Completed 4th recent Cape May trip

Arrived back from Cape May the evening of July 7th, following a June 28th departure. It was a great trip, with a little more wind than normal. This time I sailed solo nonstop for two days from Urbanna to Cape May via Cape Charles and the Atlantic, cat napping at night, even in the lower Chesapeake Bay. I completed the journey to Cape May from Urbanna, about 210 n.m. in 50 hours, averaging a little more than 4 kts. per hour. The second night I was so tired that I set sail in fairly light conditions off Assateague Island, making about 3 knots on a reach for a couple of hours, just so I could catch up on some more extended sleep. As usual, I saw few boats out in the Atlantic and no sailboats at all.

The N.W. remnants of Arthur passed over us the second to last day in Cape May, with some gusts to 40 kts. and lots of rain.

Here are some photos of the trip: https://plus.google.com/photos/1019...ms/6034037814822252385?authkey=CKbX4ZGikaHVKw

My brother Walter helped me sail the boat home. We encountered some steep chop outside Cape Charles in the Atlantic and were soaked by spray breaking over the boat every third or fourth wave as we sailed close-hauled SW in 15-20 knots, gusting to 25, sometimes under main alone. After entering the Bay around midnight, we were both so tired we anchored the boat at Kiptopeke Beach to catch up on some sleep. Here is the video the next morning, while it was still quite windy:


My jug storage system and cargo net lee cloths worked well. Even in the most challenging conditions, my gear remained in place and there were clear passageways in the cabin.

Another fun and successful voyage to remember!