Here's how we ended up on the trip.
Day 1 - Mystic to Huntington, LI - 10/15/21 - 68 NM - 8 Hours ~ 8 knots Avg
Flat Calm seas and sunny day
Stayed at Huntington Yacht Club... very nice marina and staff. Dinner at Prime Restaurant.... VERY GOOD.... pricey but worth it
Day 2 - Huntington LI to Atlantic Highlands NJ - 10/16/21 - ~60NM - 7 hours 8.6 knots avg
Winds about 15-20 knots with 1-2 foot chop in LI Sound. Hit the tide right through NYC and saw 15.2 knots on the GPS through Hells Gate
Stayed at Atlantic Highlands Municipal. Very nice marina and staff. Town very close by with lots of restaurant choices. We ate at Kunya Siam Thai restaurant... happened to be a BYOB restaurant... did not know that going in...but there were a couple package stores close by.
Day 3 - Atlantic Highlands to Atlantic City - 10/17/21 - ~90 NM - 10 Hours - 9 Knot AVG
Forecast was not favorable with predicted winds to be 18-25 knots WSW and seas 3 ft @ 3 sec. Day started out snotty but we hugged the beach and the seas were less than predicted. Dinner at the Chart House in AC. Very good! Won a few dollars at the casino to boot.
Day 4 - Atlantic City to Cape May/C&D Canal 10/18/21 ~120 NM 13.5 hours
This was suppose to be a short 40 mike run from AC to Cape May to set up a 75 mile run up the Delaware to Schaffers on the C&D Canal the following day. Well.... it turned out to be one of THOSE days.
I forgot to check the approach depth at the Canyon Club before departing Atlantic City. When I did check it we were only about an hour out of Cape May. Approach depth is 4.5 ft... my draft is 6 feet. Figures our arrival time would be right at low tide.... plus it was a full moon tide and the wind was blowing 30 out the NW which pushed water out of the harbor. Tried to dock at South Jersey marina but the current and wind was not favorable and after two aborted attempts at docking, that wasn't going to work. Decided to go down the Cape May canal to the Delaware. Was greeted with tight 4-6 foot seas and 30 knot NW winds... a few 8's were thrown in for good measure. The Hatteras LRC met the challenge and after slogging through the crap the seas finally laid down to 2-4 after about 3 hours. Arrived Schaffers around 9:30 PM. Not bad navigating the canal at night... full moon helped.
Day 5 - Chesapeake City to Annapolis 10/19/21 ~ 51NM - 5.5 hours 9.2 knts AVG
Easy run from Schaffers to Annapolis through the upper Chesapeake. Stayed at the Annapolis Yacht Basin. VERY NICE accomodations with very easy in/out docking. Dinner at Carroll Creek Cafe right across the harbor from Yacht Basin.
Now one day ahead of schedule.
Day 6 - Annapolis to Solomons - 10/20/21 - 45NM 4.5 hours 10 knot AVG
Smooth ride from Annapolis to Solomons. Stayed at Zahnizers Marina. Very nice amenities and staff. Several face docks and T-heads for easy in/out. Had dinner at the Pier... was just OK.
Day 7 - Solomons to Deltaville - 10/21/21 - 63 NM 7 Hours 9 knot AVG
Relatively easy run with 1-2 foot chop and 15-20 knot winds. Went up the Rappannock River to the Tides Inn for the night. It's 11 miles from the mouth of the river but worth the trip. Tides Inn had easy docking and LOTS of amenities... pool, beach, bikes, two restaurants, etc. This would be a place to spend a few days if time allowed. Rode bikes into town which is less than a mile long. Had some apps and wine at restaurant in town called The Office... again VERY NICE! Dinner was at the main restaurant a the Inn... absolutely great food and service!
Day 8 - Deltaville to Chesapeake VA (AYB) 10/22/21 73 NM 8.5 hours
Day started out with easy seas and winds then kicked up to 3 feet at 4-5 seconds on the starboard beam.... was a little rolly polly for about 3 hours. Passed a nuclear sub on it's way out of the channel in Norfolk... VERY Cool! Did get delayed at the NS RR Bridge #7 for about an hour. After that an easy ride through the locks and Great Bridge. Dinner at Vinos Italian restaurant on arrival day.
Could have maybe shaved another day or so off the schedule if we really pushed it, but was trying to not be too aggressive on the schedule or crew.
