Brigantine, NJ

We had a busy morning on Tuesday, July 28 which worked out well because we didn’t want to start traveling until the wind died down a little.  Jonny took Archie in to shore and headed to our favorite fish market next to the Lobster House.  In the meantime, I had my weekly Spanish lesson with my tutor. I’m really enjoying my lessons with Eliana and I’m definitely improving my language skills.

Jonny returned from the market with a lot of goodies - fresh hake, lobster chowder, shrimp, potato salad and cole slaw. We will feast tonight and for the next couple of days!

We pulled up anchor at 11:10 and headed out onto the Atlantic to sail up the coast of New Jersey. Our goal was to get to a favorite anchorage in Brigantine, next door to Atlantic City. We loaded Archie up with two doses of his CBD biscuits just in case.  We have to grind them up with cream cheese to get him to eat them.

On our way out of the harbor we passed a cat boat similar to the one we used to own which ironically was an Atlantic City cat boat!

It was a cool day and the seas were somewhat rolly out on the ocean, but not terrible.  We watched the dramatic testimony of Cassidy Hutchinson providing damaging testimony about Trump’s behavior on and around January 6.  What a brave young woman! Her life won’t be the same after this.

Two of the boats that had been docked next to us in Delaware City cruised by us and Jonny contacted them to say hello. They left Delaware City today and made it all the way to Atlantic City whereas it took us two day to cover the same “ground”. They obviously travel a bit faster than our 7 knots!

By 4:30 we wound our way through the narrow and shallow entrance to our anchorage passing by a lovely beach.  This year we were the only boat anchored in this pleasant spot. The Atlantic City skyline was was part of our view.

We found an empty lot where a new home was under construction and we tied up the dinghy in that makeshift spot.  Climbing onto land we found that we were in a neighborhood of waterfront houses that were also located on a very busy four lane street.  We carefully walked along the side of the road seeking any grass where Archie could relieve himself.  This is a very developed area with what looks like mostly newish single and multi-family homes.  We walked up to the Dollar Store where I bought a couple of dish towels and then headed back to Zendo.  If it wasn’t for Archie we probably wouldn’t have ventured on land here.

Back on Zendo Jonny grilled the hake which was delicious and we had it with the potato salad and cole slaw - a very satisfying dinner.  Jonny spent time trying to help his brother get their mom’s phone to work.  Tomorrow we continue our journey up the New Jersey coast.

Cape May, NJ

On Monday, June 27 we had a leisurely morning because we were waiting to see if the weather on the Delaware Bay was safe enough to travel. After walking Archie and doing some cleaning, We decided to chance it and shoved off at 11:10.  The weather was quite overcast and rain was predicted. But the wind and wave heights were expected to be favorable enough to travel safely.  The only thing that we would have to be aware of was the possibility of thunderstorms.  

We knew it would be a long day and we were prepared but poor Archie was not. He was not a happy camper even though we had given him his CBD chewy.  He wanted to be held almost the whole time - seven hours!

The rain held off until we were about an hour and a half away from Cape May and then it came down hard!  We were able to stay on the fly bridge though.  There was a very heavy line of thunderstorms that stayed to the east of us which was very fortunate!

Luckily the rain stopped as we approached the canal that leads to Cape May and we reached our anchorage there at 6:35.

 Jonny took Archie in the dinghy to a nearby landing area for which Archie was very grateful!  They checked out the nearby seafood market but it wasn’t as good as the one run by the Lobster House which we plan to go to tomorrow.

While they were gone I prepared a dinner of salmon and sautéed vegetables. By the time they returned and we sat down to eat it was almost 8:30.  It felt like a long day and tomorrow we’ll continue our journey up the coast of New Jersey to Atlantic City.

Delaware City, DE

On Friday, June 24 we had a relaxing morning because we didn’t plan to leave Chesapeake City for Delaware City until noon since it would be such a short trip.  So we took Archie for a long walk through town where we found one of those little lending library boxes at a charming homel. The home had so many books to give away that besides a full library box there were shelves of books on their front porch!

There are many lovely front porches in Chesapeake City, all tastefully decorated!

A long walk along the canal gave Archie a chance to be off leash for awhile.

After  returning to Zendo, Jonny did some MTOA work while I updated the blog, we heard the catastrophic news about the Supreme Court taking away one of the rights of American women in their overturning of Roe v. Wade. - a giant step backwards for women’s rights!

