Soooooo, I'm Home
I got back Saturday after a pretty uneventful trip. We did have one hellacious storm off the coast of Atlantic City, but that's all
As usual, we didn't get away from the dock until around noon. Then we had to stop in Annapolis for fuel and ice
We finally hit the bay about 1pm and headed for our first scheduled anchorage outside the C&D Canal in Delaware Bay. When we reached the anchorage, we decide to keep going and head for Cape May N.J..
The run down the Del. Bay was smooth and flat (main reason we made the choice). Del. Bay can be a real bear to navigate. Wind and tides can churn the waters into a challenge. Throw some rain and lightning into the mix and it can be a down right ugly ride.
We pulled into Cape May after sun up and docked at a marina for fuel. We made a "deal" with the office guy to let us stay until noon to catch a few moments of sleep, shower, and have breakfast. Forty bucks under the table accomplished this feat:roll eyes:
Feeling fresh, we motored out of Cape May and started our long trip up the coast. All was going well, when the VHF radio started sounding alerts. We were about 5 miles offshore and could see the dark menacing clouds gathering over Atlantic City. The alert said possible 60 mph winds with heavy rain and lightning
At 6 knots, we weren't about to outrun the storm. Heck, we didn't even have enough time to run in to tie up at a slip. Last thing we needed was to be in the channel or attempting to dock in heavy winds.
We put up the "storm sail" and battened down the hatches. Holy Chit, what a storm. The wind ripped the canvas right off the boat. It UNZIPPED all the zippers!!! Ed was at the wheel and I grabbed all the canvas and held on for dear life. We had all donned the offshore lifejackets with whistles and lights attached. I thought I was going to need mine as I struggled against the wind to stay in the boat while holding the canvas
I would estimate that the storm lasted only about 5-8 minutes (it was almost like the derecho that tipped over the shuttles in the Bal. Harbor several years ago). The boat most have tipped at least 60*, as I was looking at the water between raindrops that felt like BB's.
The storm passed and we cleaned up below deck. Everything was scattered about, but she rode through it safely.
While counting our blessings, (it's good to have a pastor onboard) we ran up the coast to NY Harbor. With the Pastor at the helm, we entered N.Y.