course, all this is but a plan until you get to the actual weather conditions. Still we dreamed and planned.
We selected June of 2013 to be our start date and to allow for two weeks. The crew that year ended up being Jon, myself and Don. Keith hadn’t retired at that point but would provide “ground support” for the team. Then, what happened as we began our trip from Bay Bridge Marina that June was proof of John Lennon’s famous statement, “Life is what takes place while you’re making plans.”
The first day we were using the new GPS system that had been installed only a month before, I wanted to demonstrate the “Man Overboard” feature and so pushed the button only to discover that I couldn’t turn it off. So all the way down to Solomon’s we were constantly told by a voice and buzzer that we were abandoning someone and continually being informed how far away that poor soul was. Irritating is a word that doesn’t do it justice. Top that off with a manual that didn’t give any directions about turning it off. So I called the man who installed it and he didn’t know how to do it either. He called the manufacturer and we discovered it simply required holding the button down for a few additional seconds. So Day 1 ended with us arriving in Solomons in silence.
Day 2 was bright and beautiful with a weather forecast of 1-2 foot seas and gentle breezes that suggested we would be motoring most of the day which was fine. But once we cleared Cedar Point headed for Crisfield, we suddenly discovered that we must have been listening to the wrong forecast [not that the weatherman is ever wrong J] and we encountered heavy winds directly in our face and 5 -7 foot seas as a major front came through. Undeterred we plunged forward at 5 knots while our speed over ground told us we were doing less than 1.
After two hours of beating ourselves to death and not even reaching the main channel of the Bay, Jon inadvertently stepped on the throttle as he exchanged positions with Don who was going to take the helm and the engine revved up to a screaming pitch. [Note: The throttle on an IP 29 is located by the right ankle of the helmsman as he sits at the helm and is easily hit by a foot when exiting the helm to starboard]. Don and I yelled to cut it back and Jon did. The engine died. Then it wouldn’t start again [more on that in a moment]. So there we are bouncing around in large waves with no propulsion.
Fortunately we are a sailboat so we set about to pull out the jib and turn the boat back to Solomons to have the engine looked at. The direction of the wind was perfect for a return a journey. Unfortunately without an engine we were bobbing around like a cork with little control. So trying to get the jib out and set at the right angle led to a scramble reminiscent of a scene from a movie starring the Three Stooges. All of which proved to be the end of our trip.
As I wrestled with pulling out the jib in the strong wind, Don reached to help, slipped on a cushion and fell back onto the back of the starboard bench, then as the boat lurched, fell further and hit his back again on the seat as he slipped onto the cockpit floor. In serious pain, he literally couldn’t move for a few minutes while Jon and I got the jib out and the boat back under control and we were on a run back to Solomons. Note that journey took only 40 minutes.
As I didn’t feel comfortable trying to enter there under sail we dropped an anchor just outside and called Boat U S towing and they came and took us safely into a marina while also arranging for a diesel mechanic to come and look at our engine problem. I cannot begin to express my appreciation to the young man from that organization and the professionalism and understanding he gave to us while we were dealing with both boat and human injury issues. I have used Boat US several times over the 30 years and always received the highest quality of service.
After we were in our slip at Solomon’s Yachting Center, a mechanic soon arrived and discovered a simple issue – the ground wire on the starter had broken off and it was quickly repaired and the engine fired up immediately. Don, however, was not so simple and we all knew that our trip was over and we needed to take him back to get care. Weather delayed that journey a day but ultimately we got him back home safe and sound though it was several months before his back, which was badly bruised, healed.
This attempt, however, proved to be invaluable in terms of what it taught us. First, if you plan and then don’t use the plan you invite trouble [duh!]. We knew not to have anything in the cockpit that could allow someone to slip and fall but had simply thought the day would go easily since the weather was predicting 1-2 foot seas and moderate winds and we had day-sailed on the Bay under such conditions many times with no problems. Thus lesson two – don’t believe the weather reports till you check and recheck them regularly as they can change quickly. We had only listened to the report the night before and not rechecked that morning. Third, use your safety equipment. We had jack lines attached and the latest in PFDs but weren’t using any of them. Too used to day sailing on the Bay where such things are seldom needed precisely because you don’t go out in such conditions, we had simply started out like we had in the past. Old habits need to be broken when doing serious cruising. Lesson learned – it is easy to assume that your past experience is sufficient for a totally new experience.