But like with everything, life continues and we took off at noon for Delaware City where we would stay for three nights. Originally we were going to drive our car (which Jonny had positioned there ) to Philadelphia and stay with Stephanie and Ryan for the weekend.  But since they both came down with Covid, we are limiting ourselves to a brief outdoor visit on Sunday.

Upon arriving at the Delaware City Marina, Tim, the owner who we like a lot, positioned us at the far end of the marina’s one lone dock thinking that several more boats would be arriving and we would be staying longer.

We definitely got our steps in over the next few days but we didn’t mind.  Archie loves Delaware City, as do we, because there are wonderful walkways, along the waterfront through town and along the canal for miles of beautiful open meadows.  Archie must have walked three miles for our one, criss-crossing the walkway as he roamed free and chased rabbits and squirrels. 

He was, however, very naughty on the second morning there when he jumped off the boat and wandered all the way down the dock and up to the marina office. One of the other boaters picked him up and returned him to us. Now Archie has to be tied up while he’s on deck. The little rascal can’t be fully trusted!

On Saturday, we went to West Marine to get a few provisions and then on to Wilmington to meet Kerry, Ryan’s mom, for lunch at a waterfront beer pub.  She had purchased two pairs of sandals for me at Costco and I wanted to get them from her.  We had a very nice time chatting away.  Unfortunately, Tim, Ryan’s dad, was out of town at a motorcycle gathering. Afterwards, we did a pretty big shopping expedition at the local Costco, some of which we’ll bring to Stephanie’s the next day.

We had had such a big lunch that we skipped dinner and just took Archie for another long walk.  His forays into the grassy field required us to do tick searches before letting him back inside. Our assiduous pre-walk bug spraying resulted in only finding one tick on him this visit!

Sunday was another busy day. First we stopped at Costco again to exchange one of the pairs of sandals (the wrong size was in one of the boxes), then drove to Philly to have lunch with Stephanie and Ryan.  We ordered delicious pork sandwiches from a local favorite and met them in a park near their home.  Wearing masks, we sat in lawn chairs six feet apart and enjoyed our lunch and catching up on the latest.  Here’s hoping that dogs don’t spread Covid because Archie was happy to cuddle up with Stephanie for a good part of our visit! Unfortunately I forgot to take pictures but here’s an older one of the kids masked up.

Afterwards we went by their house to pick up several boxes of items that we had had mailed to them. All this while standing outside. It must have seemed curious to their neighbors!

Back at Zendo, we just relaxed and eventually walked into town for ice cream at a cute shop there.

We sat on the historic waterfront of Delaware City enjoying our treat and our last night in Delaware City.

We planned to leave for Cape May the next day but had some concerns because the weather prediction on the Delaware Bay was not great. We wouldn’t hesitate to stay a day longer but we’ll leave if we can because we don’t have too many days before we need to be in Greenport, NY on far eastern Long Island by July 6.  That evening we finished watching a Denzel Washington movie called Devil with a Blue Dress which was really quite good.  Jonny had just finished reading the book which he also enjoyed.

Chesapeake City, MD

We took our time leaving on Thursday, June 23 because we planned a short cruise to a Bohemia River anchorage. It was quite overcast and somewhat foggy while I took Archie for another long walk on the grounds of the Maryland Yacht Club.

After a light lunch of clam chowder and crackers we continued our journey north. The bay was very calm but it was chilly and still damp from the rains from the night before.

So we bundled up and stayed cozy on the flybridge watching the January 6 hearings on the IPAD.  As we proceeded we decided to change our destination to Chesapeake City. The Bohemia River anchorage offered no convenient place to take Archie on land to relieve himself and Chesapeake City was just another 30 minutes further.  We entered the C&D Canal which will eventually bring us to Delaware City and the entrance to the Delaware Bay.

Halfway through the C&D Canal we arrived at Chesapeake City where we were pleased to see there was space on the town dock.  Boaters can stay for free for 24 hours and just pay $15 for electric and $10 for water.  We tied up in front of a party boat and got set up for the evening.  Afterwards we took Archie for a walk through this charming town nestled under a huge bridge that spans the canal.

I made pork tenderloin for dinner and afterwards while I did the dishes Jonny took Archie for another walk.  He returned with a lovely bouquet of hydrangeas for me!

We had another quiet night reading and watching TV and were glad that the music from the nearby waterfront restaurant ended by 9 pm.

Pasadena, MD

We had a leisurely start to the day on Wednesday, June 22. The first thing we did was to row Archie into shore for his morning walk.  This is such a lovely neighborhood and there were several friendly people walking their dogs through the quiet streets and gracious homes, both large and small.

