Our first mistake was trying to meet a schedule. Having plenty of respect for the conditions possible off the Jersey coast, we normally err on the side of caution. This year, because we had commitments that kept us in Newport till Thursday evening, and plans that required we be in Annapolis by the following Tuesday, we bet on the weather. And by that I mean, we bet that the forecast would be accurate because as it stood, the forecast was on the cusp of a no-go. Not to bad… but not too good either.
The route is displayed below. To go non-stop, about 30-35 hours, requires some lucky breaks on the weather. Northerly component till you turn up the bay, then a shift to southerly. But not too strong, as wind against current in the bay can be nasty.
As of Thursday afternoon, with a departure planned for Thursday evening, this was what the GRIBS forecast (and NOAA agreed),
As you can see, winds were predicted to be rather strong Thursday evening. We planned to pass Block Island around 11pm, duck under the lee of Long Island until 2AM or so, the continue south as the winds eased. We planned to be turning up the Delaware Bay by 8PM on Friday.
With a forecast of 3-4′ seas south of Block Island, we expected a few 5 and 6′ seas, But with the wind and seas from behind us, we weren’t too concerned. As long as the forecast held. And with a little luck, actually a lot of luck, the winds would turn favorable for the trip up the bay.
Had there not been events driving our schedule, we never would have left with this forecast. Not that it wasn’t doable, it just had no margin. And that is what did us in.
By the time we rounded Block Island the winds were steady in the low 30’s, with regular gusts in the 40’s. The max we saw was 47 knots. Abaft the beam, mostly, but still rather impressive at night, since the sea state matched the wind speed. I won’t guess at the wave heights, since it was really, really dark, but we were regularly burying the anchor in the next wave. Boat was fine, crew, not so.
We gave up on ducking under the lee of Long Island, since we would be too close to the wind while trying to get there, and decided to just run downwind till it blew itself out. The forecast showed that by the time we got 50 miles or so south of LI, about 5 am, we would be in moderate downwind conditions. We just needed to keep our speed up until we turned up into Delaware bay, as the next front was not far off.
Two things happened to thwart that plan…. The norther was late to leave, and the southerly blow came early. We got about two hours of L/V before we were getting 20-25 knots on the nose. Funny how seas take forever to settle down once a front passes, but how quickly they build when a front arrives.
So now we are 3-5 hours late to our turn up the Delaware bay, and the southerly blow is 3-5 hours early. We are off Barnegat at 5 pm or so, and could make it in before dark, but I have never been in there before, the current would be opposing the wind, and if we did go in, we were likely to be stuck there for days. No thanks, on to Atlantic City!
Atlantic City has a few things going for it. A really good all weather inlet (we have used it before) and there are lots of lights. Bad thing is, we are going to the marina area and have never been in there before, day or night. And I don’t like to enter harbors at night for the first time.
So now it is 6 pm or so and Lisa calls Kammerman’s Marina, asking about space. They say they will hold a space for us on the fuel dock, and we give them a 9 pm ETA. Meanwhile, the weather deteriorates a bit. Now its 25G30 knots and 5′ seas with about a 4 second period. That will slow you down. Our ETA grows to 10 pm.
We make preparations for entering the inlet and finding the marina. The outer buoys are lit, but I know some of the inner marks are not. We have a flood light on the mast that will at least highlight a reflective buoy, and a really powerful searchlight. But the entrance to the marina area, a left turn out of the inlet, is a bit confusing.
The bifurcation buoy marks the choice between continuing further down the inlet or entering the marina basin. It is lit, but the RED 2 is not. And the RED 2 is about 2′ high and up against the bulkhead. I know now that the route is between the RED 2 and 4 and the bulkhead, but at 10 pm, after 28 hours of bashing into waves, the route is not so obvious.
As we approach, we can see a green lighted marker, but its hard to tell if the light is the bifurcated mark or the green mark just beyond. Meanwhile the current is helping us move faster than we would like. Thanks to some good searchlight work by Lisa, we spot the RED 2, and after that sighting, following the buoys the rest of the way in is not too difficult.
Once in the basin we try calling Kammerman’s, and would you believe it, Chris Kammerman, the owner, is there at 1015 PM to guide us in to the dock and tie us up. Just doesn’t get any better than that. Thankyou, Chris.
We take a lay day in AC, winds are still howling out on the coast. The next day things look much better, so being experts on night arrivals, we do a night departure. And the currents in the bay are timed perfectly.
I have mentioned this in previous posts, but northbound in the Delaware Bay, slack tide walks up the bay, so heading north, even with our slow speed, we can travel with great current the entire way. There is a great NOAA planning tool called Delaware Bay Operational Forecast System (DBOFS). No new data here, but the animation and visualization is very helpful.
The rest of our trip to Annapolis was uneventful. Spent a quiet night at Schaefers. Left mid-morning in rain and wind to make some progress south towards Annapolis. (remember, we have a schedule to keep)
Just one more comment. As we headed down the upper Chesapeake, winds were in the mid 20’s, gusting low 30’s. Looking for somewhere to anchor for the night. Too far to make it all the way to Annapolis. Chose Handys Point/ Worton Creek entrance because it was rather high sided to the north. Amazing the way the low cliffs and tall trees blocked the wind. Winds were below 10 knots. A gust now and then, but not enough to move the boat. Meanwhile, just around the corner the bay was a mess. We slept well and moved into Annapolis the next morning. On schedule. Bad captain.
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