Trip To Jersey - Advice from Dad !

I reckon from memory and some measurement.... It is about a 20 hour trip and about 115 nm from Middle River to Cape May Entrance Breakwater. The hours will change a little dependent on how well you "catch the current". You have about 10 to 11 hours of daylight that reduces daily.

32 nm from frog morter to C&D Basin

87.5 nm from C&D Basin to Cape May Entrance (Eldridge is indispensable for this type of planning TO KEEP CURRENT ON THE STERN)

39.5 nm from C&D Basin to Ship John Shoal Lt (another 8 nm up the Cohansey River to a Marina for layover to next weather window or until the Bay calms down, wind changes etc Anchorage may be taken just inside the entrance

Cohancey River to Cape May entrance is 43 nm.. Its about a halfway point and a good bailout if the Delaware Bay is not in good shape. Again, you need to look at the route around Cape May and plot your waypoints as there are no buoys. The best route takes you pretty close to to shore for about 100 yards, need to have eyeballs on the bow, on the depthsounder and the little boat on the chart screen. Daylight only !!!

Inside route from Cape May to Little Egg is your all weather route. Wind in any quadrant from the North will not be good for off shore route. Did it in the trawler and it went pretty well, took all day but water was smoooth and other than a few spots involving inlets it was pretty easy.

I did not figure the run from Cape May to Tuckerton offshore, about 40nm I would reckon, the better part of all daylight hours available and you would need some info on the little Egg and Beach haven Inlets. Not sure if they are all weather and how well marked... Jay may know this but not sure how often he goes ocean sailing . Definitely a daylight only entrance from offshore. Atlantic City, at Absecon Inlet is all weather and well lit for night entrance with anchorage taken east of the high rise bridge on the south side near Coast Guard Station (keep to SE)

Looks like it’s a three day run daylight only. OR all day all night, and all the next day ! Running the Delaware at night ! Its well marked with lighted ranges down river for the big ships and you can always see the next mark going down the Bay, lots of lighthouses. Get your radar up and running and make sure your compass is reading accurately. Main ship channel all the way, OUTSIDE Prissy Wick Shoal . I would do this in relatively calm conditions, 5-10 out of s/sw Cape Henlopen has a Harbor of Refuge where you can anchor near the Ferry slip if you get caught in a shitty at the Delaware Bay Entrance with wind strong from a northerly quadrant BEEN THERE DONE THAT TWICE

This is the type of planning I would recommend ! Plan for the worst with lots of alternates and hope for the best.

Keep wind and current on you stern Love Dad

Trip To Jersey - Advice from Dad !

Sailing North from Chesapeake - advice from Dad

Sailing into Baltimore Harbor can be pretty exciting for someone who has never done it, also Annapolis , ego ally, Chart House, Davis Pub equally exciting. But Annapolis should be fairly quiet during the week, no crowds except at lunch time at the market means there will be moorings available. A cruise up Spa Creek, under the bridge and up to the park covers a lot of waterfront as would Back Creek up beyond Jabins and around the corner That would cover two days and nights. I would not go further South, instead go North a third night in one of the creeks on the eastern shore and definitely a stop at the Chesapeake City Basin and the crab house that’s 4 nights transit the Canal and do the Delaware with a night at the Cohansey that’s 5 All pretty short runs with lots to see and a combo of motoring and sailing.. You could also do the Chester River up to Chestertown.. Depends on weather; winds & seas

You may want to pick just one city Annapolis/Baltimore. Get your paper charts out and look the area over.. Delaware City is a one day run from anywhere North of Annapolis assuming you will end up there to haul the boat ?

Think about wind direction, temperatures. Distance is not a problem unless you go South of Annapolis then you have to really watch wind direction which determine how easy it will be to get back up to the C&D Don't ignore the Delaware for a sail
"with the current" which can be pretty daunting on the ebb when you want to go back up to Delaware City time for the tide & current book East on the ebb , West on the flood back to C&D and Delaware City

Sails to nowhere are always the best, no time tables, just using the wind and tidal currents as in days of old

Choosing Anchors ! Advice from Dad

Try Northstarmarinesupplies.com "anchoring 101"

Chipper B had a 70lb Bruce as primary and a 35H Danforth as secondary with 35 plow 45 plow, 22H Danforth, and FX 27 (Fortress) in reserve.. Their advice on rodes and length is a good one which I have used to good effect

Have several different types for the different bottoms you will encounter. sand (any anchor digs) soft mud Danforth (fluke ) Hardpan (bruce) coral, rocky bottom bruce grass plow

There is a plethora of information on anchoring with many different opinions Anchors and Anchoring was a danforth pamphlet by Charles Ogg and if you google anchoring techniques you will undoubtably be buried '

Weight is important, the more the better and then you also want the greatest holding for the least weight and that is Danforth and Fortress like everything else in life you strike a "balance" between what you like and what is practical to carry..

My heaviest anchor was my primary and was first anchor down. a "lunch hook" is an anchor for the dinhy

Just remembered the put together anchor in a box "FORTRESS" they have an interesting website The others are CQR BRUCE Delta Sandspike, Luke makes a Fisherman as does Herreshoff....They are big and heavy but come apart for storage
Larry Pardey (of Lin & Larry fame) says when cruising you spend 85% of your time anchored and I agree My 3 anchors to a swivel to a double pennent carried me an Chipper B through 3 major Hurricanes...

I developed the method of double anchors, that is a small Danfoth "HT" then 15 ft chain to the horn of a CQR plow then chain/nylon to the swivel Theory being that if the plow, plowed under strain, it would dig in the danforth, plows do tend to plow as the wind builds while the fluke anchors and the Bruce dig deeper.

Winds tend to change direction in a big storm that’s where the "3 point" system shines, no matter where the wind shifts you are always on 2 rodes. Recommend you research the Fortress.. AND KEEP ALL YOUR CHAIN THE SAME SIZE AS THE GYPSY ON YOUR ANCHOR WINDLASS ( I believe 5/16 high test).

Danforth made some that were not so good but the 22H, 35H and 60H were the best .... Do the research to see which anchors would be best for storm protection ... Trying to remember Chipper B there was a 35H 22h 60lb plow, 35lb plow and a claw anchor British I think that was good in rocks and coral was in KG I think around 55 lbs

Painting the boat ! Need your inputs !

Go to the following page and let me know ! What color scheme did you like ?

Roll and Tip Painting

Looking to paint hull from waterline to deck. Cannot afford to have it done using spray. Looking to do a good job, a very good job in prep, and then do “roll and tip”.

Anyone successfully accomplished roll and tip ? Comments? Advice?

See my website link below. Appears Interlux endorses this method.

http://sportboards.bizland.com/dadidoc/id19.html

PS: Was wondering if anyone knows someone in the Northern Chesapeake area that would be a subject matter expert in rollandtip painting. Was hoping to find a retired or semiretired person that I would pay to supervise my crew of myself and my somewhat agreeable sons !

Looking for Some Advice for a Nav Station Design

You happy with your Nav Station down below ? Is it compatible with your computer ? Seat comfortable ?
I am thinking about converting my port freezer compartment to a nav/computer station.

What would you desire if you were to do yours all over again ?