LONG day at the helm!

We traveled non-stop for 9 hours today! All the way from Philadelphia to a little inlet on the New Jersey shore called Maurice River (pronounced Morris). We planned for a long day, but went quite a bit farther because of the favorable conditions - namely, we had both the current and the wind behind us for most of the day. That meant our speed at the usual rpm was significantly faster. Still slow, mind you (11.5 mph at the best), but better than usual (about 8 mph in still wind and current).

The only time the piloting was hard was late in the day when we had: 1) a strong tail wind that pushes the stern of the boat around and makes it difficult to keep on course; and 2) crab-crate floats scattered all over which I played dodge-ball with to keep from running over. These two factors oppose each other - that is, you try to dodge a crab float, but the boat is fighting you from the effects of the tailwind. So, I struggled constantly over the final two hours at the wheel. Then, when we finally arrived at the mile-long entrance to the river (a channel dredged to be deep enough), we turned 90 degrees and suddenly the huge swells were hitting us from the side and tossing us in all directions!! I had to tack across the narrow entrance channel just to keep the waves from not hitting us directly from the side ("abeam").

What a relief it was to finally enter this quiet, twisting, remote, non-commercial waterway! It is completely flat, with only marshland separating the S curves in the river. Isn't the picture cool? The tides are very strong, and change the river depth by 6 ft! Right at this moment, it is shifting and we are swinging on the anchor. We will end up 240 ft in the opposite direction.

The cool lighthouse in the picture was right out in the very middle of the wide Delaware Bay. Notice how it's on top of a big rock. Wow, right in the middle! It is called Ship John Shoal Lighthouse, named for the John, the ship that crashed here in 1796. They built the lighthouse a year later. Doesn't it look like it is the same one they built in 1797?

Tomorrow we will have a quick trip to a featured destination of our trip -- Cape May, at the southern tip of NJ. We should be all anchored up before the predicted afternoon rains. We will be touring this Victorian-home city during the afternoon with our raincoats on.

The other photo is from our second touring day in Philadelphia yesterday. The street I'm on is Elfreth's Alley, the oldest continuously inhabited street in America! Bruce and I happened on it on Friday night when we were sort of lost, and then read how it was a famous spot on the tourist agenda! So we returned for this photo. Each home is very narrow, and three stories. They were all built at different times, so each doorway, window, and other features were unique.

Yesterday we also visited additional "independence" toursit locales, but the highlight was City Tavern. It was where our forefathers went to relax over a few brews, and surely all the important decisions to shape our country were ironed out there!!!! They serve meals, but Bruce and I went into the "pub" part where only beverages were served, and we had our patriotic beers. They had four choices: Ben Franklin's recipe, Th. Jefferson's recipe, Alexander Hamilton's "Federalist's Ale", and a fourth. Bruce couldn't decide, so he ordered the sampler. I had the ale. Anything to support the shapers of our great country!