Essington to Chesapeake City September 2010

September 17 through 19

Depart Essington 9:30 AM Friday 17, single hand, with breeze building 10 to 15 gusts to 20 out of the northwest.
2nd reef main sail with the ebb tide to Reedy Point at 2:00PM.
25nm starboard tack all the way, top speed 6.5knots, average SOG 5.5knots.

Enter Chesapeake and Delaware Canal to early for flood in the canal and motor against the tide at 2 to 3 knots until Summit and get assistance from the flood tide speeds up to 5 knots.
Arrive Chesapeake City after 6:00 PM and secure to the town dock. Rick saved a space for me on the town dock.
Meet up with Rick and Lori on "SV Take Five" who had been about 1/2 nm behind me most of the way, but with a stronger motor was through the canal in half my time, Wayne and Sally on "SV Virgina Dare" and Jack on SV Dionysus sister ship to Virginia Dare.

Saturday strolling around Chesapeake City and meet up with other sailors.

Depart Chesapeake City 6:00 AM on the ebb tide through the canal and stop at Delaware City just up river from the Delaware entrance at 8:30 AM for fuel, antisipating a hard motor against an ebb tide to Essington.
Talk with folks at the Delaware City Marina and depart at 9:30 AM, round Pea Patch Island and into the main channel by 10:00 AM.

Motor up river at 5 knot until the Delaware Memorial Bridge at Wilmington then a harder push against the tide and no assist from still air. Speed over ground (SOG) drops to 3 knot then to 2.5 knot at Marcus Hook and chop builds. Short period disorded chop 2 foot crest and 6 foot period persists all the way to Darby Creek, but a breeze starts to build of the NJ side and I get some assist on the 2nd reef main that I had previously set to dampen the normal 2 foot 40 foot period swell and 6 foot barge wake.

Arrive at Essington 4:00 PM Sunday 18, average SOG 4 knot.

Commadore Barry Bridge with tug Tow

Delaware Memorial Bridge

1st bridge at C&D entrance

One of many barges on the C&D

Railway lift bridge at Summit

Arrive Chesapeake City Bridge at sunset

Chesapeake City Town Dock

Chesapeake City

Chesapeake City Anchorage Basin (Engineers Cove)

Chesapeake City from the Bridge

Sunrise on the C&D, Chesapeake City departure

Delaware City on the old C&D

Leaving Delaware City, view downriver to the Salem cooling tower

Fort Delaware on Pea Patch Island

Catamaran sailor (shipping pallet, 2 hulls)

Off cherry Island Flats approaching Marcus Hook in opposing current

August 2010

August 28, 2010

Breakers at low tide on the shoal below Little Tinicum

Tinicum Wildlife AreaAugust 21. 2010

Low tide in the tidal wet land along Darby Creek,

from Darby Creek Dyke

Lazy day on ther river, August 14, 2010

Duck crossing

Morning sail August 11, 2010

Delware River off Eddystone

July 2010

Thursday July 8, 2010

The first day in the low 90's F for a week time for a sail. The air temperature has been over 100 deg F and clear enough to fry my brain, but this morning started in the mid 80's when I left the dock and was mid 90's when I returned.

Left the dock at high slack on a broad reach to the Eddystone red/green "TS" bouy then on to green can "E1" making 3.5 to 4.5 knots SOG.

Come about at "E1" and get good speed on the opposite tack until the ebb tide builds and the breeze fails. Tack shipping channel to shore, but no forward progress.

Roll up the headsail, sheet-in the main and motor sail against the ebb tide. Docking is at more speed than I would like due to the building ebb tide but the boat kisses the dock and dock lines secured.

Saturday July 3, 2010
Afternoon sail on an ebb tide.
Aldo furler and new 135% headsail installed.

5  to 10 knot breeze out of the southwest provides enough power to close reach at a speed over ground (SOG) of 4.5 knot down river against the tide. The new headsail allows the boat to point close to 25 deg off the breeze, but comfortably sustain 45 deg off the wind.

The tidal current flow increases as the breeze dies, come about and have a controled drift with the tide and less than a 5 knot breeze.

The wind shift to out of the north as I pass behind Little Tinicum and get a tidal current assisted broad reach at 5 knot SOG to the airport runway lights. Come about and a slow return with the ebb to the marina and a gentle dock.

May 2010

Billingsport jetty and Mantua Creek entrance blue and white tanks.

Saturday May 29, 2010
Harbor Pointe to Billingsport Saturday afternoon.


Depart Harbor Pointe 1:15 PM with less than 5 knot breeze 2 hrs before high slack, just enough breeze for a gentle broad reach (2 knot SOG) to the up river end of Little Tinicum. Pass through the gap between Mifflin Bar and the sand bar, wind in the main river picks-up between 5 and 10 for a good dash (4 to 4.5 knot) across the shipping channel to Billingsport.

Slack tide at Billingsport and the breeze has again dropped below 5, tugs are marshalling barges up river in the Tinicum Range anchorage. My bearing to the next mark is into the breeze but tide would start to be in my favour soon, this would be a series of tacks can to nun to can but not at a speed to clear the channel for the barges.

Broad reach back to Mifflin Bar then breeze drops to almost still air, slow lazy tacks to the marina, close to marina drop and bag the genoa, motor on and drop and tie the main.

Begin my approach, motor throttle down, the outboard dies, check fuel, try to restart, nothing. Scull rudder so that my drift will be clear of the adjacent marina, untie and raise the main.

Begin my approach under sail, the tidal current has not yet picked up much, the breeze is still gentle and I will be dead to wind in the slip.

The marina had changed my slip to an inside slip from the end tee, I was using the more expensive end tee until the new occupant arrived.

Approach was at less than 1 knot, a gust picked up, my speed was above 2 knots, peeled off and circle at the fairway entrance.

Restarted my approach with main sheeted out and luffing, but speed in the fairway was just under 2 knots, passed my slip and rudder over to swing into the adjacent vacant slip dead to the wind.

Boat secured, 4:45 PM try the motor, starts first time?

Sunday morning motor started, adjusted idle, clean and greased throttle linkage and cable terminals. Motor out for a while, start, stop, forward, reverse then return to correct slip.

I will be practicing sailing in and out of my slip at slack tide, even when not perfect or intentional it looks cool.

April 2010

First sail of the season, Saturday morning April 24;

54 deg F, 5 knot breeze from the east. Sail downwind against the last of the flood tide at a relaxed 2 to 3 knots to Harrah's.

The breeze falls to almost still air as the temperature rises to the low 70's F. Come about into the what remains of the breeze and close reach tacking between the PA shore and the shipping channel.

Make some progress against the beginning of the ebb tide but at the Boeing test heli-pad the ebb overcomes progress. Three Chinnocks are on the test pad, one with rotors on.

Motor on, drop the jib, center the main, and motor sail to Essington.

April 2010 British Virgin Islands

Gemini 105mc chartered from the Catamaran Company out off Roadtown BVI.

March 2010 Still Raining

Flooding at Essington PA

Fox's Grove ramp and boardwalk

Bartram entrance to Fox's Grove

Front Jansen to Ericson

Front and Jansen

Anchorage Marina boardwalk

February 2010

Robin in Holly Tree,

promise of spring at Morris.

Morning Snow Fall from Kitchen Window

Wissahickon Creek Spring House, Roxborough PA

Mullica Hill, Fort Washington State Park.

Smith Run Head Waters, Roxborough PA

Vanessa at Smith Run Head Waters

Essington PA

Companion-way hatch tracks frozen.