Sept 8-10, Cape May, NJ

We left Stone Harbor with the high tide about 8 am (about 4-5 feet more than yesterday afternoon) and of course skimmed right over those formerly shallow spots. We got to Cape May about 10 am and considered moving on to Lewes, Delaware (south across the mouth of the Delaware River) but there are small craft warnings today so we will look to go tomorrow. Fall weather is windy here.

Lots of working trawlers near Cape May, NJ.

CAPTAIN BUCKY SMITH heads for the open water.

Utsch's Marina

We are staying at Utsch's Marina with power and internet. And we are close to the large 'Lobster House Restaurant' a local landmark that seems busy from morning to night. No reservations. So we got fish from their fish market and will have a seafood feast aboard the boat tonight.

Thursday we were planning to go south across Delaware Bay to Lewes, Delaware, but the wind is still up and we have decided to stay in Cape May another day. We are fair weather sailors.

Friday morning we left Cape May early (about 6:45) and planned to head up the Delaware River to the C&D Canal and then into the Chesapeake Bay. Went out the inlet and found 3-4 foot seas in the Delaware Bay. Marginal conditions but as we ran the boat up to planing speed and heard all kinds of shaking and rattling on the starboard side from the running gear. Assumed it was damage from running aground a few days earlier and so we turned around and headed back to Utsch's Marina in Cape May.

We pulled the boat out of the water using Utsch's travel lift to see what the problem might be. The bad news was that we found a large amount of rope entwined around the starboard propeller. The good news was there appears to be no other damage to our running from our running aground. So we are back in the water (about 10 am) and have decided to spend one more day at Utsch's in Cape May.

Finding the big gob of rope wrapped around the propeller. We are very glad that this is the only problem.

We walked a mile into town. Cape May has an outdoor pedestrian mall filled with t-shirt shops, restaurants and ice cream parlors. Not very upscale.

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They have a trolly tour which we took to see the historic homes (mostly victorian) from the 1870's-1890's.

Linda inspects an antique fire truck now in a local museum.

Cape May is at the very south end of the Jersey Shore. Offshore are some of the best fishing grounds for tuna and marlin in the whole USA, known as the 'canyons'. These 'canyons' are 2000 feet deep and the big fish cruise these areas. The 'canyons' have produced some very big fish. We saw a blue marlin displayed at the 'Jersey Marina' that weighed 1036 pounds. Big fat marlin. By contrast, the Bahamas have a $500,000 reward for the first 1000 pound marlin in the Bahamas that is still unclaimed.

Canyon Club Marina

There are several marina's here that each have 50 or more large sportfishing boats, and the Canyon Club Marina which seems to have 200 such boats. That is larger concentration of these large sportfishing boats than anywhere I know about in Florida.