CAPE MAY, NEW JERSEY

Our plan to leave early this AM to transit the C&D Canal got modified a bit when we woke up to fog. After an hour, things were a bit better so we headed down current  in the Canal with about a 2 knot tail current. That was fine until we hit the Delaware River where, not only was it foggier, but there was a head current. Both TIGER and IMPROV decided to follow a passing freighter downstream just

Following a freighter down the Delaware River in fog (the
small dot to the right of the freighter is TIGER)

to make sure we were in the channel and (somewhat) protected from any other vessels. We were able to keep up with the freighter at 12-13 knots for a good while, then he started pulling away when the current got stronger. TIGER has larger engines than IMPROV, so I told them to keep on going and we backed off to our “slow” cruising speed of around 8 knots, although with the head current we were actually only making about 5-6 knots over ground.

It was a very pleasant day, however, with the water very smooth and the fog giving a peaceful air to everything. We turned on the radar to identify any other traffic, and followed

A large container barge being transported by tugboats

our GPS-based navigation system so we were always aware of where we were. It was fun to see large vessels on radar long before we could see them by eye, then watch them emerge from the fog and pass by.

As the day warmed up a bit, I even spent an hour or so, while underway, waxing the boat. Then I took my turn at the helm and Elaine went below to clean the cabin and do the morning dishes. We latched on to a good classical music radio station that stayed with us most of the day, and our time on the flybridge was very pleasant.

We arrived in Cape May about 4 PM, refueled and got a slip at a marina and will take a look at the weather forecast carefully before making our next move. A cold front is due in from the northwest and our next leg requires going “outside” the barrier islands into the Atlantic, so we want good conditions. 

We might stay here for at least another day waiting for weather…