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Two Fish - Sailing sailing



Sorry for the delayed update. It's been a full and busy 48 hours. On Tuesday we headed out onto the rolly Atlantic Ocean. 3-5 foot swells came out of the south. Eventually a brisk 20knot wind filled out sails and had us averaging a 7-8knot speed. We headed Northeast and paralleled the coast 10-20 miles offshore.



Despite the rolly seas, Captain Paula prepared us a lovely mid-morning snack with prosciutto and melon, pears, olives, etc. and an equally lovely lunch as we headed towards Ocean City with full sails.



Just before dinner, our VHF radio started making a horrific beeping noise and alerted us to severe thunderstorms in the Manassas area. And then another alert for storms near Annapolis. And then one for storms near Dover Delaware and Roanoke and Easton and on and on.... apparently s large storm front was heading across the Mid-Atlantic and out to sea. Batten Down Those Hatches, Sailors. (But dinner first-- Turkey Bugers with tzaziki and hummus and a Mediterranean salad. Go Captain Paula!!*)



As dark fell, lightning filled the skies all around us. Heat lightening, cloud to ground lightening, cloud to cloud lightening, far away, and right next to us. It was everywhere and made a spectacular light show but very very scary. We took down the sails and put on our life vests as the wind shifted around and then increased to 35knots. You could hear it coming-- it sounded  like a freight train. Captain George turned on the motor and steered us into the wind as the sheets of rain started to fall. We hunkered down for 2 hours of storms and another 4 hours of unsettled weather. Around 2am we pulled past the channel markers that lead to Ocean City and were able set a course for the Delaware Bay. No one was hurt and nothing was broken. Both the boat and the crew performed well , though the crew was pretty damn tired by the time the sun came up.



We pulled into the marina at Cape May around 9am on Wednesday. The staff told us that the storm was so bad that th areay lost power and the the Verizon cell service in New Jersey was knocked out for almost a full day.  They had 75mph winds on shore. I'm just glad it weakened a bit before it got to us.



Yesterday and today were spent resting up and cleaning up.  And we worked in a little people watching and shopping. Cape May is a cute beach town. Much nicer than Ocean City. Definitely worth a visit back.



This afternoon we studied our tide and current tables and navigation charts and weather for the next leg of our trip. We have decided not to stop in Chesapeake City. Instead we will sail straight through to our home base. It should take us about 24 hours. Our current plan is to leave here at 6 AM. We will travel up the Delaware Bay, through the C&D Canal and down the Chesapeake Bay. Unfortunately, the weather report sounds very similar to Tuesday's, so scattered thunderstorms are likely. But we know there are plenty of coves to duck into if needed. So off we go.



More later.

Kelly


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