39: 32.7N 75: 42.6W

Internet access for the first time in a week….gosh how I’ve missed than Bing-Bong as Windows comes up!! 

We (mostly) motored 63 miles today, leaving at first light.  Our Canadian neighbours left an hour earlier because they had to go back out to sea and it can’t have been much fun navigating the harbour entrance in the dark.  We were going to make use of the Cape May canal because our mast was going to go under the bridges…..wasn’t it?  As we did a dog-leg to face the first of the two bridges we had a large Canadian cruiser behind us and they held back – Melv said it was because they didn’t want our mast falling onto their boat.  Then a speed boat appeared, but to give him his due he hung back so as not to cause any wake (the one thing which might invalidate all the maths!).  We knew the figures but even so Melv slowed to a snail’s pace.  I couldn’t bear to look.  All of a sudden he said urgently “Look up.  Are we going to make it?” and with one voice we both said “NO!!” and he quickly put the boat into reverse and it swung around at 90 degrees just short of the bridge.  However the Canadians who had a much better perspective, sitting up high in their cockpit, shouted “You’ll be OK” and Melv put rapidly put the engine into forward and both boats went under, side-by-side.  Afterwards we agreed that looking up, we would have bet good money on the fact it wasn’t going to go under.  Thank goodness the Canadians were there because the alternative would have been to retrace our steps and take the long route.  Melv was positively shaking for some time afterwards but by the time we got to the second of the bridges he was gung ho and saying he was going through at normal speed because now he knew it would be OK…..I looked the other way!

The trees lining the canal have definitely turned and there were lots of golds and reds.  Where the canal met the Delaware Bay it was very shallow and there was a school of dolphins picking off the fish as they came in/out of the canal.

The weather was overcast….but not cold!  There was little wind however and we motored most of the way.  We didn’t get to the marina until it was dark (6.30 or so) and then only to find the water was very shallow (advertised at 7ft, but Melv hit bottom several times).  The marina guy admitted it does get silted up and dredging is on the agenda once the boats are out of the water, and given Melv went aground he wouldn’t charge us for the berth.

Stripped bass slowly baked in the oven (plenty of propane!) for dinner.

Early start again tomorrow – another 40 or so miles to Annapolis.