Position           37:28.32N 075:27.95W

Date                2359 Thursday 20 September 2012

The chart will give an idea of our current passage.  The route from New York, Liberty Landings to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel is 260nm with a further 20nm from the Bridge Tunnel into Downtown Norfolk

Route plan for New York to Norfolk - Position as at 0200 Friday

The wind filled in somewhat just after midnight and we were able to sail for 12 hours becoming lighter.  We even tried the gennaker for a couple of hours but eventually had to succumb to engine as the wind dropped away and we were rocking and rolling in an uncomfortable swell.

The main event of the day was crossing the entrance to the Delaware River and its associated shipping channels. Off the Bay it is not very deep, about 20 metres, and ships anchor well out to sea, presumably waiting for expensive docking space somewhere up the River; it always seems odd finding ships anchored out in the middle of nowhere.  It does give us something to look at and avoid.  The only sighting of activity ashore was Ocean City, which lies on the south side of Delaware Bay, appearing over the horizon.

Ocean City on the south side of Delaware Bay

The afternoon watch was rewarded by being able to watch two large military flying tankers refuelling two fighter planes, one each.  We assume that they were not incoming hostiles.

We are all set for a daylight arrival in Norfolk, unlike the previous early hours arrival from Charleston in May.