On this trip there are several route options from Norfolk. The direct ocean route is shortest, but we won’t do it in less than perfect conditions. Forecasts of foggy areas dissuaded us from heading out into the ocean on either the red line or the purple line.
So we have started up the Chesapeake which means 100s of miles of sailing or motoring and anchoring every night; 60 miles a day is a long day for a 35 foot sailboat with a small engine. We average 4-5 mph, maximum 7-8 mph. You could cover more territory on a bicycle. So up Chesapeake Bay and down the Delaware River in a week or two if we don’t get delayed gets us to Cape May NJ. Then 1 day offshore to Atlantic City, the second red indent on the map.
From there we hope to go offshore to Block Island in 2 days + 1 night, avoiding the whole NYC/Long Island Sound thing. I forgot to draw the line from Atlantic City to Block Island which is the white dot at the end of Long Island. I did this map at home and perhaps I never finished it!
So we have started up the Chesapeake which means 100s of miles of sailing or motoring and anchoring every night; 60 miles a day is a long day for a 35 foot sailboat with a small engine. We average 4-5 mph, maximum 7-8 mph. You could cover more territory on a bicycle. So up Chesapeake Bay and down the Delaware River in a week or two if we don’t get delayed gets us to Cape May NJ. Then 1 day offshore to Atlantic City, the second red indent on the map.
From there we hope to go offshore to Block Island in 2 days + 1 night, avoiding the whole NYC/Long Island Sound thing. I forgot to draw the line from Atlantic City to Block Island which is the white dot at the end of Long Island. I did this map at home and perhaps I never finished it!
June 1. Trippin
Sarah Creek to Reidville VA. 50 miles in 9 hours. Anchored at 5pm and had a quick swim. Both exhausted. Sailed nicely for 2 hours, then suddenly calm. Motored for a while, then wind again quite strong for the last few hours. You never know!
There's getting there and being there. This part of our cruise is like being at the airport or on the airplane. We're on our way, but a long way from where we want to be, which is Rhode Island and Cape Cod, MA. In other words this is not the fun part. Books and toys and music and patience and a positive attitude help pass the time in the airport and on the flight, but it's not really where you want to be.
June 2. The Last Day of This Good Weather
Reidville VA to Solomons MD. 40 miles. Left at 5:30 am, anchored at 1:30. Right after leaving Readville, we sailed across the mouth of the Potomac River. So on the map we are on the west side of Chesapeake Bay above the mouth of the river that leads to D.C. But the scale is off -- we are not as far up as it looks. The forecast was for small craft warnings, gusts to 25 forecast. That was an understatement, we had sustained gusts over 30, occasionally 40. Good sailing! But a lot of tension for the captain who never took a break. To reach the harbor we motored to windward for an hour against 25-35 mph.
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