We finally leave Cape May, a Conundrum, and Atlantic City

Sunday, June 17              Happy Father's Day

Mary took John out for breakfast then we took an historic Cape May trolley ride.  We read, lounged around, had pizza for dinner-a good day.

Monday John went to the airport to see a B-17.  This is like the helicopter at the beginning of each MASH episode.  It's so small!

The B-17, which is based at the Willow Run Airport in Michigan:

We plan to leave Tuesday, so John washes and vacuums Carol and Rich's car and puts it in their garage.  He calls TowboatUS to make sure there is nothing new on the intracoastal since the other boats traveled it a week ago.  Guess what?  A bridge we have to pass under is broken and won't lift.  We have enough clearance to fit under at low tide, but know that we should only travel the New Jersey Intracoastal at high tide because it is so shallow.  How ironic that the 4 loopers who were with us in Cape May all planned to travel outside (in the ocean) and had to take at least part of the intracoastal because of the wind and waves and we, who had planned all along to take the ICW, are now having to consider going outside.  TowboatUS assures us that we'll be fine, just stay in the channel.  The bottom here is mud, not the unforgiving rock of the Great Lakes, we have not yet been hard aground on this trip, so decide to follow our original plan.

The New Jersey ICW:

It's a pretty ride and the B-17 flies over:

After 2 small we're-hitting-bottom hesitations and a short time plowing mud when a fishing boat's wake pushes us out of the channel, we approach Atlantic City:

The worse thing about today's ride has been the greenheads (NJ horseflies).  We had to fire up the generator twice to vacuum up bodies before we landed and then had to spot clean the carpet.  We broke our flyswatter!

Mary Frances at Senator Frank S. Farley State Marina, Atlantic City, New Jersey:

We register in the marina office, this marina is part of the Golden Nugget Casino complex, and ask where the closest restaurant is (it was a long day).  They tell us right upstairs so we take the elevator up and step out in front of the hostess stand at the Chart House Restaurant.  Guess we should have taken a minute to think "Chart House" and "Golden Nugget" and changed our clothes, but they let us in anyway and the food is fantastic.

Wednesday we hop on the "jitney bus" for a ride to the boardwalk.  John was last here when he was in middle school and things have changed drastically since casino gambling was approved in1976.  Caesar's Palace:

The wicker push chairs are celebrating their 125th anniversary:

The New Jersey Korean War Memorial is sobering and thought-provoking:

This is more the boardwalk John remembers:

From class (The Chart House) last night to kitsch today, we decide to have lunch at a Rainforest Cafe.  John has never been in one, Mary last ate at the one at the Mall of America when she and her brother Jack took the kids there quite a few years ago.  John is not too afraid of the jungle animals and thunderstorms.

Steel Pier:

It's fun to see so many of the Monopoly game (which was developed here) names:

This whole store is devoted to candy!

Cape May is a great place

Canyon Club is a fishing marina.  Rich said this scene reminds him of the sword honor guard at military weddings:

John went to the visitor center on Thursday, 6/14,  to request the self-guided walking tour brochure our AAA Travel Guide assured we could get there.  It is no longer available (we're guessing that's because you can now pay someone to take you on a guided walking tour) but the woman highlighted a route for us on the tourist map and Friday we took a walking tour of Victorian Cape May.

Carnegie Hall is about the same vintage as the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island and the interior reminded us of the Grand Hotel and the Island House.

This is the second of the WWII sub spotting towers still in Cape May.  Evidently it would have been prohibitively expensive to tear it down, so it was incorporated into the construction of the hotel:

Saturday we checked out the Coast Guard Training Base for a brisk walk and then attended Cape May's Harbor Fest. This scene brought back wonderful memories for John of basic training and officer candidate school:

Still in Cape May

Monday, June 11, Mary and John took Passport out into the Atlantic Ocean.  The crews of Boreas and Glory Days joined us for a trip to the Cape May Lighthouse:

A world war II bunker:

The sisters of St. Joseph own some prime real estate:

We had lunch at the Ugly Mug, on Carol's recommendation-again a good one.  Afterward, Mary and Pat shopped while the rest of the visitors went to the WWII observation tower.  A shot of the lighthouse tower lantern room:

Inside the tower, propaganda posters from WWII:

The tower, which had been a fire tower, but was used for sub spotting in WWII:

After grocery provisioning for all 4 boats, we took Rich and Carol out for dinner.  Tuesday we had rain all day.  We visited with Carol and Rich for a little while before they headed home to NJ to prepare to travel back to Salt 'N Sand to finish the loop (although the boat and Rich have"crossed their wake" Carol has a few more miles to go).  Wednesday the other 3 boats left about 11 am to take advantage of the tide on the NJICW, as the ocean will be rough for several days.  Our box of mail arrived from Jo and Mary spent the afternoon sorting it and responding as necessary.

