We’re Out of the Atlantic

Atlantic City, NJ to the Delaware Bay

October 10, 2022

When we set the anchor last night just a bit before dusk, it was just us and one other boat. When we got up and took a look around this morning there were at least eight to ten other boats that had anchored in front of us sometime during the night. We hadn’t heard a thing. These were cruising sailboats, you can tell the difference. Some were nicer than others, but all had the look of having “been there.” I would guess that for many, this was not their first rodeo. It was at that moment I felt like I had really joined the annual southbound migration of the sailing flotilla. These were sailors who were headed to the Caribbean like us, the Bahamas, or the Florida Keys.

We were excited to be on our way from Atlantic City and get down the Jersey shore to Cape May. I had never been to that corner of New Jersey by boat before and was interested to see the potential anchorage near the Coast Guard Station in daylight before I might have to anchor there at night sometime.  Also, the depths are incredibly shallow….everywhere. I needed fuel and the only place with fuel and enough water depth was all the way in past the channel, at a place called South Jersey Marina. So the plan for the day was to Scope-out Cape May, get fuel and water there, transit the Cape May Canal,  go to a bail-out anchorage we picked on the Delaware Bay’s eastern if we couldn’t find another more appropriate one in the meantime, and set ourselves up for being at the C&D Canal for a west flowing Ebb the next morning. That’s a pretty good cruising day.

 We were up and going, weighed anchor at 0730 and followed what seemed like a fleet of cabin cruisers out the Absecon Inlet into the Atlantic, maneuvering the boat’s pointy-end south. The topography was a stark difference to what we are used to in coastal Maine. There was a thin band of shoreline dotted by periodic buildings, but nothing behind their outline as if there really was nothing behind them. 

The only height exceptions were clearly visible Ferris wheels about every five miles or so as we proceeded south along the coast. Folks there must LOVE Ferris wheels! About two hours into our trip I got a message from Patty saying that her good friend Jane, who had just been visiting with her in Maine (with Claire, Carol, and Suzanne – Hi guys!), was in Stone Harbor and going out fishing. Maybe we could meet her on the way if we were close? I gave Jane a call and we coordinated positions, but told her that at our speed we were a good four hours away. Her friend’s boat, on the other hand, was about five times faster and would head north to intercept us after they had done some fishing.

I have to tell you, it was a thrill to see them coming! I felt a little like a non-stop circumnavigator who was being resupplied at sea (even though it had only been a few hours since our last stop!) Anyway, no survival citrus baskets were transferred to stave off scurvy, but Jane’s warm smile and wave hello was plenty. It was a really fun way to say hi. Technology facilitated immediate picture transfers between us.  What a wonder for a guy who grew up with rotary phones and a phone number that started with letters, Mitchell 6 – 7820!  

We made the entrance to Cape May through the breakwater just as charted and felt our way through the channel. Looking at the depth sounder, this was not a good place to wonder in a boat with a 6 foot draft.

We saw dozens of boats off the channel in what could not have been more than 10 feet of water just before reaching the Coast Guard Station, marked by a classic red roof and bright white structure. We contacted South Jersey Marina and got the briefing on how to enter and were instructed to give them a call when passing the large trawler fleet inbound. We were voyagers on display as we passed several restaurants that bordered the narrow channel in, but found the fuel dock easily and tied-up. On the other side of the dock was a gorgeous 60 foot blue hulled sailing vessel named Palawan VI. We learned from a crew member that it was Tom Watson Jr.’s, the former Chairman of IBM, personal yacht and he had it specialty designed and built to sail around the world which he did in the early 1980’s. He made that circumnavigation when he was…..my age. I have Some catching up to do! They sailed it down the Hudson from Newberg, NY and, unfortunately,  I didn’t get their plans from there or a picture!! 

We made our way out the same channel we came in except halfway out we made a sharp left turn to enter the Cape May Canal. There was little room for error with the water so “skinny” apart  from  the channel’s center.  After drifting to starboard just briefly, my heart sank as I saw minus 0.1 on the depth sounder. At that exact moment I felt the bottom of the keel softly brush the sandy bottom and I immediately corrected for deeper water. A little hair-raising but excellent confirmation of my instrument settings. I have a four-foot offset built into my depth sounder to account for the distance it is mounted in the hull above the bottom of the keel. When I read depth on the gauge, I want to know how match water is beneath the keel, not how much there is from the surface. I just estimated 4 feet when I set the instruments up initially. I now think I have real-world confirmation that my estimate was pretty accurate, to the tune of -0.1 feet off! I can live with that.

Though I always hold my breath going under any bridge, we had loads of clearance under the two on the Cape May Canal. We went by on old railroad swing bridge that likely hadn’t moved in a century.

In a short while we were finally in the Delaware Bay which signaled a major transition in the trip. We were out of the Atlantic and wouldn’t be back in it for weeks until it was launch day for Antigua. Two more nights and we’d be in Annapolis and Craig’s sail would be done. Though we weren’t there yet, thoughts turned to some restful days on anchor and the friends and family we each would meet there.