Welcome to New Jersey!

 Tom helps with lines as we cast off from Summit North Marina in Delaware.

We got the word yesterday that today was the day to travel down Delaware Bay.  Several looper boats  went, leaving at 5:30 am to catch as much of the ebbing tide as possible.  Delaware Bay is tricky because the tide turns on the boater about halfway down the bay.  If there are opposing winds and tides, waves build, and the trip is miserable. There's nowhere to really stop along the bay, so the trip must be done in one 70 mile day.  Saturday was a low wind day.  High tide was at 3:30 am.  So boaters planned to be at the top of the bay early and catch as much tide as possible.  

Our dear friends, Cathe and Tom, were agreeable with our plan to leave at 7:00 am.  That seemed as early as it was possible to ask them to exit Aunt Aggie.  They had to wait around the marina until 9:00 am for their rental car.  They planned to tour more of Delaware and stay in a bed and breakfast for two nights.  

We passed this lighthouse on our trip down the bay.

We had a good trip down Delaware Bay.  The first three hours we averaged ten mph.  That was exciting.  Then the tide turned, and we slowed to 7 - 8 mph.  So the first three hours were great, and the next three were bumpy.  We had just 1 - 2 foot waves.  It was more like swirly swells.  In fact, the water reminded us of our gulf crossing.  George had to work hard to keep us on course. (We do not have autopilot!)  We went left and right and up and down, but we moved steadily to Cape May, NJ. It was so much nicer to be swirling in the daylight.  We really struggled on our November crossing in the dark for too many hours.   The last hour today was inside the Cape May Canal.  

"Welcome to New Jersey!" the sign proclaims.

We moved into the canal and past the sign above.  Yahoo!  We had finished Delaware Bay.  We just saw Delaware for two days.  New Jersey is our 11th state.  Immediately after passing the welcome sign, we were waked by about ten fishing boats as they sped into the bay.  Sorry to say, but New Jersey fishermen have reputations as rude boaters.  It was funny:  "Welcome" and "Get out of my way!"

Tomorrow night we will join the throngs at the Lobster House next door.

We got into our slip and received a welcome bag of gifts:  cranberry wine,  biscotti, and rosemary mint soap plus lots of maps and information papers. Of course, we took a nap.  In the slip next to us is Third Reef, a boat from Maine, whom we met in SC.  Four slips down we found No Zip Code.  

After nap we took a walk.  There was so much traffic!  Many cars were pulling into the Lobster House restaurant.  We hope to go to the grocery store and the beach while we are here.  We're staying three nights, through Memorial Day. We don't want to be on the water with the crazy holiday boaters.  

Items from our gift bag:  The wine is Utsch's Cranberry Wine, named for the family that owns this marina.