Cohansey Cove on Delaware River

This blog will chronicle our (Pat and Patty Anderson's) 

cruising adventures on the Great Loop!

DAY 57 - May 27,2017

When we left Lloyd Creek this morning, we had only about 5 miles to the Elk River, where we were officially OFF the Chesapeake Bay! The weather forecast was for flat water and winds under 5 mph, which was the best cruising conditions we have had since we started. Since we were about to transit the C&D Canal and enter the Delaware River, which has a bad reputation for nasty condtions, we were especially grateful for the coincidence of weather and geography! 

What is important is what you DON'T see - waves!
Easy cruising on the Delaware River

We transited the C&D Canal at the blazing speed (for us) of 8-9 mph, getting he push of a full flood.. There was no commercial traffic on the Canal, but lots of big yachts went roaring by us sending out their usual huge wakes. But all in all, this was a very pleasant 17 mile cruise across the canal, and we soon found ourselves entering the Delaware River, where we continued to enjoy the highly favorable cruising conditions!

Our original plan was to anchor behind Reedy Island, near a boat ramp, but we quickly realized that with the favorable conditions, we would get there far too early in the day. So we went back to Active Captain looking for another spot farther downriver where the reviews addressed getting a pet to shore. 

We found our spot at the Cohansey River. The Cohansey River reviews were mostly by people who had ducked in there to escape horrible conditions on the Delaware. One reviewer was there during a 60 knot blow with five foot waves on the nose, and most others were there simply seeking some shelter from high wind and waves for which the Delaware is famous. All reviews mentioned the river was deep and the current was strong. But they also mentioned an island near the entrance with a sandy beach where you could land pets, so this is where we headed. 

The Cohansey River is in New Jersey, a short distance downriver from Greenwich, N.J., so we have now cruised in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. We have covered more than 1,500 miles and are approximately one-quarter of the way around Daydream's Great Loop!

When we got there, the weather was still great, the water was deep (about 40 feet) and the current was strong, probably 2+ knots, more than I wanted as a test of my paddling ability! Both the Blue Chart Mobile and Navionics apps have pretty good tide and current information built in, so we knew that in a few hours the current would be approaching slack. We had drinks and dinner, and Baxter sighed and sat under a chair until conditions were suitable to take him in! He did his business, and then enjoyed a nice long romp in the sand! 

We had a very peaceful night at Cohansey Cove. Going to Cohansey Cove also left us a much shorter run on the Delaware River to the Delaware Bay and the Delaware Bay to Cape May. Our plan is to spend one night in Cape May anchored off the Coast Guard Station, where there is supposed to be a nice beach for pets, and then the following day cruise up the New Jersey Intracoastal to Sea Isle City and spend two days and three nights there visiting a teacher colleague of Patty's from the Camden School District from our "domestic exile" between 1970 and 1975. We have not seen her since then, but have kept in touch with Christmas cards and letters, so we will probably pick up more or less where we left off 42 years ago!