Baltimore was our last stop on the Chesapeake Bay. We spent three weeks on the Chesapeake and it wasn’t long enough. So many destinations, so little time, and weather played a factor in having us omit some of the stops were looking forward to.
The next leg of the trip taking us to our destination of the Big Apple required we navigate through some very challenging waters. The first of which was the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal. The Canal is 17 miles, 450 ft wide and 35 feet deep, and maintained by the Army Corp of Engineers because of the behemoth commercial vessels that have limited maneuverability that travels on it. The Canal itself is not an issue but the current on the Delaware Bay requires some planning. The trick is timing the passage in the Canal so you can have a favorable current the entire way down the Delaware Bay. Current can top 5 knots and you have to time your journey to maximize speed and fuel economy going with the current. The tide generally changes before you make it through the entire canal which will again impact your speed.
We were happy to have our friends and seasoned boaters, Jeff and Julie LaCroix joining us for this leg of the trip in order to have another perspective on the conditions to discern weather, tides, current, wind, and timing. We traveled at our usual “hull” speed of 8-9 mph, to give us optimal fuel economy and traveled 52 miles to “stage” our entrance onto the Delaware Bay. We left Baltimore at 9 a.m. with sunny skies and 84 degrees. Decided to leave on a Sunday with hopes that there wouldn’t be as much commercial traffic to contend with, what we didn’t consider was the amount of recreational traffic on a Holiday weekend and the “wakes” they throw at you.
We made it to Summit North Marina in Bear, DE which is on the C&D Canal and will always be remembered for its long dock and walk to the pool, showers and restaurant. A bit oversold in terms of the actual slips and amenities, however, we were glad to have a pool after a long day on the water. There was a restaurant on the premises that actually provided some nice food, drink and atmosphere.
Reimanns 'round the loop in 2022 