We left the campground in plenty of time to catch the 11:15 Ferry to Cape May. As we had to use the ”:dump” for the black and gray water, it took an additional 10-15 minutes to accomplish that. As it was, we were about 1.5 hours early for the Ferry.
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| The entrance and parking lot at the Lewes Ferry |
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| A view ofthe Ferry facility when leaving for Cape may. |
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| The lawn adjacent to the Ferry has a huge lawn where they hold special events like this car show. Can you name the black car on the left? |
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| There is even an outdoor bar facing the Ocean on the huge deck. |
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| A view of the Ferry dock after just leavng the pier. |
The ride was quite smooth and some had occasion to see a whale (not us,… we were too late) and see the “Pilot boat” take a pilot out to a Tanker that was heading for one of the local ports like Trenton, Philadelphia or Wilmington. Which brings up the ‘
Pilots Association’ as it is a huge business for the pilots in the area. In years gone by there were pilot cutters (sail) that would try to be the first to send a pilot to an incoming ship. Many chases ended in battles. That stopped when this Association was formed.Here is a partial story of the association. As the Bay is filled with shoals, reefs, shipwrecks and other obstacles, the large ship captains are not familiar wth the waters, so a trained ,local pilot is needed to guide the ships to port.
(Copy)
Founded in 1896, The Pilots' Association for the Bay and River Delaware is one of the oldest state pilot organizations in the nation and a recognized world leader in the technology, training, and accountability of piloting.
Delaware River & Bay pilots are highly trained and experienced mariners responsible for the safe navigation of commercial vessels on the Delaware River & Bay and its tributaries, the Schuylkill & Salem Rivers and the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal, from the Atlantic Ocean to the head of navigation in Trenton, NJ.
The Pilots typically have extensive maritime backgrounds and train for 3 or 4 years under the guidance of experienced pilots, prior to being issued their State and Federal licenses. After completing their initial training pilots undergo regular continuing education, including bridge resource management, emergency shiphandling and navigation technology, as well as other types of instruction on full mission bridge simulators and manned models. They also are trained in anti terror methods but that does not interfere with their main goal and that is to bring the ships safe to their destination,
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| The Pilot Boat sped past us to reach the tanker. |
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| It was small and built for speed. |
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| The pilot boat reached the tanker and waited for the ladder to descend. |
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| Looking closely, you can see the pilot on the ladder (near the bottom) starting to ascend to the ship. |
The Ferry facility is a massive one and I believe the finest one I have been to in our many years of travel. There is plenty of room, lots of tables and lounge chairs, food , drinks and an excellent biography of the building of this Ferry facility which had been on the drawing board for 30 years.
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| This is the Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse near Lewes |
We arrived after a 1.5 hour journey on the ship, and found our campground in Cape May area. Getting into the camp site was very tricky as there were many trees to keep from backing in ”right handed” so after a reroute to get pointed the other way , I finally was able to get the trailer in the site. We used the remaining time to catch up on some correspondence and photo labeling. It seems like there is never time to keep up to date.
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| The east Breakwater light |
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| The tight turn to get the trailer into the site. |
Tomorrow we will begin to explore Cape May County and expand that bird count.
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