May 16 - 17, 2012 - Cape May, NJ

Continuing on the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, we passed under the St. George Bridges.

The Delaware Bay is wide and long, and not too bumpy today, as we pass a nuclear plant.

The 300-foot Falconia dwarfs the 65-foot R-Cabana, which had been docked in Chesapeake City.

The Delaware Bay Channel is clearly marked with this type of lighthouse, and this one is the Ship John Shoal Light.

The Hoegh Autoliner is another of the huge, 700 foot-long roll-on, roll-off auto transports. She threw two huge wakes – one bow, one stern.

Departing the Delaware Bay, we enter the Cape May Canal, which features a large ferry terminal. The ferries travel across the mouth of the Delaware Bay, between Cape May, New Jersey and Cape Henlopen, Delaware.

In the Cape May Canal, these six retrievers were getting their exercise with a swim. That’s a lot of wet dog in your car!

We passed through this tight, decommissioned railroad bridge as we approached the city of Cape May.

We had read in various boating magazines and blogs about the Beneteau Swift Trawler that is doing a promotional Great Loop (at great speed), and here she was in Cape May Harbor.

At anchor, we watched the sunset.

We were just off the Cape May Coast Guard station. Many North Atlantic rescues at sea are launched from this station.

We needed fuel, and decided to spend the next night at dock in Cape May, at Utsch’s Marina.

Right next-door is our favorite Cape May restaurant (from our stop here in 2007), the Lobster House.

Our window table provided a view of the harbor, while inside we enjoyed a salty-casual ambiance.

We each had a pound and a half lobster, with all the trimmings. The establishment also sells fresh fish and seafood, so we picked up Scottish Salmon, freshly shucked oysters and jumbo scallops to cook aboard over the next several nights.

The next day, our walkabout took us to South Jersey Marina, where the sportfishing boats were lined up and ready.

This was a record blue marlin caught in the adjacent North Atlantic. It weighed in at 1028 pounds.

The Emlen Physick Estate, an 18-room mansion built in 1879, is open for tours. Back in its heyday, the estate was home to an unusual family: Dr. Emlen Physick, who never married; his widowed mother, and his maiden aunt. Dr. Physick followed a family tradition by completing medical training, but he never practiced. He lived the life of a country gentleman and is remembered for having the first automobile in Cape May. He was also an animal breeder, and the ghosts of several of his dogs are rumored to haunt the house and garden.

Cape May streets are lined with beautiful Victorian homes and cottages. Many are available as summer rentals. For nearly 200 years, Cape May has drawn vacationers to its beautiful beaches and boardwalk.