The Chesapeake and Delaware (C&D) Canal

The Annapolis mooring field was very quiet at 5:00 am. We watched a beautiful sunrise while listening to the Naval Academy go through their morning roster. They chanted in unison; answering their commander in cadence with enthusiasm and vigor. Many of our neighbors on the mooring balls sat on their decks with a cup of coffee, listening to the day begin alongside us.

Good morning Annapolis

We were ready to drop our mooring ball and head out of Annapolis by 8:00. We passed a Coast Guard boat, sitting at the mouth of the harbor, on our way into the Severn River. A ton of fishing boats were heading for the Chesapeake. The bay was already bustling with activity. It took an hour to make it under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. A huge car transporter was coming south toward us as we approached. We stayed far to the port side, out of it's way. The massive, building-sized ship dwarfed Mystic. This was the first of several car transporter interactions we'd have on this bay.

Severn River Landmark, you can see the towers for miles

Bay Bridge in the distance

Tiny fishing boat passing massive car carrier

The Chesapeake is lined with lighthouses that mark shoals. We passed many on our journey north, including Baltimore Harbor light and Sandy Point Shoal light. They reminded us of the lighthouses we saw on the Great Lakes. There is something magical and romantic about these beacons, rising majestically from the water, each with it's own history and folklore.

Baltimore Harbor Light (left), Sandy Point Shoal Light (right)

Sandy Point Shoal light

The bay was turbulent with a current running 2-3 mph. This impeded our forward motion tremendously. The current runs south on the bay; slowing down during an outgoing tide but never really going away. This is caused by the volume of water that flows into the Chesapeake Bay Watershed. Many tributaries feed the bay and create the constant southward flow. We battled the current until we reached the Elk River which runs east across from the Patapsco River leading to Baltimore.

Things settled a bit as we worked our way up the very pretty Elk River. We'd love to stop and explore more of the scenic towns along the way but we're pushing to make it to Connecticut to meet our daughter at the end of July.

Red #4 Fliers Convention

It was nice to be on a river after several days on the bay. There is so much to see along the shoreline. The river is a popular cruising ground. It is always interesting to see how people live in the places we pass along America's Great Loop. We can't stop in every little town we pass but make notes of the areas we would love to return to and explore further. The Chesapeake would be a great place to spend a summer. There is so much to see and do.

Beautiful home along the Elk River

Resort on the Elk River

Family enjoying summer

Another gorgeous homestead with a view

More cliffs along Elk River

Rock and Gravel Barge

Seagull rest stop

We get out of the way when we see barges

Hey Darrel...check out that speedboat

Very popular anchorage

Popular boating area

Life on the bluffs

Gorgeous view for these modest homes

Turkey Point Light

Beautiful classic boat

The Blue Elk Winery along the Elk River

Osprey family at Red 16

Hollywood, Maryland

The Elk River curves at the Bohemia River. Dave noticed that a car transporter was sneaking up behind us. These mammoth vessels can move surprisingly fast so it easily caught us. The channel was narrow, so Dave made the decision to reverse course to put us behind the ship. He guided Mystic out of the way then turned her bow 180 degrees and headed back west. Reversing our course was a great idea that took the intensity out of being passed from behind on a busy waterway, and it put the car transporter in front of us where we could watch it move ahead and stay well out of it's way!

Miraculous Ace as we reversed course to let her pass

Video of Miraculous Ace passing Mystic

Just before we entered the Chesapeake and Delaware (C&D) Canal we caught up to the car transporter again. The massive vessel needed a lot of room to turn a corner and had to slow down on the curvy sections of the rivers. The river suddenly got a lot smaller when we saw that a freighter was coming toward us from the east. The two ships communicated via VHF in order to navigate safely and out of each other's way. We slipped past Miraculous Ace on a tight corner then took a right into the small bason at Chesapeake City, hoping to stay just outside the C&D Canal for the night at a free dock. We didn't factor in that it was Saturday. In addition, we didn't know there was a town festival going on. The dock was full and the anchorage was shallow but also already full of boats. We decided to move east toward Delaware City instead. As we headed back out into the river we saw that Miraculous Ace had caught up to us. We hightailed it as fast as we could, but it caught us on the narrow Canal. Dave decided to do the reverse move a second time in the narrow canal. He called the captain on the radio and informed him of his plan to move behind the ship. The captain replied politely, "Ok Captain, just make sure you stay out of my way!"

Freighter coming under the Chesapeake City Bridge

When Dave called Summit North Marina we were delighted to learn they had room for Mystic at their docks just off of the C&D. The marina basin was originally dug out as part of the C&D but was abandoned. The Canal was moved south of the basin due to design changes. Summit North is in Bear, Delaware and is part of Lums Pond State Park. It sits in a beautiful wooded valley. Dockage is expensive at $2.00/foot but we found the amenities worth the cost. We hiked up a long winding walkway to take showers then sat and enjoyed live music and a cold beer at Grain H2O Craft Bar & Kitchen. The place was very busy and popular with the locals.

Grain H2O at North Summit

Nice cold beer after a long day on the water

Moon rise over Summmit North

Summit North Basin

Bridge crossing the C&D, we'll go under this on our way East

Mystic at Summit North Marina

Walkway to Grain H2O

It's a long way up...

The fast track we've been on is catching up to us. The showers and beer mellowed us. We returned to Mystic to make dinner and get to bed early. A group of friends had set up camp in the middle of the pier. We excused ourselves to pass them each time we walked by. They were quite friendly and joked with us as we passed. We told the group that we were retiring for the night and would not interrupt their dock party again. They asked us to join them for music and cheer but we were tired from our long 10 hour day. They were up partying long into the early morning but we didn't hear a thing. After a quick dinner, we drifted off to a blissful slumber!