Es-Cape-ade II

Escapade II is the name of Julie and Jeff’s boat but the 2nd leg of our Es-Cape-ade to the Big Apple required us to go 48 miles to Cape May leaving the C&D Canal to the Delaware Bay then entering the tricky channel to Cape May. As mentioned the Delaware Bay has a hellish current which can often top 5 knots. Currents can greatly influence your forward progression and fuel consumption. The other consideration was the tide leaving Summit North Marina, we decided that a 7 a.m. departure would allow us to leave not at dead low tide but be rising enough for us to be able to leave the marina. WRONG! We just barely got out with 3 ft showing on our depth finder.

We crossed the Delaware Bay and much to our surprise it was flat, Jeff and Jule brought us really good luck with the weather. No issues with the bay and it was another blue-bird day with sunny skies and temps in the mid 80’s.

Cape May presents another set of challenges with its Canal depth averaging 12′ between Delaware Bay and Cape May Harbor yet also has areas where depth is between 4.3 and 1.6 ft in certain areas. The tidal ranges vary between 3 and 4 ft which makes timing into the entrance into the marina a factor. Add to that a Ferry that comes and goes and it makes for a challenging docking situation. Every day there’s something new to contend with, guess that’s why when people ask us if we are having fun, we always reply that it’s challenging fun.

We really enjoyed the South Jersey Marina and its amenities. We found out it wasn’t boastful marketing, they really delivered, especially on what they described as their spa-like showers and bathrooms. The fancy shower heads were a special treat. In fact, these showers were so special that the guys couldn’t figure out how to turn them on and ended up showering on the boat. The women, Julie and Nancy, had no problem figuring out these luxury showers and enjoyed using them. In all fairness, the showers in the women’s room were marked with off/on; Hot/Cold, apparently in the men’s were not. This was among one of the many updated features of the marina, all newly remodeled including an upscale ship’s store and complimentary shuttle service to the historic downtown area of Cape May.