Thursday we went to the Hereford Inlet Light:

Forecasts were correct-the ocean doesn't look friendly:

Mary Frances in Salt 'N Sand's slip:

3 States in 3 days

Wednesday, June 6th, we arose early for our trip from St. Michaels to Chesapeake City.  Due to a combination of a full moon and an especially high tide pattern, this is the site that greeted us:

Not only the docks, but the ground floors of 2 of the marina restaurants and the parking lots were all under water.  They have this problem a few times a year, but usually in the fall.  Guess we're just lucky! The dock attendant waded through the water to bring us the newspaper-that's dedication!  John walked up to the marina office a couple of times and when the water receded and he saw all of the little jellyfish on the docks, he was glad he'd rinsed the saltwater off his legs every time he got out of the water.  Everything that had been on the dock had to be rinsed before being stowed:

As we came out of Eastern Bay, we could see all of these freighters in a line and thought how unusual it was that they were all traveling at the same time.  Bloody Point Shoal Light:

This is one of the ships we saw earlier.  They were not traveling together but rather waiting for inspections or pilots so they could make their way into Baltimore.  This one is raising its anchors (notice the water rinsing the anchor chains) to get underway.

Thomas Point Shoal Light, the 4th of the screwpile lights left and the only one still being used as an aid to navigation:

     Sandy Point Shoal Light:

Turkey Point Light:

We were off the Chesapeake and into the C&D Canal, which cuts almost 300 miles from shipping between Philadelphia and Baltimore.  We arrived at Chesapeake City, Mary and John caught lines for us and we all walked to the C&D Canal Museum.  This is the steam engine that kept the canal water level when the locks still existed.  When the Corp of Engineers took over canal operations in the early 1900's, the canal was dug deep enough that sea level is maintained and the locks are no longer needed.

Some VERY large ships use this canal.  Glad we were watching from shore instead of negotiating the canal with this one.

After the museum we all wandered around the charming but tiny city.  Very nice gift shops and decent restaurants had us wondering how they can keep it going with so few people, but Rich and Carol told us later that this is place is party central every weekend.

Passport and Mary Frances in Chesapeake City:

Across the Maryland/Delaware state line and here we are in Delaware City.  A short 12 mile trip today, but tomorrow looks like a better day on Delaware Bay, which can be nasty.  Passport is in front of Mary Frances:

The lock at Delaware City.  When it was bypassed by the canal, so was the town.  Not much here but 2 more looper boats, so we have the traditional early evening gathering on the dock and make plans for tomorrow.  The others are a sailboat and 2 trawlers, so they'll need to leave earlier than we to take advantage of the tide and current.

We pick up 3 knots in the strong Delaware River current and tide, pass the other 3 boats, and have a good ride on Delaware Bay.  Through the Cape May Canal and into a slip at Canyon Club Resort Marina, Cape May, New Jersey; home port of Carol and Rich on Salt 'n Sand.  They are wonderful hosts and drive the 4 Mackinaw City boaters to the Lobster House for dinner then take us on a driving tour of this attractive and historic city.  Thursday Boreas comes in and we ask Rich when was the last time there were 3 Michigan boats in this marina at the same time-"Ummm, how 'bout never?"

A flock of fine looking Michiganders: Mary & John, Passport; Mary & John, Mary Frances; Julaine & Fred, Boreas.

New Jersey makes a nice addition to the Michigan group, right?  Rich and Carol, Salt 'n Sand:

Carol and Rich have made reservations for dinner Saturday at Freda's, a small, charming eatery with delicious food. After dinner, they say they are going to show us Wildwood.  Sounds like a pretty, peaceful, natural area, doesn't it?  Turns out they are showing us the "Jersey Shore".  There is a loooong boardwalk with vendors, carnival games, rides-a great place to people-watch:

We are all taking bets on the future of the relationship of a young couple who are about to swing in a 90 degree arc 200 feet in the air when the guy releases the catch:

Look, a roller coaster!

Slow Mary & John speed it up for a couple of minutes as both Mackinaw City crews defy gravity and speed limits:  (thanks for the picture, Julaine!)

Carol, and slow John and Mary decide to ride the giant ferris wheel and we race excitedly to the other roller coaster (actually, John said, "If you really want to, I'll go with you.")  2 corkscrews then the whole thing backward.  Quick but exhilarating:

Carol and Rich delivered 3 tired crews back to the marina.  You two are the greatest!  Thank you for the use of your slip (Salt 'n Sand is in SC) and your car but thanks most of all for your time and excellent company.

Sunday 2 more looper boats, Something Special and Glory Days came into the marina.  We spent some time on the Tom-Bigbee with Pat and Joe on Glory Days and met Sid and Evelyn briefly in Carabelle  the night before our gulf crossing.

Evelyn, Sid-Something Special; Fred, Julaine-Boreas; Mary, John-Mary Frances; Mary, John-Passport; Rich, Carol-Salt 'n Sand; Pat, Joe-Glory Days.