Oct. 13, 2026 Up the Delaware Bay and on to the Chesapeake

Tuesday,  Oct. 13, 2026   Lewes, DE to Sassafras River, MD.  95 miles and 8.9 hours

Had a great extended stay in Lewes and now have a combination of a great weather window and perfectly timed tidal features.  With our 7AM departure there will be no current at the dock as we leave, so won't be fighting those crazy swirling eddies we had when docking.  Once out the canal we pick up the incoming tide which gives us a 1-1/2 to 2 mph push north up the entire length of the bay and halfway through the C&D canal.  Then the outgoing Chesapeake Bay tide catches us and pulls us south to our anchorage.   On a full day trip like today it makes a huge difference.  My navigational auto routing program calculates a 10.5 hour cruise but we make it in under 9 hours.  These currents can have the opposite effect if currents are completely against you - turning that 10.5 hour day into a 12+ hour day. That can be problematic during this time of year when we only have 11 hours of sunlight. 

Slack tide as the early morning sun starts to rise.

 

Heading through the Lewes canal and towards the open Delaware Bay

Once out the Lewes Canal we take a series of long straight lines in almost perfectly calm waters.  Seas are on the nose but less than 1 foot.  Wind at our back at 5mph.  Never have a single bit of spray come on deck all day which was a blessing now that the boats all cleaned up.  Otto was in heaven with no adverse conditions.  Amazing how quickly seas can flatten out. There were 3-4' waves yesterday before the wind stopped. One calm night and they're completely gone.  Nice sunny day today.  Starts in low 60's but works to upper 70's.  We normally run the western side of the bay when coming out from Cape May, but today we're keeping to the western side.  No real pitfalls other than we're further from the main channel and the couple of lighthouses along that route. We do get to see a larger number of cargo ships and tugs today than on our previous transits. Not sure why - but more of them and headed both directions. 

Alaskan Explorer at anchor waiting its turn to head up the Delaware Bay

Container ship Dole Chile looking like a giant banana with that yellow hull.

Finally caught and passed the tug Crystal Coast. 

Once we reach the Salem nuclear power plant we know we're getting close 
to the C&D canal. Steam from that tower was visible from over 15 miles away

At the top of the Delaware Bay we make the sharp turn to port onto the Chesapeake and Delaware (C&D) canal.  A jet ski and couple of center consoles zip around us. Can't blame them for being out on such a nice day.  A pair of tugs meet us head on pulling a load of dredging pipes. Work our way under the tall bridges crossing the canal.   Chesapeake City is towards the end of the canal.  We've got it as an optional stopping point if the free town dock has available space.  Unfortunately, several day boaters are using it while visiting the local restaurant.  It's only 1:30 so no problem to keep pushing on.  

Small powerboats blasting around us

The old mule path on the north side of the canal  has been
 repurposed into a paved walking and biking 

Road bridges over the canal.  All have extra height to accommodate cargo ships

Tugs dragging a load of dredging pipes

Schaefer's Canal House - fuel, docks and restaurant at Chesapeake City.
Town docks are in a harbor on the opposite side of the canal

We used a decent anchorage on the Sassafras River in the past and can make it there by 4PM with plenty of time to get anchored and relaxed before the sun sets.  It's a pleasant change running from outside up on the flybridge today. Beginning to get some nice fall colors on the trees around here.  Only made better by a delightful glass of wine, steak on the grill, fresh veggies from the Lewes Farmers Market and a brilliant sunset over calm waters.

Sunset over the Sassafras River

Journey for Oct. 13, 2026