Steven Shelikoff wrote:
On Wed, 26 Jan 2005 12:03:21 -0500, Jeff Morris
wrote:


Steven Shelikoff wrote:


I'm just curious why, on a trip like that where there are lots of
canals, locks, etc. that can cause all sorts of delays and problems, you
would say New Jersey is the biggest problem.

Well, to make a long story short, We made it behind the jetty and once
there, everything was smooth and easy. What a wonderful inlet Cape May
is. While it defintely was exciting, we were never in any real danger.


I think you just answered your own question.


Hmmm, I'm not sure I did. To tell the truth, personally I'd rather have
an exciting but non-dangerous sail down the coast offshore than motor
for hours on end in canals. But that's just me. Now for a trawler, I
suppose the canal is preferred. But like I said previously, except for
your 5 day period, you usually can find a nice relatively calm day on
the coast without waiting for too long.

An offshore sail in 25 to 30 knots is certainly exciting and not that
dangerous for a well-found vessel. However, a strong East wind off NJ
is usually caused by storms out to sea, and the the ride is not always
fun for everyone. (I don't mind it, but my wife and then 5 year old
don't like bouncing around all day.) But the real issue is the inlets,
which can get dangerous in these conditions. While Cape May and
Atlantic City are considered "all weather," they are the only such
inlets in a 100 mile stretch. Given your description of Cape May ("Seas
right at the inlet were easily 15 feet, ... The combination of seas and
wind knocked us down further than I've ever been and ever want to go
again"), I'm not sure you would have wanted to do Manasquan in those
conditions. As a New Englander, I've run very few inlets and really
have no desire to try my luck in these conditions, especially with my
family on board.

Frankly, I'm surprised that you don't understand how this stretch can be
problematical for some people. Whether you're willing and able to
handle the conditions, you certainly have to be aware of them. For the
OP with a 10 knot trawler, there shouldn't be a problem, but if they go
out thinking, "if it gets real hairy we'll just pop into Barnegat Inlet"
they could be in for a surprise.

The locks and the canals on the rest of the trip might be tedious, but
they aren't challenging for most people, and that's what I meant when I
originally said "New Jersey is the biggest problem."

As for the difference between offshore and canal traveling, that's a
matter of choice. I'll agree that nothing beats a great offshore sail,
but the reward of the inland route is that you get to visit every town
along the way. On this trip a few years ago I wanted to visit all the
towns that I had passed by in a hurry on previous cruises. Frankly,
most of it I enjoyed a lot, though there are a few stretches where "once
was enough."

And for the OP's Baltimore-Mackinac delivery, of course, there aren't a
lot of options if time is a factor, though I'm curious if Lake Erie
would be faster for him then Trent-Severn.



The exception to this would be if your boat can't make it through the
Cape May canal because of height or draft and you have to go through the
mouth of the bay. A mid-sized trawler would have no problem in the
canal but a larger sailboat would. The mouth of the bay can be rough
even when everything else is fine. So it's not unheard of to find boats
on the southern trip waiting in Cape May Harbor or on the northern trip
waiting in Engineers Cove for a few days until they can round the cape
in relative calm. If you can use the canal to cut off rounding the
cape, you definitely want to do that.

The Cape May Canal is one of the few places I've run aground - we were
coming in from the bay side hugging the southern side of the "channel"
when I saw a small power boat ahead suddenly stop. I went full astern,
and only dug a small trench in the sand bar. The locals watching from
the club (restaurant?) across the canal seemed much amused! I'm
guessing I was not the first.

Jeff Morris wrote in
:

Much of the time we had a 25 to 30 knot east wind, giving
us a bouncy ride even behind the breakwater.

The East wind really cranked up there - about 35
knots which pinned us in for 3 more days.


All the real sailors are drooling on their keyboards thinking about that as
she's hauling ass with the rigging just whining....(c;

The shaft alternator is putting out so much current we have to leave all
the lights on...hee hee.