Delaware River to Cape May

[Neil Gordon]

A friend of mine is about to close on a 41' Beneteau located in the Delaware River just past Philadelphia. He's hired a delivery skipper to bring the boat to Boston, but being anxious to get on board and get sailing, he's thinking of sailing himself, with somewhat experienced crew (me included), from there to Cape May.

None of us has any local knowledge and the new owner, while an experienced sailor, is less than an experienced navigator, meteorologist, etc. None of us has any experience with this particular boat. The boat was surveyed and past its sea trial, etc., well.

Anyone with local knowledge care to voice an opinion? I'm thinking we're biting off too much and would be operating within a very limited time window, which is not the best idea. Is a few days of studying charts and a cruising guide (neither of which we have yet) sufficient? I've gone new places for the first time, without incident, and I'm pretty sure I could manage the trip if I was the skipper and decision maker. But do I trust my friend and newby owner to use sound judgement?

This breaks down into a small number of managable questions/issues:

Is the navigation easy? Buoys, etc., easy to follow without confusion.

Are currents, rips, etc., such that local knowledge is all important?

Are bail out marinas available along the way?

What's a practical time table?

[John D.]

Delaware Bay to Cape May is tricky. I've only sailed a dingy there, behind Cape May, so that doesn't count as personal experience. But my chart shows lots of very shallow sandbars. Also, check this link:

http://www.cblights.com/cruising/Delmar ... gation.pdf

[jerryaxler]

I have no experience with the Philly to C&D canal, but I have traveled the rest of the way many times. There are no safe marinas to enter on that portion of the trip between the C&D and Cape May for an inexperienced cruiser. There is a place to anchor behind Reedy Island just below the C&D canal however. The current is managable, but the chop can be very uncomfortable when the wind is against the flow. As far as buoyage is concerned it is plentiful, but so is big ship traffic and you must stay out of the channel.
I wouldn't advise night unless it is a moonlit night because of the pots and unlit buoys.
Lastly your comment about limited time is not a way to plan a trip. It can force you into some ill-advised decisions.

[Russell]

The deleware has earned the nasty reputation it has, lots of traffic and with the current and opposing winds can get unplesent, and as suggested very few safe havens. That said, in decent weather its easy, dont play around with an iffy forcast though without experience.

[Matt Cawthorne]

The trip is lovely when the wind is from the right direction and the current is with you. If the wind is on the nose and the current is against you, the trip can be unpleasant. The channel is narrow enough at points that tacking against wind and current would be very tedious, not to mention the ships that you need to miss. A friend of my brothers is a river pilot. He claims that every trip he takes down the bay someone tacks under his bow to the point where he can not see the boat. He calls them WAFIs (wind assisted idiots). The prevailing winds this time of year are from the south or southwest. There are very few spots to hide out if the conditions get nasty. Oh, lots of flies. Check the mast height. There is a bridge across the Cape May canal that may make you go around the outside.

[Neil Gordon]

My friend has hired a captain to take the boat down the river/bay to Cape May. He'll have the chance to learn along the way, which is good. More important, it gets me off the hook.

Thanks for all your help. I'd hate to lose a client through shipwreck.

[rodcapedory]

Hi

We just made the trip from Northern Chesapeake to Cape May. We did it at night with two eperienced captains and one other experienced crew plus me. It was very difficult. Very easy to misinterprete the bouys in the night . Easy to go aground at several points.. We came into Cape May on the last watch in 47mph winds and rain and fog. It was very difficult. We had to hold up for several days and when we did leave the weather inside was blowing almost 30mph. We watched the weather very closely and we sailed with an even more experienced crew for the second leg of our trip. Cape May to Perth Amboy NJ. We did have a fifty mile run with a beam reach and speeds of 6.5 to 7 knots over the ground according to the GPS. Had a rough time taking sails down about 10 miles out to sea and about 50 mile out we had the wind shift to SE. YOU NEED A Good crew. All the Best

Rod Croes
SEA Marks cd330
hull 137 1986

[Dick Kobayashi]

The choice of a professional captain is just great news. I helped a friend bring his CD 33 from the C & D to Cape May. The Delaware is just as described in other posts. Going as crew with a professional captain is just right and will be an interesting experience. The suggestion to check the bridge clearance on entry to Cape May is a good one, we didn't clear by much in the CD 33.

