Delaware River - Great Day

[NiceAft]

Yesterday Nat and I put out from the marina about 11:30AM, and did not get back until 6PM. What a great day on the river. At times Nice Aft was doing 4.333 knots1, or 6.5 MPH1.(GPS)

Before any of you jump and burst my bubble, I want to emphasize that I'm speaking of the DELAWARE RIVER Not San Francisco. Not the Chesapeake, or any other windy, sailors paradise...............This is the Delaware Narrow, lots of trees, and/or buildings to protect from the wind. Yesterday though was pure pleasure And this is July. Philadelphia is famous for its sweltering heat in July

We motored south, the twelve miles to Center City Philadelphia, and sailed back. Great, unexpected gust had us at times heeling 35 degrees. My wife is one of the great ones who loves when the Clinometer indicates 45 At one point we passed, while we were under sail, an aging cabin cruiser They looked at us, and weakly waved.

Definitely a great sailing day.
Ray

[mod]ModEdit: Moving to E&V ~fc[/mod]

[bastonjock]

sounds like great fun,ill have to go and look at a map
my geography of the US is limited,ive been on lake Champlain in a car ferry.

How wide is the delaware?,i live in Lincolnshire and there are plenty of Navagable rivers here,not so sure if you can sail on them,motor yes.

[NiceAft]

Philadelphia is about 50 miles north of the Delaware Bay. The marina I keep Nice Aft at is about 12 miles north of Philadelphia. That's a loooong way up the river. It is wide enough to sail, but all of the trees act as a buffer for the low wind that is the norm for this time of year.

April and May are wonderful. June is a delight, but July and August are really bad. High temperature with High humidity. In July of 1776 the delegates to the Continental Congress sweltered in Philadelphia. So, when a day like yesterday came along, we grabbed it.

Ray

[bastonjock]

all i know about philladelphia is that rocky balboa lives there

[vatalon]

Ray,

Sounds like a good time!

My only experience with the Delaware, was transporting a converted Tug from the Philadelphia Navy Yard via Cape May, up to New Brunswick way back in 1972 in my Sea Explorer days. Allot of commercial traffic and thanks to a big storm, my first experience with sea sickness.

Now I do most of my sailing on the James River in Virginia. I like to put in in Sussex County, just south of Fort Eustis. The winds are not always great for sailing but the fishing is good and the Moth Ball Fleet is neat to look at!

[NiceAft]

Bastonjock,

Actually, he stands here.

After the original Rocky movie, Sylvester Stallon gave the city the statue of Rocky that stood at the top of the Art Museum's steps. The Arts Commission of Philadelphia thought the statue was not true art, and removed it to one of the stadiums in the city. Years later (this year), with great fanfare, the statue was returnrd to the Art Museum "area". It now stands at the base of the museum's steps. Just off to the right. People come to see it from all over the world. It is also of prime importance for many to not just see the statue, but to also run up those steps, arms thrusted to the sky.

Vatalon,

There are many things to see ship wise along the Delaware. At Penn's Landing there is the barkentine Gazela. First built (I believe) in 1883, and last used in 1969 as a commercial fishing boat off the Grand Banks. It's a square rigger. Also there is Admiral Dewey's flag ship from the Spanish American War, the Battleship Olympia. Next to her is a WWII submarine. A short distance from Penn's Landing is the cruise ship S.S. United States. It broke the trans Atlantic speed record in the 1950's. Very sleek. Very rusted!

On the New Jersey side of the river there is the WWII Battleship New Jersey (big boat) . It's now a floating museum.

At Penn's Landing is an outdoor amphitheater where people come and listen to musical events. Some events are free, some can cost big bucks, or, for the price of the fuel to get there, you can float just off the waters edge and listen (to deep to anchor).

Lots to see.


Ray