Captain's Blog

  TRAVEL DAY 64 - Manasquan Inlet to Liberty Landing June 25, 2023 5.96 Hours/47.4 Miles     Today will be the first time we have had to run offshore since we left Crystal River and traveled to Tarpon Springs. This time it will be in the Atlantic. For this little slow boat, we wanted the best conditions we could get. The Camano Troll is a sturdy vessel and certainly can take a lot, the crew on the other hand can't take as much. Statue of Liberty     We timed our exit from Manasquan Inlet at low slack tide to eliminate as much of a beating out into the Atlantic. Another boat decided to leave earlier and suffered the consequences of a stiff tide by smacking their boat into the narrow railroad bridge opening. Luckily it was nothing some fiberglass repair couldn't fix but it reminded us that we need to plan for optimum conditions if at all possible.   The day was beautiful and winds were forecast to be out of the SW which would mean great sea conditions. We cle...

  TRAVEL DAY 62 - Cape May to Atlantic City June 23, 2023 7.13 Hours/51.3 Miles     I woke up early after a pretty quiet night and no howling of the wind. A light rain pattered the boat. I peeked out the windows and could see the breeze barely moving the flags on the docked boats in the marina. I had high hopes for today and was ready to fire up the Volvo and leave Cape May to my stern. Absecon Inlet, Atlantic City     We made a plan the night before with 2 other boats to set out at 7:30 am along the NJICW. The other 2 boats had second thoughts and decided to wait another day.  There was still a light rain, but I  felt like I had done my homework, so I crossed my fingers and prepared to shove off.  The Cape May Bay was pretty calm and as we proceeded up the NJICW the conditions didn't change. About 2 hours in some fog settled in, but the visibility was 3/4 of a mile or better and it didn't last long. After another hour the sun came out and we knew...

  TRAVEL DAY 60 - Philadelphia to Delaware City June 18, 2023 4.6 Hours/40.8 Miles     After 11 days back in Florida to take care of some family and business matters, we were back in Philadelphia and back on the boat. Philly was an interesting "off the Loop" stop but we were ready to continue on our adventure and head towards Cape May. Now for a twist. My crew received word that a family member was not doing well. We decided that it would be prudent to take this opportunity to go visit them. My youngest daughter filled in and came back with me to continue on the trip until the regular crew wrapped up the family visit. Goodbye Philadelphia     The new crew change would pose some challenges, mostly in training. Although not a difficult trip, once the captain and crew understand the day to day of the Loop the rest is just boat handling & itinerary planning. My new crew had a good understanding of boating as she grew up on the water and had gotten enough experie...

  TRAVEL DAY 57 - Havre de Grace to Chesapeake City May 31, 2023 3.11 Hours/22.9 Miles     We made a later than usual departure in order to time the tide into the C&D Canal (Chesapeake & Delaware Canal) as this narrow cut can provide currents that can top 5 mph. We wanted to be going in to the canal on an incoming tide. By the end of the day we would be sitting less than 2 miles from Delaware. Turkey Point Lighthouse     We topped off the fuel tanks prior to departure pretty sure that the price of fuel at some of our later stops would be higher. We exited the Susquehanna River, around Turkey Point and into the Elk River to transit the Delmarva Peninsula. The day was absolutely gorgeous with a light breeze, sunshine and virtually no waves. Barge & Tug     The current was pushing us out into the head of the bay at almost 10 mph, but once we entered the Elk River the water pushed back at almost 1 mph, but as per the plan, once we entered ...