R Island: May 15-20, 2015 Cape May NJ

We left Delaware City at 7:00 with some help from Tim the dock master as we needed to turn the boat in the opposite direction in order to head out the channel and into the Delaware River/Bay. The day was overcast, chilly (57 degrees) and "breezy" - a term Ger's brother-in-law Bill can appreciate. The first three hours the tide was running against us, so slow going of only 5.5-6 knots/hour. Then the tide went thru it's cycle and was with us and we made 8-9 knots the rest of the way. Winds got pretty strong after lunch and waves built to 2.5-3 feet. Luckily, we were hitting them at a good angle and only got splash on the fly-bridge one time. The Delaware Bay is wide and not a lot of ship traffic this day, so a pretty uneventful trip. Arrived at the marina about 3:00 and took on 90 gallons of fuel, pumped the holding tank, and settled into the slip. All in all, some pretty good driving and deck-hand work as we fought wind and tide to get to the docks.

Cape May is at the southern end of NJ where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean. It was a very pleasant surprise. First was the cute downtown with "mall' where they closed off three blocks of the main street; then the beautiful sandy beaches and then the wonderfully restored and maintained Victorian Homes! There whole town is on the Historic Register and, they claim, there are more "Painted Ladies" (Victorian homes) than any other city except San Francisco. We found the trolley tour very informative and took several bike rides to revisit the tree-lined streets and beach areas.

Spent a few extra days here waiting for winds from the right direction and low wave heights to make our trip north for three days in the Atlantic headed for New York City. Cape May is a great place to kick back, enjoy the local restaurants and watch the local fishermen bring in their catch. Saw a 10 foot Maiko shark, a 125 lb. Big Eye Tuna, and an 80 lb. Black Drum. If you are ever in the area - it is worth a couple days.