So, with all this under our belt, we went back to the drawing board and reviewed and revamped our plan. 2014 proved to be out because of schedules so we decided on 2015. We were wanting to allow two weeks for the trip to enable us to do some sightseeing along the way as well as allow for weather delays. Once more we met in Ohio during the winter of 2015 to go over everything again, allowing for what we had learned from our initial attempt. Scheduling continued to be a problem so instead of going in June we would now have to go in July. That caused us to change the plan in that we would not be likely to anchor out since July can be scorching and we wanted to use the boat’s air conditioning to sleep well at night. Then we got hit with the bad news that Don was facing a serious surgery and wouldn’t be able to join us. But he insisted that Jon, Keith and I go anyway and so the three of us arranged to meet at my marina on July 6 and provision the boat and start out on the 7th. The following is a record of that journey with its additional insights for those who want to attempt this for themselves.
DAY ONE: July 7: Bay Bridge Marina, Stevensville, MD to Chesapeake City, MD
July 7th proved to be a beautiful day with bright sunshine and a little hot and humid but not unpleasant on the water. The downside was no wind so we fired up the engine and headed out, passing under the Bay Bridge at 8:35 a.m. going north. In looking at the long range forecasts and doing some further research over the past two years, we had determined that the best route was to go clockwise around the peninsula. Additionally this would allow us to do the Atlantic part of the trip early on when we were still fresh. Remember we are now two years older: Keith and Jon being 67 and me 74. Again I claim the oldest group to do the circumnavigation in a sailboat till otherwise proved different.
The scenery that day passed at a steady 5 knots with little boating traffic around us. We had decided to take hourly readings of longitude and latitude and put these onto the charts to mark our progress and also to rotate the helmsman every hour. Both of these proved valuable for a variety of reasons including eliminating boredom as we seemed to be doing something most of the time. One of the things we confirmed with gratitude was the value of the autopilot as we were able to stay directly on course and avoid having to constantly try to steer on a set compass point.
Late in the afternoon we passed a barge and then a Coast Guard Buoy Tender Ship but, other than that, we saw only a couple of private yachts going in our direction. Finally we entered the C & D canal and made our way up to Chesapeake City, arriving at 5:15 p.m. It’s important to note that you must motor through the canal as sailing in the canal is prohibited. Also noteworthy is the fact that the canal is lighted making a night transit possible though we had decided not to attempt doing it.
We had called ahead and made a reservation to spend the night at the Chesapeake Inn and Marina in Chesapeake City. It turned out the place was almost empty. But we had decided to make sure of our arrangements each night so called ahead every day to make a reservation and that proved valuable in a couple of instances.
The Chesapeake Inn and Marina is clean and nice though it is interesting that to get to the showers you have to walk through the outdoor seating for the restaurant. In fact when I had difficulty getting the door to open, a kind local lady paused in the midst of her meal to show me how to get into the showers. And they are not air conditioned so while we were clean we all emerged about as damp as we had been going in.
We had decided to eat on board most of the time to help with expenses. For our first night we had purchased parmesan chicken which needed to be used right away so I pulled out the microwave and we had a great meal with the chicken and salads. The first day having been both hot and long, we turned in quickly with a new appreciation for air conditioning.
DAY TWO: July 8: Chesapeake City, Maryland to Delaware City, Delaware
During the two years we had been planning our trip, I had taken several day trips by car to various places at which we wanted to stay. Chesapeake City was one such place and so we did not plan to stay but others might consider a day there as there are some nice shops and a great museum about the history of the canal which is within walking distance of the marina. However we were only staying for the night so after breakfast we left the City Basin and headed east on the canal.
During several of my visits to Chesapeake City I had seen the huge car carriers that transit the canal as well as large tugs and so was very surprised that during our entire journey we did not encounter a single commercial ship. We were passed by three motor yachts but nothing else was stirring. The canal proved to be much more quiet and peaceful than we had anticipated – a gentle passage despite going against the tide for the whole trip.
We exited the canal at 10:30 and turned north to the Bulkhead shoal channel, following it to the buoy that marks the turn into Delaware City. This was another place I had scoped out from land the previous summer and had talked to several local people who warned about the shallow entrance into what is actually part of the original canal. And we were arriving at low tide. So we called the City Marina and asked for guidance. The young lady who told us how to come into the river was extremely helpful with very precise directions concerning how far away from the Green Day Mark we needed to be – “at least 40 feet” to the right of it. That proved to be very helpful because as we entered with only a few feet under the keel [Telos draws 4’3”] we looked to the port side and 30 feet away could see mud. But with her directions we had no problems at all making it down to the marina where we topped off the fuel tank before being assigned our “slip”.
I put slip in quotes because one very interesting feature of this marina is that it is just one long bulkhead along the north side of what was the original canal and the old canal is too narrow to turn around in. So I was wondering how we would get turned around so we could exit the following morning. The young lady and gentleman who helped us tie up had the solution – grab the starboard bow line, undo the stern line, and let the incoming tide swing you around and suddenly you are faced in the right direction and tied up on the port side. There are not a lot of spaces so our calling ahead for a reservation proved valuable.
