The Voyages of Snow White: October 6th Bohemia River

Managed to get ashore after the showers on Thursday 27^th and found the shop (there is only one) to top up supplies, also ran into a woman from Hong Kong working a veg plot who sold me some fresh tomatoes, the following day was somewhat stormy with winds South East (my intended route) so no point in leaving, just bobbed about a bit.

West Bay Fishers Island

Main street Fishers Island The Shop

Fishers Island

On Saturday 29^th with forecasts not too encouraging, but feeling cold, so pulled up the anchor at 9am with 20knots of wind, which died to a breath as we left West Bay! So again motoring with the main up, mist came in at midday but cleared within a couple of hours, but still not enough wind to sail. The full moon showed itself briefly but the night was mostly overcast, I did see four large sail boats and two flights of ducks also heading south. On Sunday morning we were surrounded by black clouds and I saw a waterspout behind, but it didn’t come our way. Wind came round for a while allowing us to sail for a while, but had to refurl the jib for a stormy night, two small birds came aboard for a while eating the flies blown in on the wind.

Leaving Long IslandSound

Water Spout

Fly eating friend

Monday 1^st October was our best day for sailing, although we did have to make three tacks the final one giving a direct route into Delaware Bay, however at midnight the wind died completely, so restarted the engine and motored the rest of the way into Cape Henlopen, anchoring close to where we were before, at 11am on Tuesday, doing 6 ½ knots with the incoming tide. After securing the anchor and stowing the sails, the heavens opened, so I stuck my head out of the hatch and washed my hair, warm rain again! Wednesday was a lovely warm day and deciding not to move today serviced the engine and aired boat and bedding in warm sun.

Sunset in Cape Henlopen

Up before dawn and raised anchor at 6am to get best use of current flowing up Delaware bay, a little fog about, however the fog got worse until visibility was less than 20meters until we were about ¾ way up the bay, thank goodness for GPS and AIS, I kept as far out of the shipping channel as I could. The current turned against me with about 10 miles to go and when a head wind (after no wind all day) sprang up I was doing less than 1knot so pulled over well off the channel and anchored for four hours until the current changed the pressed on to Reedy Island dyke anchoring at half past midnight, it was a clear night and the moon was out, and no other boats in the anchorage, although the entrance was very narrow and only one side lit. Had a good lie in in the morning as we did not need to leave before11am, to catch the favourable current through the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, another nice sunny day with little wind (just as well as not allowed to sail in the canal) There is no speed limit in the canal so power boats roar up and down leaving us bobbing in their wake, the worst was a tug only doing 12knots but his wake kept reflecting off the sides for about a mile! After leaving the C&D canal we pulled over into the Bohemia River and anchored near the entrance in 2.9m although there is only about 1/2m tide here.