The wind, sun and tide all arrived at the same time and I had a great time making it back to Still Pond in half the time we had before. The weather forecast for the next week indicated it would be a good idea for me to make a really long day of it and keep pushing all the way through the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal.
As the Bay slowly narrowed down to the canal, the unimpeded wind of the open bay diminished. My sail became a motorsail and then just motoring when the sails finally were just hanging there uselessly.
Heading East in the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal
After I left the canal, I crossed the Delaware to the Camden River. A few miles upstream, I made it to my anchorage at the town of Camden. Actually, Camden didn’t seem so much a town as a series of houses along one side of the river that became increasingly dilapidated the further upstream I went. This culminated in the ironically named Camden Yacht Club. The “yachts” were mostly aged powerboats, many of which seemed barely afloat or possibly resting on a shallow bottom.
As I approached, I was the recipient of several “Deliverance” style stares. They seemed to be not sure if I was expecting to tie up or get fuel. When I continued on and dropped anchor just upstream, more people came out to stare. I did my whole post-sailing checklist with an audience. They must not get too many cruisers stopping by in fancy sailboats. I have no idea why, but then I’ve been to Wick (recall?).
In Camden, the side of the river not lined with houses is marshland as far as the eye can see, making a home for every conceivable variety of biting insect. There were several different species of flies, mosquitos, flying ants and worst of all, no-see-ums, or as the West Indians call them: teefs. Even though the inside of the boat was a greenhouse warmed even further by the engines, I had no choice but to retreat into the only bug-free space for miles
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