A couple of observations about this marina. First, the showers again are not air-conditioned which is something we ran into several places. Frankly, I don’t understand how any marina in Maryland is not air-conditioned given the hot, humid summers but, with exception of Solomons, we didn’t run into any that were until we reached Virginia. On the other hand this marina is one of the friendliest I have ever encountered. I even received a thank you card several weeks later expressing appreciation for stopping there. And the personnel were extremely helpful. Beyond the instructions that got us into the place at low tide, when they found out we were heading down the Delaware Bay the following day they gave us some advice that immediately caused us to change our plans. We had read of the need to go down the Delaware Bay on an outgoing tide but had planned to stop overnight at a river halfway down. Their advice – “don’t’ stop”. They urged us to use the tide by leaving just before it turned in the early morning hours [actually it was still dark when we left] and race with the tide and go all the way down to Lewes, which was our next stop. It was sound advice.
Again, Delaware City is worth a day of exploration and we all agreed we would return some day to do just that. While there is little to see downtown there is a section of the original locks for the canal and a ferry that can take you to Pea Patch Island out in the Delaware River. This island was the site of Fort Delaware, a Civil War prison used by the North for captured Confederate Troops, most of whom were captured at the famous battle at Gettysburg.
DAY THREE: July 9: Delaware City, Delaware to Lewes, Delaware [pronounced Louis]
The morning began with an early wake up and we actually had breakfast and shoved off at 5:45 a.m. While it was still dark, the sky was beginning to lighten up as we passed the green day mark by which we entered yesterday into the canal. This time we were at high tide just as it was about to turn and the difference in water levels was dramatic. Where yesterday there was only a couple of feet under our keel, we now had almost 10 feet.
Turning south we came to the Eastern entrance of the modern canal at 6:30, again motoring as there was no wind. After passing the eastern entrance, we encountered several commercial vessels, headed both north and south. We positioned our boat on the right hand side of the commercial channel where there was lots of water but we were safely out of the way of the huge ships moving rapidly through the Bay.
We reached buoy 65R at 6:55 headed down on what was now the outgoing tide. And learned quickly why this is so important. The tides in the Delaware Bay run at speeds far beyond those of the Chesapeake Bay. My sailboat’s normal hull speed is 7 knots maximum though we have sailed in heavy winds a little over that speed. Motoring is a different matter with the maximum speed usually 5 knots. Going down the Bay that morning with the outgoing tide we moved at one point better than 9 knots speed over ground. We were flying on the motor.
Then at 8:00 the heavy overcast sky suddenly broke loose with a downpour that made it difficult to see the bow, let alone anything beyond our boat. While scrambling to get into foul weather gear our charts got soaked and though the storm didn’t last long, it took a couple of days before the one set of charts we had were thoroughly dry. Which is why I had two sets of charts on board. Again we noted longitude and latitude every hour so we knew exactly where we were at all times regardless of weather conditions. Fortunately this storm was the only one we encountered on the entire trip.
By 10:00 a.m. the sun was coming out and the day turned into a beautiful one. Foul weather gear shed, we were all back into dry clothing and enjoying the sights along the way. On the west side of the river there is low land and several creeks joining the Bay. By stark contrast on the eastern shore is the Salem Nuclear Power Plant. Natural beauty on the one side and the impact of humankind on the other. A study in contrasts.
The value of keeping track of where we were each hour by taking the longitude and latitude reading off the GPS became apparent when we thought we were looking at the Brandywine lighthouse through our binoculars when we were actually looking at the Fourteen Foot Bank light to the north of the Brandywine lighthouse. Using the GPS coordinates allowed us to avoid heading in a direction at that point toward more shallow waters.
The effects of the tide again entered the equation as the tide turned and headed north into the Delaware Bay and our speed dropped significantly. From the previous high of 9 knots over ground we were now moving at 4 and then 3.6 knots going against the flow. Still no wind so we motored on.
At 2 p.m. we came across a huge commercial anchorage with many different types of ships anchored. We never discovered why this exists but I assume it may be a holding area for ships headed north into Philadelphia that need to wait for a dock to be open. Then around 3 p.m. we spotted the huge wind turbine that is the mark we had been told to look for to find the entrance into Lewes.
The entrance into the river into Lewes is clearly marked and easy to access. It is also a busy thoroughfare with lots of boats of various sizes coming and going, many of whom ignore the buoys that call for a no wake zone. As we proceeded along the river toward the Public Marina there are many small cabins along the shore that are obviously summer retreats for their owners.
