We traveled up the last reaches of the Chesapeake Bay, and entered the C&D Canal. This canal, originally conceived in 1661, won Benjamin Franklin's support in 1788 and was completed in 1829. It reduced the required travel distance from Philadelphia to Baltimore by over 300 miles, and removed the need for ships to enter the Atlantic Ocean to make the journey. As we passed under the bridge shown below, we left Maryland and entered Delaware. Some 13 miles later, we exited the canal, turned slightly upstream in the Delaware River, and then entered the small channel to the Delaware City Marina. We were "last in", so I got to "parallel park" between two boats already secured to the pier. It is interesting to try to move 60,000 pounds of boat sideways into a spot only 10-15 feet longer than the boat itself. The operation went flawlessly, however (don't ask to see it a second time!), and the very friendly and professional dock staff soon had us tightly secured in place. This is a quaint little town, but tomorrow we will ride the bus to a West Marine store up toward Wilmington. This is our hangout through the holiday weekend, and then we will have to find an appropriate weather window (current and wind on the Delaware Bay) for our transit to Cape May.
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| C&D Canal |
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| Delaware City Marina |
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