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Random Quote: If you cant take the sea's get into a cat.
Hello I'm the happy owner of an 18' Monterey Bowrider with the V6 Engine. I'm planning a vacation for my family (wife + 4 year old son).
We have the boat at a slip in Tullytown (Baum's Cove)
I was talked out of going to cape may through the Delaware bay, because it can be dicey, so I was wondering about the trip down to the C&D Canal. Looking at the charts it doesn't look like a problem from a depth perspective, but does the water get very rough there as well. Our plan would be to go down the delaware, across the canal. Dock the boat and stay at a bed & breakfast, continue across the canal, and arrive at Inner Harbor with stops for fuel/food along the way.
Cruising speed for the boat is 35MPH (best range) is that a safe / reasonable speed for most of the delaware or should we be running closer to 18MPH (just on plane). I don't plan on ever running max speed (60MPH with my wife and son on board)
Does this trip sound reasonable or foolhardy? Is there any sort of resource where you can find a list of fuel docks, so that we can plan out our stops along the way? I was shocked to find that Baum's Cove didn't have a fuel dock so our first trip will be to fuel up.
You should become familiar with the areas you plan to visit, if you do not already have a marine guide book, a book like these may be helpful for the areas you are interested in:
In my opinion … your first trip sounds a little far reaching for your boat and crew.
If you can trailer your boat, you can travel to other areas by locating marinas that rent to transients (daily slip rental) in the area you would like to explore. Even planning a trip with a few stops (overnight) at different marinas (or even resorts) on the way to Baltimore. And if you have any issues you will not be too far from your trailer.
You can not control the wind, waves or weather – plan for the unexpected.
you might want to look into getting a EPIRB or PLB if you do not already have one
I'm not generally not considered to be conservative, but my suggestion is, don't boat with a child in places where you have never been. It can get challenging enough on a good day, but to be in unfamiliar waters on a bad day with a child aboard is a recipe for disaster.
Trailering the boat isn't an option for us, we were going to trailer it this year but after towing a few times last year it's just not something we enjoy. The drive is stressful, the Nissan Murano we have is rated for 3500 lbs, our boat + trailer is 3100 lbs. We have trailer brakes and no problem getting up hills etc., it's just undue wear on the vehicle. We are fair weather boaters, and I wouldn't dream of taking the trip if it didn't look like it would be the perfect day or two. We're just trying to figure out places to go once we're out of the slip and on the Delaware. I like to go explore areas, and we have gps/fishfinder & vhf radio.
Joshua.....I admire your adventurism. You received very good advise to abort the trip from Cape May up the Delaware Bay in your 18 footer. Concerning the C&D it is a scenic ride usually not rough but does have an extremely strong current flow and you need to be vigilent about ship traffic. The problem with your trip to Balt. is the prooensity for a choppy, uncomfortable ride...especially with a 4 year old on board. I slip a fairly heavy 24 footer in the Inner harbor in Balt. and have made your trip a couple of times in reverse. You may consider a trip through the canal and a run into the Sassasfrasriver...down to Georgetown....there are B&B's and you can play on the Sassafras which is a clean, scenic river. Pick your days carefully. Another bit of advise.........trade the Murano in on a late model Tahoe that will tow your boat without breaking a sweat.........trailering to different spots on the upper Chesapeake for day trips can be a lot of fun if you have the right, stress free equipment.....decent tow vehicle and a good weel balanced trailer......be safe....have fun!
I have no advice to share regarding your Cape May trip (we started the same trip last Aug and only made it to the Tacony Bridge before one of our engines overheated and we had to turn around) but want to introduce myself and welcome you. We keep our boats and wave runner at Snug Harbor in Croydon. I spend quite a bit of time on my boat in your neck of the river. If you see Fantasy Island on the river be sure to say hello!
As far as fuel docks on our part of the river it's a little further but I prefer Dredge Harbor over the marina across from Burlington Island (the name of the Burlington marina is escaping me at the moment). The people at Dredge Harbor are very nice, very helpful, and they have a small restaurant with decent food. There is also a yacht club on the right a little past the state marina (again the name escapes me - I guess my brain is not in boating mode yet) that opens at 5:00 PM and offers fuel for a few hours per day. You'll know what I'm talking about when you see the boats tied up in the river. I bought fuel there once. The attendent was very knowledgable about the river (it was the night we were leaving for our Cape May trip) and gave me some really good advice about the trip I was about to take. Still though my preference is Dredge Harbor.
Mike
__________________ "Bello Viaggio" (Beautiful Journey)
Cruisers Elegante 297
Bensalem, PA
Thanks for the information about the fuel. I'll be heading to Dredge Harbor for our first outing on the Delaware tomorrow. Maybe I'll see you out there!
What a disaster! We drove an hour and half to our slip to find out the boat wasn't in the water, and they can't put it in until Tuesday. The boat's been at the marina for 3 weeks, they did the service, paid for the services, and slip all in advance. Slip opening day is 4/15, but only had about 10 boats in the water. I'm furious, anyone know of any good slips along the delaware. I don't want to spend a nickle more with these people.
Shoot me an e-mail mike.astringer@humancapitalconsultants.com. The marina where I keep my boats may fit your needs and is not far from where you are now. We do not open until 5/1 but he does have a ramp where you can launch for the day until the slips open.
__________________ "Bello Viaggio" (Beautiful Journey)
Cruisers Elegante 297
Bensalem, PA
New Boater - Planning a Vacation 
