JUNE 19: CAPE MAY

June 19:  The current in Delaware Bay can be as much as 3-4 knots.  So it is important to time your departure to make sure that it is in your favor for the longest period.  We raised the anchor just before 7:00 a..m. and headed down the C&D canal to Delaware Bay.

Fortunately, the skies cleared overnight and we had a bright sunny day with very little wind.  As we entered Delaware Bay, our speed really picked up and we were rocking along at 10 knots.

 This buoy shows how strong the current can be in Delaware Bay.

 The Bay is dotted with interesting lighthouses.  Some are still in use and others are abandoned.

 Entering the Cape May Canal, we had to slow down and give way to this ferry.  It's a lot bigger than us.

The ferry terminal is just inside the Cape May Canal.

It's rather busy.  There were 5 ferries docked there.

We made it into the Utsch's Marina successfully and were hauled out immediately.  We waited with bated breath to view the bow thruster once it was out of the water.  Peter removed the outer casing but that shear pin was also intact. However, the entire propeller was covered with crustaceans which may have impeded its ability to force water right or left to move the bow.  This was unusual as Peter had inspected it in Belhaven just a few weeks ago and it was clean.  Anyway, as nothing else seemed to be out of order, he proceeded to scrape all those little buggers off the propeller and reinstall it.  The boat was lowered partially back into the water and I tested it and voila it worked.  

The boat was lowered completely and we motored over to our slip for the night.  We were happy campers and celebrated by going out to dinner.