Chesapeake City

We left Baltimore on another calm sea and as we headed north, the Chesapeake Bay narrowed and we saw high sand cliffs on the wooded shores.

Our destination was the Chesapeake and Delaware (C & D) Canal which connects the top of Chesapeake Bay to the top of Delaware Bay. As the Bay narrowed we passed close to this huge ship that had just come west through the canal. Ships from all over the world use the C&D Canal to save the journey around the Delmarva Peninsula in getting to Baltimore from the Atlantic.

Chesapeake City, the only city on the canal, is located a few miles from the western end of the canal. This tiny charming town emerged during the canals early days and is filled with historic homes, some converted to shops or B&B's, each with a plaque in front with its history. There is a small boat basin off the canal with a big restaurant, small marina, a few private docks, an anchorage and City Docks where the dockage is free, but the electric is $15. The free dock was full when we arrived, so we anchored the first night and got into the dock the next morning. This photo taken from the basin shows the Chesapeake City Bridge that spans the canal and a ship passing very close as it transits the narrow canal. About three of these a day go by.

We took a walk through the tiny town admiring the preservation and charm of the old buildings

When we returned to the dock our friends from Eschaton, the Gibson houseboat, were docked behind us. We had split up at the beginning of the Chesapeake so it was great to see them again. We all biked over to the C & D Canal Museum. The canal was first opened in 1829 with 4 locks and mules to pull the boats through. The locks have since been removed and the canal has been widened and deepened a few times to accomodate the larger ships. The museum is in the original pumphouse building. Steve and Nan are reading this large stone that commemorates the workers who dug the original canal.

Inside the museum in its original position is this huge steam engine pump that was used to lift water from a nearby creek into the canal in order to maintain the water levels.

Here are the two boats at the City Dock. Here is Eschaton's blog site if anyone wants to follow their adventure. http://eschatonloop.blogspot.com

Today is Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend and we are having a lazy day. We had no idea that there was so much recreational boating on the canal. Boats have been buzzing in and out of the basin all day, we've seen more big fast performance boats today than we've seen the entire trip. I guess summer is here !!! We'll be having burgers and Lorna's famous homemade potato salad tonight with Nan and Jack to celebrate.

Steve has been studying the next leg for a couple of days. We will be traveling to the east end of the canal and then 55 miles south on Delaware Bay to Cape May. D. Bay has a nasty reputation because there are currents, tides, winds and then the Atlantic Ocean at the end all working together to create waves. There's no way that all the factors can come together to create ideal conditions, but we've decided that tomorrow is our best day to go.