Day 5 & 6: The Atlantic Stretch, Cape May to Cape Charles City, VA
Position: Cape May Inlet (38*56.04N, 074*51.72' W) to Chesapeake Bay Tunnel (37*02.92 N, 076*04.35 W) then on to Cape Charles City VA (37*15.86'N, 076*01.75 W)
NM: 138.74 to Chesapeake Bay Tunnel, +10 to Cape Charles City
Sea State: 2-3 feet with a 13 second interval, building to 3-5 feet with a 13 second interval by 1 AM. Confused sea with SE swell, and W wind at mouth of the bay
Change of Plan #3: A weather window opened on Tuesday. Winds would be light, but not necessarily favorable. A low pressure system began churning its way up the East coast. It would pass a couple hundred miles offshore. The coast would not get much wind, but we would see the swell - 3-5 ft with a 13 second interval. The swell was very manageable.
After breakfast, laundry, and a swim at Canyon Creek Marina, we set off. The Atlantic was a totally different ocean than we had encountered two days earlier. Beautiful blue, rolling swells, birds, fishing boats, and a clear, cloudless sky. Weather has such an amazing pull on the ocean. When we entered Cape May, the Atlantic was confused and turbulent - a great washing machine. Today, it was a gentle rolling sea of blue glass. Everyone- us, birds, fish, sea mammals...seemed ready to enjoy it. Although there was little wind, we moved south steadily about 15 NM off the coast.
Kelly and Chris spotted the first locals, 2 large pods of dolphins. One group went right under Iolair. They jumped in pairs, and slapped the water with their tails.
Latter we saw a large head above the water. The loggerhead turtle was a huge, old fellow. He dove
almost immediately, and showed us his shell crusted in barnacles and other hitchhikers. My favorite encounter on the trip. It was a quick memorable instant, so no photograph. I stole this one from WWF.
http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/loggerhead-turtle
I have always been fascinated by "memory burn" that occurs when you catch a brief glimpse of a truly wild creature. I've forgotten many things but these moments never fade. The instant when a trout strikes your fly, the moment a buck in full velvet turns its eyes to meet yours, the sight of a blue shark swimming away, the glimpse of a bear's ass heading up a draw, the sudden rattled warning from a coiled sunbathing snake, We are not far removed from our primitive ancestors. All of us subject to our needs and habits. Not one of these memories lives as a photograph. In fact, a photograph would probably do more harm than good. The Loggerhead and I will stay connected.
We could barely see the shore, but the high-rises at Ocean City, MD were visible. We ate one of our prepared dinners, and watched fishing boats heading in before dark. After watching sunset, I went below for several hours.
SHIFT 1 - 9 PM - 11:00 PM: I rested and slept restlessly while Kel and Chris watched the AIS, radar, and boat heading. The moon was out and the sky was clear. Although we were still under power, they used the mainsail to boost our speed and stabilize the boat against the SE swell. The jack lines run down both sides of the boat. Lifejackets with a harness allow everyone to be tethered to the boat at all times.
Shift 2 - 11:00 -3 AM: Chris is dozing in and out in the cockpit, but he's there if I get tired or need help. Kel went below and immediately went to sleep in the main cabin. The moon set around 1 AM, and Iolair slipped into a fog bank off Assateague Island. Now we are solely relying on radar and AIS...but no targets are in sight. We are well clear of all the major shipping channels. Seas grew increasingly confused as the wind moved to the West..pushing against the SE swell off the ocean. Aeolus (the greek god of wind) could not agree with Neptune on a direction. The marine chart show a maze of estuaries to the East, barrier islands, and sand bars. All I see is black.
Shift 3 - 3-7 AM: Kel joined me in the cockpit and Chris went below for some real sleep. Kel and I watched bio-luminescent jellyfish light up the water as Iolair disturbed their night rituals. The bow wave would burst with light every once in a while. Neither one of us said a word. I don't think we were sure it was real. When we discussed it later, we realized there was no way it was a shared hallucination. As we turned to enter the Chesapeake, the sun came up. We were still 3 hours from rest, and Kel and I both struggled to stay alert. On the radio we could hear chatter about a couple of Navy warships leaving the Norfolk base. Evidently if you get within 300 yards, they'll send a shell your way. We never did cross paths, but we did see a navy helicopter out checking out a sailboat in the area. They passed by us...guess we looked innocent enough.