It should be noted as the Guide makes clear, the ONLY transient slips available in Lewes are at the City of Lewes Marina located just before the drawbridge on the starboard side of the river as you are headed up the river. There are only 10 transient berths so that a reservation is a must. We had called ahead and were given slip number 1 which, when I first saw it, appeared far too narrow for us to get into but which proved deceptive and we got in with the help of our neighbors and marina staff with no problem.
The marina is located adjacent to a beautiful city park with a bandstand, tennis courts, a lightship museum, a reconstructed Rescue Station museum, and playground as well as the building that houses the restrooms and showers and marina office. Our first night there we were treated to a public concert at the bandstand and witnessed a couple of hundred local residents who brought lawn chairs down to hear the music.
The park by the marina is the result of a public citizen commitment to not have that area along the river developed into one more set of condos. So they raised the money to buy the land and built this beautiful area alongside the river. The one downside is that they built a public restroom facility – which is immaculate – but included in it only one shower for servicing all the marina guests and again it is not air conditioned. I remain puzzled by both factors as we had to wait in line for showers every day we were there and came out as wet as we were when we went in to clean up.
DAYS FOUR AND FIVE: July 10: Lewes, Delaware
Lewes is definitely a place worth staying for several days and everything is within easy walking distance of the marina. While that was not our original intention to stay in Lewes more than overnight, we were wanting 48 hours of good weather on the Atlantic Ocean to assure a safe and comfortable trip down to the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. We were probably more sensitive than others might be since this would be our first blue water sailing as well as sailing overnight. As it happened, we had to wait for a couple of days due to heavy weather out on the Atlantic Ocean and this led to the discovery of what a wonderful downtown area Lewes has.
In many ways downtown Lewes looks like it is out of New England. Founded as a whaling station by the Dutch in 1631, the town has many interesting museums that tell of its history as a major port through the 18th and 19th centuries. The shopping district is characterized by many boutique style stores. The people are friendly and helpful. The atmosphere is one of gentle relaxation. The many restaurants are outstanding. And, most importantly for Jon, there is an excellent ice cream shop. Lewes is also the home of the ferry that goes from there to Cape May, New Jersey. The ferry does take walk on customers in addition to automobiles and one could go over for a couple of days in Cape May if you planned for accommodations.
One thing we did with our extra time was to go over our charts for the Atlantic side one more time. The harbor master invited us to use the large meeting room in the building housing the marina offices and we made full use of the invitation. We spread out all the charts and then encountered the friendly support of the harbor master and a couple of other sailors who were living that summer in the marina. Discussing our plans with these people led to several suggestions to make the trip down the coast more interesting and reassuring since, for us the next phase of the trip involved two new features we had never experienced before: sailing at night and sailing in the Atlantic Ocean.
DAY SIX: July 12 – 13: The Atlantic Trip
The day we were to leave saw us up at the crack of dawn. With breakfast under our belt we attempted to start the engine only to be greeted by the sound of silence. Recalling our initial problem with the first trip when the motor died after leaving Solomons, I suspected that I knew what the problem was and when I looked, sure enough the ground wire for the starter had come lose again. Unfortunately the connectors I had on board were the wrong size so Keith and I went off to a marina store on the other side of the river to purchase what we needed. We returned to discover that the ones we had purchased wouldn’t work either.
Then one of those events in life that bewilder you from time to time occurred. The fellow in the slip next to us had been talking to Jon and when he discovered our problem said he had a box of all kinds of connectors and sure enough he had precisely what we needed. So we reconnected the wire that appeared loose and – nothing! A further search tracing the wire I was thinking was the ground revealed that in a bundle of wires of which it was part, it wasn’t connected to anything. Finally I found the ground wire and with the help of this man from the next slip, I made the repair. And the engine turned over immediately. But, as the commercials say “Wait, there’s more.”
While Jon was talking to this guy we discovered he was the twin brother of a man who had a boat in Wisconsin. Now Jon has a boat at a marina in Wisconsin. Would you believe that two slips down from Jon’s boat is the boat belonging to the twin brother of the man who had just helped us fix our starter wire problem? He ended up calling his brother and Jon chatted with him for a few minutes as well. It is indeed a small world. Ironically I never got the man’s name.
