# Cape May, NJ & CD Canal



## kptmorgan04 (Apr 10, 2007)

Cape May is actually my home, but I have little cruising experience there and am about to buy a boat so would like to know more about it as far as anchorages and slips at marinas go. The boat will draw 5'7" and has an air draft of 48'. 
I plan on delivering my boat, a 1981 Scylla 36' Center Cockpit Ketch, from Annapolis up the C&D Canal and down to Cape May in June. Any suggestions? How long will it take, anything I need to know before hand? This will be my first trip after doing some cruising in the Chesapeake to work out any kinks.
Thanks for your help!
Jake


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## sailingdog (Mar 19, 2006)

Good idea to work out the kinks in the relatively benign confines of the Chesapeake, rather than say on the Delaware river... where things can get interesting awfully fast.

Make sure the fuel system is in top shape... polish the fuel, check the raw water strainer and impeller, carry several spare filters for the Racor-it does have a Racor, right?? You'll probably be motoring on the canal and on the Delaware quite a bit.

Get tide tables for the Delaware, because the current is fairly strong there, make sure you're going with it as much as possible.

Watch out, the New Jersey coast isn't really friendly if the weather is bad... so check your weather window twice before committing to going out.

As far as anchorages and slips, there was a recent thread that had it pretty well covered. Check these three threads: LINK, LINK, LINK. I believe they have it mostly covered for ya.


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## Freesail99 (Feb 13, 2006)

Jake,

If you need a hand and I am free, be glad to help you bring her home. I live about 45 minutes from Cape May.

Paul


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

I have done a similar trip a number of times but it's been a while. My recollection is we left Georgetown on the Sassafras River early in the morning, went through the night and arrived in Cape May early the next morning, 24 hours. Obviously a lot depends on the weather and how you play the tides. Chesapeake City on the C&D Canal is a good place to put in for a rest over night if you want. Delaware Bay can get nasty and so check the weather. There is a river below Salem called the Cohansey? that you can also run up if you need to. I don't know anything about anchorages. Quite a bit of ship traffic on the Delaware River and Bay and so radar and a good GPS are very helpful.
I'm planning on moving my boat to Cape May next summer, a Tayana 42 drawing about 5'10". Any marinas you would recommend?
Tom Shannon


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## kptmorgan04 (Apr 10, 2007)

thank you all for the quick replies. this is obvioulsy a VERY exciting time for me, survey getting done tomorrow and could own my first boat by the end of the week. any other suggestions I would appreciate. 
Freesail 99 I will keep you informed as it gets closer to my plans for the trip, thanks for the offer


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## labatt (Jul 31, 2006)

We're planning on doing the trip from Annapolis to Lake Champlain by way of the C&D Canal, the Delaware, the New Jersey coast and the Hudson River starting May 7th. I'll post up here what I found and how it goes...


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

Good luck with the purchase! 
If you want to stay in daylight...you can make it to the C&D in one day and down the Bay to Cape May the next IF the tides are right to help you! The time of year is good and you should be able to duck in the "back way" to Cape May without needing to go out into the ocean and through the inlet. Shakedown on the bay is an excellent idea. Much easier to deal with issues there than in the Delaware Bay shipping channels. 

Utchs's Marina is very nice there but not cheap. Are you planning to keep her in Cape May?


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## kptmorgan04 (Apr 10, 2007)

I actually have a family home in stone harbor on the bay and for the summer will probably keep it there unless I know I am going to make a trip the next day, then I might bring it to cape may for ease of getting out. The transit into the mini icw to stone barbor from the ocean will be a little tricky, and have to be done at high tide to get over some sand bars, but I am pretty familar with the area. 
I think I saw somewhere that there is a spot right around the C&D canal to stay overnight, and that is probably what I would do.
Thanks again for everyones help!

ps survey went very well today and it looks like I will be closing the end of this week/early next week


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## Sabreman (Sep 23, 2006)

Careful coming in the back way to Cape May from the Delaware. The bridge clearance could be a factor depending on your mast height. If you get to the bridge and have to turn around, it's a long way around to the ocean inlet.

You can stay 2 places in the C&D. Either at Shaffer's on the canal in Chesapeake City or in the small anchorage basin directly across from Shaffer's. There is a WICKED current at Shaffers, so take care to tie up well and put out lots of fenders. Could be a bit bumpy as the boat shifts around on its lines in the current. Ship wakes may be a factor. In the basin, the holding is good, but the entrance can be shallow and you may touch bottom depending on your draft & the tide. Don't anchor all the way in the back of the basin, there is a current from the creek that drains into it and you could wrap your anchor line. 

Watch out for freighter traffic on the C&D, it can be VERY unnerving sharing the canal with 600' of ship, but you WILL both fit. By law, you can not sail, and must have your motor on (sails can be up, but you'll be ghosted by the high embankments on both sides of the canal, so it's hardly worth it). MAKE SURE that you have clean fuel and clean filters before transiting. No anchoring in the canal.

Depending on weather, a long day from Annapolis to Chesapeake City and another to Cape May. There are a few rivers on the NJ side that you can ditch into, but nothing on the Delaware side. Either way, expect a long day on the Delaware (leave no later than 0600 from Chesapeake City and try to catch a falling tide on the upper Delaware). I once anchored in front of the Salem Nuc plant at 0030, but we lost the anchor at 0300 when the anchor parted after wrapping itself around the keel due to the current. So don't anchor in the Delaware!

Good luck - it's a nice trip. I don't mean to sound terse, but I've been typing all day and am tired....


