Nobody where we come from thinks about visiting Delaware City. Which is a shame, because Delaware City—and Delaware City Marina—are way cool. Coming in, Tim the Dockmaster barks specific instructions that prove to be pretty critical as you enter a chute of current that requires crab angling down to the linear dock.
After docking bow first, these dudes push the bow out where it catches the current, which flips the boat the other direction. We would’ve filmed the magic but didn’t know it was coming.
Delaware City only has a few restaurants, but makes up for it by the high percentage of Loopers filling those restaurants. We met up with a bunch of neat folks we may buddy with from time to time. The main street—maybe the only street—is Clinton. Somebody is quite proud of the trademark for the sports bar.
Greg the marina mechanic was able to fix a troubling water leak that required tools and expertise that we don’t possess. So long to the periodic buzz of the water pump caused by dropping pressure.
The worst thing about Delaware City was losing Shannon.
We had her for 305 nm before she headed to Catalina Island for her summer job. We now are back to four. Hopefully both girls will rejoin us in August if not before.
Tim not only directs marina traffic, but also provides invaluable weather briefings at precisely 5:01 every afternoon. The Delaware Bay notoriously is fickle, particularly at the approach to Cape May, our next destination. Tonight he gave everyone the green light for an early morning departure.
The big excitement tonight was when a 58-foot Hatteras went down just around the corner from where were were eating at the marina picnic tables. Police, fire, a Coast Guard helicopter, and hopeful salvors all convened in a frenzy. The boat had anchored out, the anchor slipped in the current, and they bashed into a rock jetty. Fortunately the six people aboard were rescued from the water. This rescue boat seems to have rescued only the life raft, but they still are heroes to us.
If all goes well, tomorrow night we’ll be in the land of Frankie Valli, mobsters, and real housewives.