A Mad Dash to the Rendezvous

We had planned to spend a day or two at Sandy Hook, as Bertha has relatives there. But we were forced to stay till the weather cleared, which put a squeeze on getting to the Rendezvous.

Bertha arranged for a rental car, so in our first day in port, we were able to visit two cousins and the venerable Mrs Nannini, mother of Bertha's childhood best friend. We had a good visit, and even had time to pick up some groceries on the way back.

The next day, we tended the Young family plot at Glenwood Cemetary - a melancholy but satisfying ritual..... a reminder that we cruise now while we are able. Then off to return the rental car. The nice folks at Enterprise delivered us back to the harbor, where we did some laundry. Since it was Saturday night, we took in a movie, and had supper at a nice restaurant with Mexican cuisine. The rain and wind continued.

Our schedule required us to take off the next day, but NOAA weather reports called for 8-12 foot seas in the aftermath of hurricane Kyle. We delayed one more day. We spent Sunday morning with a leisurely breakfast and NPR. We made ready for getting underway, but were interrupted by a call from Trisha (Bertha's cousin) inviting us for supper. We were off again, and had a wonderful evening ashore. Although we really didn't know these people well, they took us in us as if we were the closest of friends. It restored our faith in humanity. Back on the dock, we settled up, and heard from the launch driver that the weather was clearing. He expected a mass exodus the following morning.

We were off before sunrise on Monday, 9-29-08. We rounded Sandy Hook at 0715 bound for Cape May. With a north wind, we made good speed for a couple of hours under jib n jigger, with 3-5 foot waves on top of a long-period Easterly swell. But as the wind died, we had to hoist the main. Late in the day we passed school after school of bait fish - their tail fins dimpled the water like raindrops in a squall. Gradually, the swell disappeared, and the seas flattened out. We were able to pick up some speed, and estimated that we'd make Cape May by dawn. As night closed in, we seemed to pick up more speed. The green running lights of half a dozen other boats made the trip a little less lonely, but they all seemed to be just a little faster than us.

At 0400 we were nearing Cape May. We had to decide whether to go in an anchor, get some rest, and resume our trip in the daylight, or keep going and catch the favorable current in the Delaware Bay. (the current just happened to turn fair at 0440) Although Bertha and I had each gotten in only a couple of hours of sleep, we weren't overly tired, so we opted to keep going. I scrambled to find a safe channel through the shoals. (Another boat passed us heading up the bay close to shore, and for a short time I followed, but it seemed risky, and we steered out to deeper water) Finally, we made our turn, fired up the engine, and motor sailed into Delaware Bay. As the sun came up, we were safely through the shoals and pushed along by a 2-knot current.

All the way up the bay, we wondered whether we could keep going long enough to make it through the Delaware - Chesapeake Canal. Our other option would be to anchor at Reedy Island and rest, but again, that would require waiting for a favorable current. Again, we decided to keep going. This time, we were indeed tired, but neither of us felt like sleeping. It was broad daylight, and we were moving well. So into the canal we went at about 1400 and zipped along with the current made 8 knots. At the other end, we passed up a couple of possible anchorages, and finally came to rest in the Sassafras River, where four other cruising boats were already at anchor.

After 36 hours underway, it was time for a cold beer and relaxation. We had been motoring for 12 hours, so there was plenty of hot water. We ate a light supper, took hot showers, put on clean PJ's and were in bed by 2030. There is no sleep as restful as after a successful passage. But, it's now September 30th, and we should be at the Whitby Rendezvous no later than tomorrow..... and we still have about 35 miles to go.