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

Mast height the back way is restricted to 55 ft


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## salty208 (Jun 15, 2001)

*Stopover Places*

Going through the C & D Canal last May (2006), Schaeffers at Chesapeake City looked closed and some of the docks were underwater. Have they rebuilt it?

Going up the Delaware and just before the C & D Canal, there is an island on the port side, Reedy Island. There is a break in the land and a well-marked entrance to get behind that island. It is a good anchoring place with complete protection from the wakes of the large freighters in the Delaware. The current is substantial and the water is dirty as a crew member discovered by swimming there. Our CQR has never budged in the three times we've anchored there.

We may be there again on our way back to Rhode Island from the Chesapeake in mid-June.

S/V Spirit


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## kptmorgan04 (Apr 10, 2007)

Does anyone have specifics on Mooring in Cape May Harbor. I would rather not pay dockage fees for an entire month (I work a 28 on 28 off schedule offshore in the Merchant Marine), so would like to get a mooring if possible in June and then again in August. I have tried to search the internet, but havent found anything.
Thanks for your help.


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## camaraderie (May 22, 2002)

No moorings...anchor or a marina only.


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## mgiguere (May 22, 2004)

I've gone down to Cape May from Annapolis a number of times on my way to New England. The one suggestion not mentioned yet is to use the range lights going down Delaware Bay. If you stay just outside the channel markers following the range lights, then you miss all the ship traffic, and you're out of the way. Unlike what many people say, we've had some of the best evening sails down to Cape May. Good luck.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

2 of us just did Annapolis to Forked River a couple of days ago. I did the trip last year 3 times. Left Annapolis at 0915 Monday, had the flood up the Bay 6 knots thru the water & 7-8 across the ground. It is a 38' Downeaster. Shaffers is completely closed. We were going to anchor in Cheaseapeke City but would have had a foul tide in Delaware River/Bay the next day so we decided to ride the tide all the way plus the forecast for Wedsday up the coast was bad. It turned out that the wind was from the NE on Wedsday but we had a S wind Tuesday morn all the way except when going into Barnegat Inlet then it went to the west!
We had the tide with us thru the C & D canal except for the last few miles then caught the ebb down the river into the bay. We ran just outside the greens on the Jersey side.We had a foul tide when turning the corner at Maui Maui(not right but close)Shoal Light.
We were off the Cape May Canel at 0215 Tuesday. Bouy 34 was not lite and almost ran into it. We had 2 Garmin 192cs, 2 handhelds, one tied to a PC and radar. The moon set at 0200 just before entering the canal. The current was against us and just coming down from a high high. We cleared the bridges by ~6" with the boards reading 54'. His mast is 53'+. There was 1boat anchored off the USCG station. The S wind made the inlet rather lumpy going out. We had stern quartering 4-6 swells all the way up the coast. We were in Forked River at 1515 at the State Marina. We did about 200 nmiles in 30 hours with water speed at ~6 knots. 
The ship traffic was nonexistent except for the last part of the bay. There was a pushing barge in the Cheseapeake & C&D canel but that was it. there were only a couple of rec boats in transit. We motor sailed the whole time with wind SW/S at 10-12 knots with a reefed main & staysail up.
Every day is a Saturday for me so if you need a hand let me know9Have GPS, will travel).


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

*Give a brother a call*

Wanted to touch base again spoke to Taryn, and told me good news. Still interested in cruisin w/you when need a hand. Off sundays and Mon and can change if needed. Call me on cell when get chance 609-780-1228 Can talk to Scott Fishers dad he cruises c&d all the time couple times month in spring sum and fall. Talk soon Mark


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## chef2sail (Nov 27, 2007)

Have done this trip at least 12 times. Anchoring in Chesapeake City is not safe in the summer. Very crowded anchorage with substantial (3 knot) current in the back where the small bridge. Any wind or T storm will reek havoc and everyones anchorlines get picked up and wrappped. I prefer as someone mentioned going to Reedy Point..thorugh the nanarrow channel with lights on the rock jettys on either side. The current is swift but not as swift as the Cohannessy or the Canal. As far as wrapping the anchor aroumd the boat..that has never happened in 6 times and I have never pulled anchor here. Just let out 10X rode.

The trip should be taked close to the range markers as there are many fish wraps and crab pots in other areas. We usually stay at Utsches..great family owned business. Comming in Barnget in the afternoon is dicey. It is the most trecherous inlets in NJ which is heavily traveled. Outgoing tide and incomeing onshore afternoon breeze make for 10 foot rollers where it is calm in the Bay and 3 feet in the ocean


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## FishSticks (Nov 16, 2007)

Consider this: As you set off from Annapolis, turn right instead of left. I have found the Delaware to be so nasty that I chose to go via Hampton Roads a couple times. You'll avoid all that tide business, have a nice sail down the Chesapeake, then a straight shot to Cape May offshore. Or vice versa. Maybe stop over in Solomons for some great crab cakes and a visit to the Tiki Bar.


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## Bermudahigh (Nov 17, 2007)

*Moorings in Cape May*

as i remember, they are city regulated. the real problem is the water depth.
pretty skinny back where the moorings are located. 
I've done the MD to Cape May and north run several times. Alot depends on you. If you want/need to make it at delivery speed, then with proper tidal timing, you can have her home pretty quickly. Since this is your first run, relax, enjoy. Pick places like Worton Creek as a first night stop, from there its easy up to the canal. Wait for the tide and run down the bay to the Cape May canal. Watch the shoaling across from the ferry dock. 
Good luck and good sailing. joe/ocnj


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