The result of all this is that we left much later than we had planned, exiting the marina at 10:00 a.m. instead of 7:00. At 11:05 a.m. we passed the Harbor of Refuge Light and entered the Atlantic. For those who have done a lot of Blue Water sailing this means little but for the three of us who were doing this for the first time, it was a dramatic moment of celebration. As Jon put it in a note to me, “As we entered that ocean, one could not help but sense its vastness and might”. And as though to emphasize our welcome to this new environment we were escorted out into its depths by a pod of dolphins, a universal symbol of good luck for mariners for centuries. Again as there was no wind we were motoring and most thankful for the auto-pilot. We set our course and ventured south, staying about 3 miles offshore.
The first discovery we made as we headed south was that the coast going from Lewes to Ocean City appears to be one endless beach covered with people and pick-up trucks. As we followed our position on the chart, it felt like we weren’t making any real progress because the coast kept looking the same. While the log reveals that we were making roughly 5 knots and covering about 5 nautical miles each hour, the monotony of the scene to our starboard made it difficult to feel like we were moving along.
But at 5:00 p.m. we passed the entrance to Ocean City amidst what felt like a traffic rush hour. Evidently both the commercial fishing charters as well as everyone who had been out for the afternoon enjoying the beautiful day, all decided to return to their respective marinas in Ocean City at the same time. So we spent the next hour dodging various boats as well as bouncing through their wake as they passed. While the ocean was not rough, the wakes created a continual experience of practically coming to a dead stop with the passing of each boat. Frustrating.
We continued staying about 3 miles off the coast and, as we drew close to Assateague Island, we decided to top off our fuel tank from one of the two jerry cans we had filled in Lewis, when we had topped off the tank there. This was an interesting experience being done under way. Jon and I would hook ourselves onto the jack lines and take one of the cans over to the fuel filler port. I would take the screw cap off and put it in my pocket. We would open the jerry can and then use a battery operated pump purchased at Walmart to put fuel in the tank. Keith would work to keep the boat as stable as possible during all this and we discovered that this procedure worked incredibly well. In fact we got very good at this process which we ended up doing several times due to a lack of wind.
As night fell we moved out to the 5 mile line to assure ourselves that we weren’t near any of the shallows that mark that coastline. The plan was for each person to take an hour at the helm, an hour in support of the helmsman, and an hour off to sleep. That worked fairly well with the exception that I have sleep apnea and since I couldn’t use by CPAP machine I really didn’t rest much. But I finally couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer and Keith and Jon took an extra turn while I slept sitting up in the cockpit.
Sailing at night proved to be very interesting to all of us. The lower section of coast is a national seashore so there are no lights on the land as a reference point. We discovered the value of lighted buoys marking various points along the way. Then we saw bright lights on the water that we couldn’t explain until we got close enough to see them as commercial fishing boats anchored at various points. Again the practice of taking hourly longitude and latitude readings proved a godsend in helping us track where we were, and the autopilot prevented being exhausted as we rolled through the waves coming from the port stern quarter. Rock and roll, roll and rock for 8 straight hours in the dark. Not unpleasant – just tedious after a while. The one disappointment was that due to cloud cover we never saw the stars or moon.
DAY SEVEN: July 13: Entering the Southern Bay to Cape Charles City, Virginia
Day seven began with Keith and myself on duty while Jon slept. The coming of that dawn is something we have talked about many times since. First, there is a lightening to the surrounding air as if someone is slowly starting to turn up a rheostat. Then a line becomes evident in the distance on both sides of the boat. The land begins to emerge but more dramatically the horizon on the ocean seems to appear magically – no sunlight yet but the demarcation between sea and sky becomes evident to the human eye again. Then the light got brighter bouncing off the low cloud cover and at last the first part of the orb upon which we depend for life comes into view once more [pardon my philosophical description]. Keith took a picture of that sunrise and it remains one of the most powerful moments in my memory.
By 9:00 a.m. we moved back to the three mile line on the charts and Smith Island Virginia was off our starboard not to be confused with Smith Island Maryland further up the bay. Looking at the charts we saw that it was possible to avoid going out into the major commercial traffic zones of the opening to the Chesapeake. The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel complex arrives on the Eastern side on “Fisherman’s Island” before crossing a final bridge onto Cape Charles. The water under this last bridge is too shallow for all but small boats but the bridge from the complex onto Fisherman’s Island on the west side of the island is called the North Channel and has plenty of depth. It allows someone coming around Cape Charles to head north into the Bay without going into the heavily commercially trafficked areas.
The one difficulty taking this route from the Atlantic side is that you need to find buoys RN “6” or RN “8” to make your turn toward the bridge and you are looking directly at the highway and finding either of these buoys against the background of the highway pylons is difficult, especially if in choppy water. In addition we discovered that this is a popular route for some of the smaller commercial craft, including two menhaden fishing ships we encountered.
