The Chesapeake & Delaware Canal runs 14 miles long, 450 feet wide and 35 feet deep across Maryland and Delaware, connecting the Delaware River with the Chesapeake Bay and the Port of Baltimore.

The C&D Canal                                                 One of the 5 highway bridges crossing the C&D canal

The canal was privately built in the 1820’s and after several expansions, is one of the few fully sea-level shipping canals in the world and is the only major commercial canal in the U.S. that is still in use.   The C&D Canal provides a shortcut of about 300 miles for ship traffic between the Port of Baltimore, and the northeastern U.S. cities and Europe.

  Passing a very large container ship in the canal          Starboard markers at entrance of canal

Once through the canal we knew that we would not be able to carry the tide right down the 50 miles stretch of the Delaware River to Cape May, so negotiated Nimue in between a marked dike and anchored in 2 knots of current behind Reedy Island.   The mosquitos were abundant, so I managed to concoct a tent like structure in Nimue’s cockpit out of fine netting, which enabled us to stay out and enjoy the cool breeze into the evening.

Entering through dike at Reedy Island           At anchor behind Reedy Island       

We managed to cover the 50 nm in 7 hours down to Cape May and at one stage we were making  9.4 knots running with the tide.  A turn to port and we were spurted out into the Atlantic Ocean.  Next stop New York.  Not long after we left Cape May we were inundated with pesky flies, which didn’t leave us for the whole 130 miles to the entrance of New York harbour.  We called up Beez Neez who were also making the trip to New York and they too had been plagued by flies.  With fly spray and old fashioned fly tape we managed to catch 1000’s of flies.