[Rhodes22-list] Glorious Cruise or Ship of Fools ?

[Mary Lou Troy]

Congrats on the new boat and the plan!

Here are my thoughts on your trip:

Have good sources of weather information - both forecasts and 
conditions. It's been really windy this spring and waves on the bay 
can kick up to an uncomfortable level pretty quickly. You are getting 
towards summer T-storm season and you need to know when they are 
predicted and when they are forming.

When we were planning our leisurely cruise up the Bay (which didn't 
happen for a lot of reasons) we were allowing for at least one down 
day every 3 or 4 days.

Western shore is good most of the way (more services) but you want to 
avoid the mouth of the Potomac when wind and tide oppose each other 
or in higher winds. It can be quite dangerous. Eastern Shore is 
prettier and less populated.

Get a copy of the Chesapeake Bay Magazine "Guide to Cruising the 
Chesapeake Bay"
http://store.chesapeakeboating.net/p-1-2012-guide-to-cruising-chesapeake-bay.aspx

It's great for possible stops, good directions for entering most 
harbors and info about services in every port

Fuel is readily available on the Chesapeake. In planning the Norfolk 
to Rock Hall trip that we didn't take yet, we were planning on 
carrying our usual 7.5 gallons. We have two 3 gallon tanks (with the 
same quick attach fitting so we can switch between them) and a 1.5 
gallon jerry can with spout for spare capacity. Height is an issue 
with the tanks. When we bought tanks, a Honda 3 gallon tank would fit 
under the benches but the Tempo 3 gallon tank was too tall. Get a 
vertical measure from Stan on your boat. We used the two 3 gallon 
tanks because they were easier to carry and refill off the boat so we 
weren't tied to finding a fuel dock.

I think we figured very (very) conservatively that the 7.5 gallons 
gives us about a 70 mile range at 4 knots. (2.25 hours per gallon x 
7.5 gallons x 4 knots)  That's not quite the calculation you were 
looking for but it was based on real time consumption (including 
idling at the dock). We get less than that with wind and waves 
against us and much more than that with the tide and wind with 
us.  And obviously you get more miles if the wind is fair and you can 
sail. We've had an unusual amount of south winds this year which if 
it continues could be in your favor but as I say it's been really 
windy. Fred and I generally try to do no more than 25 to 30 nm a day. 
We find we're really tired after much more than that but more is 
doable most days if you have more endurance than we do. If 
thunderstorms are predicted for the afternoon we like to be anchored 
or at the dock by 2 or 2:30 just to be safe.

Marinas we like include (South to North). Spring Cove Marina in 
Solomans Island (Patunxent River), Slaughter Creek Marina (Taylors 
Island, Little Choptank), Knapps Narrows Marina (Tilghman Island), 
Shipwright's Harbor (Herring Bay), Hartge's (West River Galesville), 
several in Annapolis, Swan Creek and Rock Hall Landing in Rock Hall, 
Worton Creek Marina.

Favorite anchorages include (South to North), Hudson Creek (Little 
Choptank), Rhode River, cove at the north end of Gibson Island 
Magothy River, Swan Creek, Worton Creek, Still Pond (it's a little 
tricky getting in but the directions in the cruising guide are good) 
and Turners Creek on the Sassafras.

Planned (or possible) stops on our trip north would have included 
Norfolk and/or Newport News, Cape Charles, Mobjack Bay, fishing Bay 
Tangier Island, Smith Island, Deal Island, Solomons Island, Little 
Choptank, Tilghman Island, Annapolis, Magothy & Rock Hall. Other 
places of interest and possible stops were Onancock, Crisfield, 
perhaps a spot or two on the Lower Potomac and Herring Bay. if we had 
continued up the Bay we probably would have considered Worton, 
Turners Creek and Chesapeake City.

Make sure you get a good understanding of the tides in the C&D Canal 
and the Delaware Bay. Delaware Bay has a nasty reputation but I don't 
have any first hand knowledge.

Best of luck! Keep a good log and take pictures! We expect a full report.

Mary Lou
1991 R22 Fretless
Rock Hall, MD




At 12:59 PM 6/3/2012, you wrote:
>A week from now my brother Bob and I  (ages 76 and 67) will be in Edenton
>getting the "keys" from Stan and Rose for my newly recycled 1996 R22.  I
>have been following the list for a long time so when Donna- my much better
>half- and I  saw a dark blue hull gleaming at the Annapolis show last
>October we were ready. The boat will soon be ready too, after a long
>winter/spring of my sending "toys" from WM and Defender, et al to Stan to
>add on ( such as Doyle's UPS triradial genniker- thanks, Mary Lou).   I
>didn't listen to Stan when he would email me to stop spending money already
>but I do want to listen to Stan and the List about travel advice for
>cruising from Edenton to Brooklyn,NY.
>I have charts for the whole route, from Edenton eastwards to the entrance
>for the Dismal Swamp canal route via Elizabeth City north to Norfolk, then
>up the length of Chesapeake Bay, the C&D canal, coasting the NJ shore to
>Cape May.  Fellow Power Squadron members tell me that if the weather is
>perfect enough  and the Jersey wind from the usual SW an R22 should be fine
>for near offshore reaches to Absecon Inlet (Atlantic City) and next day
>again 3-5 miles offshore to Barnegat Inlet and there enter  Barnegat Bay on
>a slack tide to sail in Barnegat Bay northward toward Manasquan Inlet and
>out for the final leg to Brooklyn. ( the ICW from Cape May  to Barnegat
>Inlet is all motoring, no sailing and lots of bridge openings.)
>
>(1) Are We Nuts?  Notice that Donna is driving back to Brooklyn from
>Edenton...
>
>(2) In the Chesapeake at this time of year how many nm might we hope to log
>most days?
>     I'm a little familiar with the area around Rock Hall, Chester River,
>Annapolis and Magothy River from a brief cruise in 2008,  But the rest of
>the Chesapeake is Aqua Incognita. Should we choose the east or the west
>side of the Bay?  Which are the List-preferred anchorages, marinas, etc?
>(3) Should we bite the bullet and stay in the ICW in South Jersey or try
>close inshore if conditions are good?
>
>Bob and I need and want advice on every aspect of this trip, the route, the
>boat and anything else.
>  For instance, what fuel consumption (gal/hr) to expect from a new Honda
>9.9 hp , say, in still water and no wind at 5 kts?    Friends here say we
>should have three  6 gal tanks aboard.: prudent or overkill? What size
>tanks fit under the benches anyway? (a 22 L x 14 W x 10" H  or a 12 gal one
>24" L x 18 W x 12 H ?), etc,etc
>    Thanks to all in advance,  Richard Arking, s/v  (no name yet!),
>Brooklyn, NY
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