These are fascinating to watch as the process is pretty much the same as it was centuries ago. Small boats filled with men go out and lay a net in a semicircle and then close in toward the ship where the trapped fish are taken on board. The modern difference is that they are vacuumed aboard by a huge hose rather than by hand as they were in past centuries.
As it was we passed under the bridge following one of the commercial ships, finding our buoys only after we got much closer to the bridge. So on our seventh day at 11:42 a.m. after 25 hours and 42 minutes from Lewes, we came back into the Bay. It was at that moment that we knew we were actually going to achieve our goal unless there was some catastrophe since we were back sailing in the Bay where we had sailed for years.
Again the tide played a role in our advance as the outgoing tide reduced our speed over ground to 3.3 knots. On the way north we passed Kiptopeke Beach where several of the concrete liberty ships from WWII form a breakwater behind which the guide book says it is possible to anchor. But our goal was Cape Charles, Virginia so we simply looked at these curious relics with binoculars and kept going.
It may have been the many hours of lack of sleep but we found the entrance into Cape Charles City from the South to be somewhat of a challenge. There appear to be two different routes since we saw several boats – locals no doubt – take a much shorter approach than we did but finally we made our way in past the cement plant to the Cape Charles Town Harbor arriving at 3:00 p.m.
We first went to the fuel dock and got fuel and a pump out. There we discovered that the fuel dock had large nails and bolts protruding from the posts we were to tie up to and no fenders provided for protection so we supplied our own. Jon reported this to the harbor master while we fueled and was told that they were working on it but hadn’t gotten to it yet [and this was in July so I’m not sure what the problem was]. Also the young high school age girl who helped with the fueling obviously didn’t know much and wasn’t very helpful with us. We ended up doing all the work around both the refueling and the pump out, unlike all the other marinas we visited.
However, the slips at the marina are nice and the shower house is one of the best we encountered throughout the entire trip. They are clean and AIR-CONDITIONED!! After getting cleaned up we went to a local restaurant, The Shanty, which had great food. Then to bed where we all slept for 10 hours.
DAY EIGHT: July 14: Cape Charles City, Virginia
We had planned on a day to recuperate after the all night journey and so had time to explore this interesting city on the bottom of the Bay. Cape Charles city was the southern terminus of the railroad down the eastern shore during the late 19th century. From there passengers and rail cars took a ferry to Norfolk so this place was once a thriving area. The remnants of this era are to be found next to the marina where a number of rail cars still sit on rails long since abandoned. But a short walk across this area takes you to the downtown where there are some interesting shops along with more restaurants and a laundromat. So we took our time exploring the area while doing laundry. Unfortunately the Welcome Center and museum were not open that day. But we discovered Kelly’s Pub for supper and had great food as well as watching some baseball on the TV there. A nice relaxing, low key day. But as always the day was not complete without ice cream for Jon. For him this item is both a joy and I suspect an addiction having sailed with him many times. For Jon finding an ice cream shop appears as relevant as finding a good marina.
DAY NINE: July 15: Cape Charles City, Virginia to Crisfield, Maryland
The next day we took our time cooking breakfast and getting ready to set sail. In the slip next to us was a troop of Boy Scouts who were cooking on a camp stove and we were impressed as we talked to the two adults who were leading the group how well the boys worked together, sharing all the chores equally. They were on a sailboat and we learned that for several of the boys this was their first experience sailing. Some were enjoying it a lot while it was obvious that others looked forward to returning to land permanently. J
We left the marina at 9:00 a.m. with a nine knot wind that promised some actual sailing for us only to discover as we turned north that, of course, we were directly into the wind and we had a considerable way to go that day so we motored on. As we traveled, the seas increased to 4 -5 foot waves and winds increased with gusts to 25 – 30 knots. This caused waves to constantly break across the bow, splashing the dodger and making it difficult to see forward clearly through the isinglass. It also reduced our speed over ground to 3.3 knots.
The result of this was we fell way behind our anticipated schedule. Around 4:00 p.m. we saw something on the horizon that looked like an island where the charts said there wasn’t any. Slowly as we continued on, we discovered we were looking at the naval bombardment practice area which has sections that look like a town and others that look like ships.
Because of the stormy conditions, we began to get concerned about our arrival time since it appeared that we might be arriving in the dark. We finally passed the Tangier Island light at 6:00 p.m. with still some distance to go given our speed. But the island did give us some relief from the heads on waves so we increased speed to 4.8 knots.
Because we were definitely going to arrive in Crisfield at the Somers Cove Marina well after dark, Jon called them and was told to call the security guard after were coming into the marina and he would guide us to our slip. 8:00 p.m. found us still over a mile and a half from the Green “1” where we would turn into the channel leading into Crisfield. While there are plenty of day marks and lighted ones to guide you in at night, all of them are against a background of lights from condos and hotels making it difficult to identify any of them clearly. And the channel in requires a significant turn to port to actually get into the city area.
