Another day in GYB

Thursday, GYB to GYB

We were up at 7am and put in our second load of laundry.  Hurricane Joaquin is still unsettled but now a Category 3 and expected to pick up more speed.  As there are limited stops south of here and this is a good place to weather the storm, we have decided to stay put until the weather settles down.  Hopefully we will be able to leave on Monday.  This afternoon we had Manatee visitors, Joe & Connie Moran who noticed Bob’s post on Krogen Cruisers.  It is nice to have the circle of Krogen friends.

Cohensey Cove to Georgetown Yacht Basin, DE

Wednesday, September 30, 2015 – Cohensey Cove to Georgetown Yacht Basin, DE

What a night!  Wind and current made for rocking and rolling worse than we have ever experienced.  Drawers were open and pens and pencils, water bottles and our master supply of toilet paper were on the floor.  Luckily it only lasted a few hours around 1am so we managed to get a good nights sleep after it was over.  Note to self:  Make sure all drawers are shut completely.  In the morning, mud on the anchor was tenacious and took a lot of water to wash it off, even after being dragged at the surface for awhile. 
 

Pipe line crossing on C&D Canal!

Good stopping spot in C&D Canal

 On the transit to the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal (C&D Canal) we had our first rain and got to test our windshield wipers.  Several hours later, under overcast skies, we entered the C&D Canal along with several sailboats.  We were passed both directions by recreational vessels and tugs pushing barges.  Many of the southbound boats seem to be heading to the Annapolis boat show.

We decided to head up the Sassafras River to Georgetown for the night.  It was an hour upriver with many good anchorage locations along the way but we decided we would like a slip with unlimited hot showers for a change.  Georgetown Yacht Basin (GYB) turned out to be a gem, very protected with $1/foot rates which include water, electricity, heads and showers.  Only bad thing is that the docks are stationary which means that we had to learn another new thing – how to tie up to fixed docks.  Positive thing is that we got to use our bow access through the lifelines.  After doing a load of laundry and warming up with hot showers we walked the two miles to Sassy River Market in Galena, a grocery store with a small footprint and large prices.  We bought one of the two heads of iceberg lettuce and a few other items before heading back, just ducking in to the Kitty Knight House for dinner as the rain began.  Luck was again with us as they had a “Date Night” special, two entrees and a bottle of wine for $29, making the Kitty Knight House an excellent restaurant on all accounts.

Overnight to Cohensey Cove, Delaware Bay

Tuesday, September 29, 2015 – Overnight to Cohensey Cove, Delaware Bay

We arrived off the Cape May Canal at 10:30am and went through it to Delaware Bay which for us, at 7 knots, is about 7 hours long.  The Cape May Canal is very narrow with a few 3-4 foot depth marinas and limited anchorages at its north entrance. Delaware Bay doesn’t have much going for it other than water to get from one place to another. 

 

The best of Delaware Bay

Convenient bird roosting spot

 It is shallow with a channel up the middle for ships.  We cruised 5 hours to Cohensey Cove before stopping as there were no marinas available. Anchoring is good with lots of 5-10 foot depths and a mud bottom except there were crab pots like Maine has lobster pots!  It was next to impossible to find a place to anchor and back down without running them over but we managed.  Current and wind were opposing so it looked funny to have the boat facing one direction and the anchor chain going another.  Dinner, showers and to bed before 6pm!  It was a long day.  Overcast, breeze is picking up, high 70’s and humid.  Rain predicted for tomorrow.  We’ll see.  A radio station reported that the tropical storm off the Bahamas was now a hurricane.

Sandy Hook, NJ to Sandy Hook, NJ..again

Monday, September 28, 2015 – Sandy Hook, NJ to Sandy Hook, NJ

Most of the cruising sailboats left last night or early this morning.  Bob installed the new radio/CD player and cleaned up the wiring before putting all the panels back together.  We went through 4 tubs of misc. boat items, most of which came with the boat.  I put the first full coat of varnish on the aft rail.  We put the boat in order and left at 6:30pm for the run to Delaware Bay.  Seas 5-7 feet, winds 5-10 knots made for an easy ride.  It was nice having radio stations to listen to all night as it made staying awake a lot easier to have music and talk shows to listen to.  We went by Atlantic City, a well lit place when viewed from the water!  There are lots of tugs pulling barges out here.

Sandy Hook, NJ to Sandy Hook, NJ

Sunday, September 27, 2015 – Sandy Hook, NJ to Sandy Hook, NJ

Bob started going through the wiring and took all the cover boards in the pilot house off and took out the Loren control box.  What a mess with wires hanging down all around!  He pulled out the Loren antennae cable plus several other miscellaneous cables that were not connected to anything.  I finished sanding the aft rail and put on the first varnish coat of ½ varnish and ½ thinner.