[Cathy Monaghan]

Your CD33 had plenty of clearance (mast height above WL: 46 1/2').

In addition to the swing bridge, there are two fixed bridges over the Cape May Canal, both with 55-feet of clearance (MHW). If it weren't for the VHF antennas at the top of their masts, even the CD40 and CD45 (mast height above WL: 53' 6") would be able to make it under those brigdes but it probably would better if it wasn't high tide.

The Beneteau 41, on the other hand, probably WILL NOT make it beneath those fixed bridges (ask about mast height on that boat) so you'll probably have to sail around the southern tip of Cape May.

[Lou Ostendorff]

Hello Neil and Others;
This post has NOTHING to do with your intended voyage. That being said, two rather famous (in my mind) ship builders made this trip often, probably overland, and even built a famous 'double house' in Cape May that you can still go visit and stay in. The shipbuilders were Jacob Neafie and John Levy, and they owned the famous Penn Works at the foot of Palmer Street in Philadelphia on the Delaware River. Making lots of money during the Civil War by building up Mr. Lincoln's Navy inspired this 'little bungalow' (c. 1865). Coincidentally, they also built the Steamship Oriental a few years prior (1861), which is what the town of Oriental, NC is named after. Their double house is now called the 'Skinner House' and is famous in its own right for being one of the few private residences in Cape May in which you can still make overnight accomodations. What else can I say, except that Oriental, NC has connections!

[Michael Heintz]

As always good advice from this board........

This board is always so right on with the advice given. A great range of experience and good sense.

I did that trip a number of yeas ago when I bought Macht Nichts and brought her back north.

On a good day with time for good planning...no problems....on the other hand .......... we all know all hell can break loose in no time.

The thing that sticks in my mind was how BIG dem ships commin up the Delaware were....AND how damn fast they were on us.........

As I recall we did make Cape May at night and do not recall any difficulties.

Neil, I think you are lucky, hired Captain Brilliant !!!! No need to destroy relationships due to poor planning,

[The Patriot]

A friend of mine is about to close on a 41' Beneteau located in the Delaware River just past Philadelphia. He's hired a delivery skipper to bring the boat to Boston, but being anxious to get on board and get sailing, he's thinking of sailing himself, with somewhat experienced crew (me included), from there to Cape May.

I have a feeling I am much too late to comment on this trip, but I have wintered my boat above Philadelphia several times and am quite familiar with the route you propose. I have a few general comments that may help.

The Delaware deserves as much respect as you can muster. First, do not run at night. I have made early departures when outbound a few times, and usually the reason was to catch a tide, etc. The buoyage and ranges can be tricky on the upper part of the river between Philadelphia and Wilmington, and there is always commercial traffic. On top of that there are few good and easy places to stop. Plan to make a run from the Philadelphia vicinity to Reedy Island, just below the C&D Canal. There is a cut in the Reedy Island Dike that is easier than it looks both on the chart and at first glance. Just be sure to compensate for the current that will be running athwartships, or you may get too close to the rocks. The anchorage there is tidebound and there are a few "human gnats" (aka jet skis) that hover around, but you will be secure.

Next day you should make Cape May Harbor. Use the canal if you can get under the 55' bridge, and anchor just beyond the USCG station in about 8 feet. Good holding and secure, but you will take wake from the passing commercial traffic. No facilities, although you can tie up for fuel, etc.

From Cape May I usually head off to Cuttyhunk enroute to the Cape Cod Canal and beyond. This costs me 2 nights at sea in my CD28, but it is usually a good if sometimes boisterous ride. Remember that you will be crossing many shipping lanes and traffic control schemes, so heads up.

Once in Cuttyhunk or whererver you like to stop, it's pretty straight to Boston Harbor.