The ocean can be a scary place. We've all seen pictures of storms and huge ships being tossed around like toys. And of course we've sung songs like the "Edmond Fitzgerald" from the comfort of our homes, ever thankful we weren't on board. But here we are taking off in a small"ish" boat with our entire family, the last thing we want is be a tragic story for one moment on the nightly news.
But off we go. So why not an RV instead, it's safer. "Higher highs and lower lows" and I enjoy sailing (when it's nice) that's pretty much it. Many have done this trip before us and the insurance company didn't even care if we told them we were doing this trip as long as we stayed coastal US and Bahamas. So it must be safe right?
Right now we sit at anchor on the Sassafras River at the top of the Chesapeake Bay plotting our transient of Delaware Bay. It is a dreaded trip. The bay is very shallow and very large with a huge opening to the ocean. It also has some really strong currents, as much as 5 kts which if the wind opposes the current can create waves with a short frequency and high amplitude that bring almost any boat to a complete stop. Add to this there is no place to punch out once you enter the bay, its a 70 mile journey between the C&D canal and Cape May NJ and you have a prespcrition for misery or worse. Choose poorly and you can be pummeled for extended periods of time without going anywhere. But if we are to go north we have to make the transient and waiting for the perfect day really isn't an option if we are to complete our journey. So we'll have to do what we can and trust that it works out. It is a realization of what we talk about all the time, walking our faith.
Facing fears is not comfortable, and right about now with a howling wind, driving rain, and waves while at anchor, I may be second guessing my "higher highs and lower lows" response.
But off we go. So why not an RV instead, it's safer. "Higher highs and lower lows" and I enjoy sailing (when it's nice) that's pretty much it. Many have done this trip before us and the insurance company didn't even care if we told them we were doing this trip as long as we stayed coastal US and Bahamas. So it must be safe right?
Right now we sit at anchor on the Sassafras River at the top of the Chesapeake Bay plotting our transient of Delaware Bay. It is a dreaded trip. The bay is very shallow and very large with a huge opening to the ocean. It also has some really strong currents, as much as 5 kts which if the wind opposes the current can create waves with a short frequency and high amplitude that bring almost any boat to a complete stop. Add to this there is no place to punch out once you enter the bay, its a 70 mile journey between the C&D canal and Cape May NJ and you have a prespcrition for misery or worse. Choose poorly and you can be pummeled for extended periods of time without going anywhere. But if we are to go north we have to make the transient and waiting for the perfect day really isn't an option if we are to complete our journey. So we'll have to do what we can and trust that it works out. It is a realization of what we talk about all the time, walking our faith.
Facing fears is not comfortable, and right about now with a howling wind, driving rain, and waves while at anchor, I may be second guessing my "higher highs and lower lows" response.
Comments
Post a Comment