This is where the GPS chart on the screen proved a godsend as I followed it in the deepest water there and made my turns without having to see the day marks or lighted buoys. Fortunately Keith has excellent night vision and so was picking out things for me as well while I followed the chart and together we made our way into the area by the condo building downtown. On our starboard was a huge marina that was unlighted and obviously closed. At the time we entered there were no red or green lights to indicate that just beyond this abandoned marina there is a turn into the waterway that leads to Somers Cove Marina. We reported this difficulty to a person the next day who was a councilman and he agreed there needed to be lights at that point so they may now exist. However at that moment it didn’t seem obvious where to go from there so I just followed the GPS chart again and turned into what proved to be the waterway to Somers Cove Marina. [Note in the daylight this would be easy to see and follow but coming in in darkness and not having ever been there before, it was quite nerve challenging].
The next part of our adventure that night was trying to find the security guard. Jon had him on the phone and the guy kept saying to look for his light but against the background light of the buildings around us he was invisible. I pulled over to a lighted bulkhead until Jon was able to have the fellow describe where he was in relationship to us, since he could see us clearly from the light over us. Finally we found his flashlight waving and made our way into our assigned slip. He told us how to get into the restrooms and we took a brief break before coming back to the boat for the night.
By this time it was well past nine o’clock and we were pooped, having had a long and hard day fighting heads on sea and winds. We hadn’t had more than a sandwich and were ravenous. So I proposed fixing the beef stew we had purchased only to discover that somehow we had bought all the other groceries and never picked up the cans of Dinty Moore Beef Stew that is a staple when we are cruising. What we had left in the larder was 3 eggs and 1 can of corn beef hash. So I cooked that and everyone had one egg with their portion and we all later commented it was one of the best meals of the trip – just shows how exhaustion colors the appetite.
DAY TEN: July 16: Crisfield Maryland
Let me start with a word about the Somers Cove Marina. This is a huge marina with over five hundred [that’s right over 500] slips. They are mostly finger piers that are stationary though I understand that they have some floating docks which appear to be for permanent residents. It is a lovely marina with a friendly and helpful staff as you’ll see later in my narrative when we encountered an issue concerning oil for our engine. But the place is immaculate and well kept. The rest room facilities and showers [WHICH ARE AIR CONDITIONED] are clean and easy to access. The marina supplies bikes for riding and we used them to go out the few miles to a grocery store for supplies. There are games available as well for self-entertainment. It’s an inviting place for just relaxing.
That morning we went downtown and had breakfast at Watson’s Edge Café before then touring the Welcome Center and an excellent museum of the region. Then we went through the few shops that are still open as this town has not recovered completely from the last major hurricane and many buildings downtown are boarded up. We learned that the first marina we had passed in the dark was constructed and then never opened due to the impact of “Sandy” and the beautiful condos that were built are now available at ridiculously reduced prices as the community tries to get people back into the region. We certainly hope these efforts succeed as this is a neat place to stay.
We also took advantage of the fact that Crisfield is the launching point of the tour boats to Smith and Tangier Islands. We decided to stay another day and go over to Tangier Island given all the unique aspects of that Island as described in the brochures. That afternoon Jon hung out at the marina while Keith and I went for a long bike ride. Then we were off to Captain Tyler’s Crab House for a great supper sitting outdoors and enjoying the view as well as the food. Afterward guess what? You’re right, we were off to an ice cream shop once more to satisfy Jon’s addiction. Not that Keith and I don’t enjoy the results of his addiction as well mind you.
DAY ELEVEN: July 17: Tangier Island
Day eleven proved to be one of the highlights of the trip. The ferry over to Tangier Island takes you into a different world, one that has some roots in the 1600’s that are still evident. The one most advertised is the English language that is spoken there by the natives of the island, families that are direct descendants of the original settlers. While speaking to the tourists one doesn’t hear anything unusual, but if you are in the presence of two locals talking to each other you are lost quickly by the words and phrases they use.
The island is a continual exposure to a lifestyle and history that is revealed by every sight you see. Due to the lack of land, many front yards contain the burial plots of family members from previous generations. The island’s traffic is predominately golf carts, which can be rented by the visitors. There are a few restaurants but none which serve any alcoholic beverages because the original settlers came from a religious background that saw drinking as evil and the tradition remains even if the theology doesn’t.
