Paddle Across the Delaware Bay 2000 Sunday, September 3, 2000

 

The weather pattern for past several days (weeks?) had been tropical in nature: very humid, unstable air with thunderstorms and rain squalls popping up randomly throughout the day and night. This is definitely not the kind of weather that is wanted for a half-day open water event. Nonetheless, at 5:15 AM, we decided to go ahead with the paddle; minutes later, a light rain began to fall. Luckily, the Town Bank Fireboat was scheduled for training this day and could help with transportation of two of the paddlers and standby support. Bob Keith (1st crossing) and Joe Link (3rd crossing) traveled to Lewes, DE on the boat. Bill (4th crossing), Al Ambler (1st crossing), and Fred Sobotincic (1st crossing) traveled on the Cape May/Lewes Ferry. At left below, Al and Fred with their kayaks on the Ferry. In the center and at the right, our promotional kayak makes its first public appearance on the Lewes town beach.

At 8:45 AM, the support boat appeared out of the fog; what a welcome sight from the beach. In keeping with their training priority, the support boat launched a diver from the rear platform. The two kayakers paddle in from the boat in the third picture in the sequence.

At the left and center below, the kayakers do some last minute chores. At right, the formal portrait of the beginning of the event.

The paddle started right on time. The conditions were excellent. Visibility was an acceptable two miles, the Bay was calm, a cloud cover shielded the burning sun, and the lightest of breezes accompanied the group. Not a single ship was sighted moving in the vicinity. Al used his GPS and considerable experience to guide the group with some nifty real-time navigation. The crossing was 19.1 miles which took 4 hours and 17 minutes. At left, center, and right below, the kayakers come into the beach at Town Bank.

The kayakers were met by a large, boisterous group of family and friends. The celebration on the beach was followed by a longer picnic/party which experienced rain and thunder as the afternoon wore on. Lady Luck and Mother Nature got together on this day to produce another successful paddle.

Announcement

Sunday, September 3, 2000 Launch Time: 9 AM (sharp!) Launch Site: Lewes  (DE) Town Beach (Click for map) Landing Site: Pinewood Road Beach, Town Bank (Click for map) Estimated Time: 4.5 hours NOTE: This is not a sponsored or an official event. We, as a group of independent kayakers, will paddle across the Delaware Bay. Those who join us do so at their own risk. We are planning to carry our kayaks on the 7 AM ferry from Cape May to Lewes. If you are planning to take that ferry, we suggest that you call for reservations in advance (1-800-64FERRY) since it will be Labor Day Weekend. We will assemble on the Lewes Town Beach (see map) and leave promptly at 9 AM. We will head for a point just on the north side of the icebreakers near the breakwater (15 degrees magnetic). From there, we will follow a 50 degree magnetic heading toward New Jersey. The three hours of flood current will be in our favor and will carry us north of the 50 degree bearing from the icebreakers. After slack tide, we will experience some southerly current which will retard our progress slightly and put us back on course for Pinewood Road Beach.  (Click for chart of route) The physical requirement for the crossing is the ability to paddle at approximately 4 mph for a period of 4.5 hours; we take very few breaks from paddling. We will make a go/no-go weather decision at 6 AM on Sunday morning. Call 609-889-4911 between 6:10 and 6:20 AM if you have any doubts about weather conditions.

Reports from Previous Years:

• 1999
• 1998
• 1997

Designed by