We pulled up the anchor by 10:05 but realized that the bridge we had to go through to get out of Annapolis Harbor wouldn’t open until 10:30.  So we made our way very slowly amidst more sailing classes to await the opening.

The bay was very calm and we had a pleasant and relatively short cruise to the Maryland Yacht Club in Pasadena, Maryland. We came here so Jonny would have good internet connectivity for the MTOA webinar he was hosting that evening. We had been to this yacht club last year for an MTOA event and we thought it was a beautiful setting. It is located on a point with water on three sides and lots of open grassy areas and beautiful vistas.  For some reason the club has been struggling for membership and nothing was open the day we were there.  No one was available to meet us at the dock but we were able to tie up relatively easily.

As soon as we settled in, I took Archie for a nice long walk on the extensive grounds.  Because no one was around he was able to run off leash and chase sticks to his heart’s content.

Back at Zendo, Jonny prepared for the webinar and did various boat chores.  I updated the blog and made potato salad to accompany the rib eye steak Jonny had purchased in Annapolis for our dinner after the webinar.  We took Archie for another walk later in the afternoon as the clouds started  moving in. It began to sprinkle a little as we headed back. Rain was predicted overnight and for the next day as well.

At 7 pm Jonny hosted MTOA’s first webinar featuring an accomplished surveyor on the topic of Boat Valuation - A Surveyor’s Perspective.  It was attended by over 40 participants and it was a very interesting presentation.

Afterwards we celebrated over a steak dinner and had a relaxing evening watching TV longer than planned.  The next day we will head to an anchorage on the Bohemia River as we make our way to Delaware City.

Annapolis, MD

We had a beautiful day to sail to Annapolis on Monday, June 20.  We left at 8:05 with calm seas, clear skies and pleasant temperatures.  Jonny saw several dolphins but none close enough to capture in a photo.  We also passed lots of huge container ships that appeared to be waiting to enter the port of Baltimore.  We thought maybe it was closed for the Juneteenth holiday.

Cruising into the busy and historic Annapolis harbor we passed all the little kids sailing in their colorful Optimists. Such a pretty sight!

We stopped for fuel and a pump-out at Annapolis Yacht Basin.  We tied up next to a gigantic 170 foot yacht - it was unbelievably big but yet still quite attractive with classic lines.  The dockhand told us it took three hours for them to do a pump-out!

After filling up (and emptying out), we cruised all the way into Spa Creek where we always like to stay either at anchor or on a mooring ball.  It’s a very calm and attractive anchorage and not as rolly as the main part of the harbor.  We are surrounded by beautiful, tastefully appointed homes and of course, lots of boats.

That afternoon we took the dinghy into town to try out a new place for happy hour.  We sat at the bar and enjoyed our drinks and delicious roasted Brussels sprouts.  They served as an appetizer for our dinner of the shrimp scampi from a few nights ago. 

On Tuesday morning I had a Spanish lesson with my tutor (with a great internet connection) and Jonny took Archie for a walk.  We were anchored within a short row on the dinghy to one of many pocket parks that are nestled at the end of each street leading to Spa Creek.  Each of them is so pretty with benches and flowers and a place to tie up a dinghy and sometimes a place to launch kayaks.

Later that morning, we received an unfortunate call from Stephanie who told us that she tested positive for Covid after having returned from the bachelorette party she had just hosted in Austin.  Fortunately, her symptoms are relatively mild.  At first Ryan tested negative but the following day, he, too tested positive.  This was doubly disappointing because we were supposed to stay with them this coming weekend.  We’ll still need to stop by their home because we’ve had several packages mailed to them.  We’ll just have to find another time to stay with them once they are well. 

That afternoon we met our friends Greg and Lynda who drove from Alexandria to meet us for lunch at our favorite restaurant here, the Boatyard Grill.  As alway, we had the most fabulous crab cakes and then walked into town for ice cream.  It was so nice to catch up with Greg and Lynda and they kindly drove us to the local Safeway to get a few provisions. (Jonny apologizes for not capturing Greg at his best)!

Upon returning to Zendo, I watched the January 6 hearings while Jonny prepared for the MTOA webinar he is hosting the next day. Having had such a satisfying lunch, I just had a few nibbles for dinner and Jonny made himself a salad.  We love staying in Annapolis and would happily stay a bit longer but we are bound for the Maryland Yacht Club the next day.