Another interesting fact that I was unaware of is that this island was the base for the British Navy during the War of 1812 and it is from this island that the ships left for the proposed invasion of Baltimore, one of them being the ship upon which Francis Scott Key would compose our national anthem. Interestingly the local pastor, Rev. Joshua Thomas preached a sermon to the British sailors warning them that their efforts were doomed to failure but they ignored him only to have his predictions come true as the British failed to take Baltimore. All of this and more concerning the local history is well documented and presented in a small museum which is well worth the visit.
The Island is facing many singular challenges as we discovered. We learned that year was the first time someone graduated from high school who was not going to follow the pattern of becoming a waterman. The population of the island is dwindling but then too is the island itself. The island was once considerably larger than its present land mass and erosion from the Bay, along with rising sea levels, present a dire future for those who live there. The people told us that the government has promised for years to build a breakwater and other systems to prevent further erosion but nothing has ever happened. The website suggests that within our lifetime the island may simply disappear as many other such islands have though out the Bay. I think all of us felt a genuine sadness as what a loss that would be given the unique role this island has had in our nation’s history.
Back in Crisfield we enjoyed another great meal followed by Jon’s leadership to the local ice cream parlor once more. By now you get the picture. Then a game of bean bag toss at the marina followed by a quiet evening watching the sun set.
DAY TWELVE: July 18: Crisfield, Maryland to Solomons, Maryland
One of the first things I learned when taking a sailing course at the Annapolis Sailing School back in the mid-eighties was to regularly check the oil in your diesel engine. Which, of course meant that I hadn’t done it nearly often enough on this trip as I discovered that morning when I did check it and found it desperately needing oil. So I went up to the ships store at the marina and looked for some diesel engine oil. No luck. They sold oil for gasoline engines but none for diesel engines. But the staff was very friendly and so started calling around to see who had some and found a boat dealer who had it and was a few miles away.
However, there was a waterman standing there while this conversation and phone call was taking place and he said he thought he had some in his pickup truck which he would gladly let us have. Then he volunteered to drive Keith over to get more at the place the marina person had discovered during the phone call. Thus began another adventure for Keith while I took the small amount the man had and went back to put it into the engine.
It is important to understand that the people of the Eastern Shore live by a sense of time different from those of us who live in large urban areas. The pace is based on natural cycles such as the tides and on relationships which are deemed far more important than the completion of a task within a given time limit, a set of values which we might all profit from. So Keith’s trip to get oil involved our friendly waterman spending some extended minutes talking to the people who had the oil for sale. Keith reported that their conversation went on and on to the point where he wasn’t sure we would be leaving that day. But finally he returned and I filled the oil back to its normal level, checked and tightened an engine belt. Then we fired up the engine, topped off the fuel and off we went.
We headed north up Tangier Sound and then cut across Kedges Sound. Another beautiful day with no wind. Motoring on. We had some difficulty finding the buoys that are on the chart during this phase of the trip but finally found G “5” that marked the turning point into Kedges Sound and around Solomon’s Lump. As we moved further into the Bay we encountered 2 foot seas off the port stern quarter and began a rock and roll motion reminiscent of our time on the Atlantic. BUT the great joy was we had wind from a direction that allowed us to put out the Jib and actually sail for a while.
Late afternoon saw us across the Bay and on our way into Solomons, Maryland where we stayed once more at the Solomon Yachting Center. Topped off the fuel and got into our slip around 6:30. Cleaned up the boat and then off to eat at Stoney’s Kingfishers. We have now stayed at this marina several times and eaten at this restaurant multiple times as well and both have been great finds.
DAY THIRTEEN: July 19: Solomons, Md to Bay Bridge Marina, Stevensville, Md
The last day was warm but comfortable with a Bay almost flat with no wind or waves of any size. We crossed the Bay to go north on the Eastern side. At the mouth of the Choptank River we encountered several commercial container ships, one going south and the other going north. That was just about more commercial traffic in a single moment than we had encountered throughout the entire trip. The middle part of the Bay remains much more active than what we came across further south except for the entrance around Norfolk. Also we saw a significant increase in pleasure craft, power as well as sail. These too had been rare sights during our trip.
We arrived at 4:22 pm at the fuel dock at Bay Bridge Marina where we topped off fuel and had our final pump out. The young man at the dock graciously took several pictures of all of us sitting on the cabin. And then back into slip J 08 and we were done. In some ways that moment felt almost anticlimactic. I had expected to feel a real emotional high as the bucket list item was complete to be checked off. But what I really felt was some overall numbness. In truth it was over the next several months as I went back over everything we had done, recalling memories of various moments, that the full impact of our accomplishment hit home and the complete joy of this trip made itself felt. It was a dream come true and one that will last in my mind and heart for all the remaining years of my life.
Reflections 