The Chesapeake Bay Tunnel passed 40 feet below our keel. The water felt different almost immediately. More of a green color, the swell disappeared. Chris came up and I went below for an hour's sleep. Soon we would be ready to head into the town of Cape Charles. The town docks were empty on Wednesday morning and Chris and I slept from 10-2 while Kellly gave Iolair a good bath. The boat was crusty, just like us. Later we went into the little town to dink around, chat with a few locals at the wine store, and grab dinner at the crab 'shanty'. We would come back to this sleepy little town that was once an important transportation hub, but has been left behind by progress. The tunnel made it unnecessary.
NM: 138.74 to Chesapeake Bay Tunnel, +10 to Cape Charles City
Sea State: 2-3 feet with a 13 second interval, building to 3-5 feet with a 13 second interval by 1 AM. Confused sea with SE swell, and W wind at mouth of the bay
Change of Plan #3: A weather window opened on Tuesday. Winds would be light, but not necessarily favorable. A low pressure system began churning its way up the East coast. It would pass a couple hundred miles offshore. The coast would not get much wind, but we would see the swell - 3-5 ft with a 13 second interval. The swell was very manageable.
After breakfast, laundry, and a swim at Canyon Creek Marina, we set off. The Atlantic was a totally different ocean than we had encountered two days earlier. Beautiful blue, rolling swells, birds, fishing boats, and a clear, cloudless sky. Weather has such an amazing pull on the ocean. When we entered Cape May, the Atlantic was confused and turbulent - a great washing machine. Today, it was a gentle rolling sea of blue glass. Everyone- us, birds, fish, sea mammals...seemed ready to enjoy it. Although there was little wind, we moved south steadily about 15 NM off the coast.
Kelly and Chris spotted the first locals, 2 large pods of dolphins. One group went right under Iolair. They jumped in pairs, and slapped the water with their tails.Latter we saw a large head above the water. The loggerhead turtle was a huge, old fellow. He dove almost immediately, and showed us his shell crusted in barnacles and other hitchhikers. My favorite encounter on the trip. It was a quick memorable instant, so no photograph. I stole this one from WWF.
http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/loggerhead-turtle
I have always been fascinated by "memory burn" that occurs when you catch a brief glimpse of a truly wild creature. I've forgotten many things but these moments never fade. The instant when a trout strikes your fly, the moment a buck in full velvet turns its eyes to meet yours, the sight of a blue shark swimming away, the glimpse of a bear's ass heading up a draw, the sudden rattled warning from a coiled sunbathing snake, We are not far removed from our primitive ancestors. All of us subject to our needs and habits. Not one of these memories lives as a photograph. In fact, a photograph would probably do more harm than good. The Loggerhead and I will stay connected.
SHIFT 1 - 9 PM - 11:00 PM: I rested and slept restlessly while Kel and Chris watched the AIS, radar, and boat heading. The moon was out and the sky was clear. Although we were still under power, they used the mainsail to boost our speed and stabilize the boat against the SE swell. The jack lines run down both sides of the boat. Lifejackets with a harness allow everyone to be tethered to the boat at all times.
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| Moonlight over Iolair, photo by CP |
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| Sunrise over the Atlantic |
The Chesapeake Bay Tunnel passed 40 feet below our keel. The water felt different almost immediately. More of a green color, the swell disappeared. Chris came up and I went below for an hour's sleep. Soon we would be ready to head into the town of Cape Charles. The town docks were empty on Wednesday morning and Chris and I slept from 10-2 while Kellly gave Iolair a good bath. The boat was crusty, just like us. Later we went into the little town to dink around, chat with a few locals at the wine store, and grab dinner at the crab 'shanty'. We would come back to this sleepy little town that was once an important transportation hub, but has been left behind by progress. The tunnel made it unnecessary. |
| Iolair at the Cape Charles Town Dock |
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