Another night passage under our belt!
Atlantic City to Chesapeake City, about 100 nautical miles, 22 hours total. We sailed, motored and motor-sailed.
Wave height was only 3 or 4 feet, and the period between them was consistent and far enough which meant nobody got sick - bonus!
We left Atlantic City at low tide yesterday evening to make sure we got the tides right when we entered the Delaware River and then the Chesapeake Canal later on.
But it meant us leaving at low tide, which then resulted in running aground (basically hitting the bottom of the ground with our keel) a few times! Oops. Luckily it was only soft mud.
Coastal cruising is not that relaxing when there is a lot of traffic and navigation buoys to look out for. It was foggy and misty all night which didn't help matters.
Listening into the late night chats on the VHF can provide some humbling insights.
A captain of a huge container ship talks about how he just "came in from the ocean" and that he should "probably cinch their line" to the container he's pulling because "well, ya know, there are sailboats out here now."
This was in reference to us who didn't know the protocol of sharing the canal with other sailors. In essence, we needed to move out of the shipping lanes ... Or else get run over.
Another captain was teasing someone else on another boat about him having so much overtime, he could probably buy ten Ferrari's.
The other guy answers, rather soberly, that he was working the extra hours in order to pay for his wife's cancer treatment.
As you can imagine, hearing that on a public channel makes you feel like you're eavesdropping.
Good lesson: it is easy to judge people from the very beginning but everyone has a back story.
Tonight we are tied up alongside in Chesapeake City at the free city dock. We got the last available spot on the dock, phew!
Normally you are only allowed to stay for 24 hours but with this gale blowing through late Thursday/early Friday, we were told we could stay until that's over.
Just a step off our dock, there are some cute shops and cafes just one block away.
It is such great access that I even went out later tonight when the kids were down to get a slice of cake I was eyeing at the cafe earlier today.
I nearly killed myself by taking a bite and then realized it was peanut butter inside. I am allergic to peanuts.
You never saw someone spit and cough food out as fast as I did!
So much for convenience at the dock. Greed kills!
Tomorrow, Halloween!!
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| Aila's journal |
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| Entering the Chesapeake Canal |
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| Passing yet another massive container ship. It really makes you realize how much of our stuff gets shipped across the world. |
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| Playing basketball at the local school in our PJ's. Passage making is simply about getting from A to B. We have very little protocol for what we wear, eat or even if teeth brushing has been done. |
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| Tai's journal. I am called Mommy Meower. Apparently I am part cat. |
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