Our DELMARVA Training Cruise is a 400 mile, seven day cruise around the Delaware-Maryland-Virginia peninsula which separates to Atlantic Ocean from the Chesapeake Bay. This is a challenging, advanced coastal cruise, half in the ocean and half in the bay, sailing round-the-clock on the ocean leg, day and night, with rotating watches, cat naps, a variety of weather conditions, restricted visibility, safety harnesses, foul weather gear, ship traffic, radio contact, navigational challenges, landfall, port entry and much more. 

This is an advanced, hands-on learning experience for those who are planning to do some extended overnight cruises. Our emphasis is on seamanship, preparation, teamwork and safety.

Crew includes our Captain and five student crewmembers each with basic and intermediate sailing experience on large sailing yachts. 

On the first day all crewmembers will participate in a thorough inspection of the yacht and equipment, review heavy weather, safety and emergency procedures and equipment, purchase food provisions, stow gear, review navigation and watchkeeping plans, and complete readiness for sea checkoffs. 

On the second day we depart, head north up Chesapeake Bay with stops on some nights, sail through the C&D Canal, down Delaware Bay, round Cape Henlopen and turn south into the Atlantic Ocean. We’ll sail anywhere from 10 to 50 miles offshore depending on weather, around the clock, and reenter Chesapeake Bay at Norfolk and return to the cruise starting point.

For a cruise starting and ending at Lankford Bay Marina on the Chester River near Rock Hall, MD

Day 1

• 0930 Meet everyone; introductions; discuss general plan for the course and voyage. Review Blue Book: Offshore Training Cruises; evolved over several years for our ocean training cruises; portions used for this cruise. Assign billets: Student Captain, Navigator, Boatswain, Engineer & Emergency Coordinator.

• 1300 Prepare boat; each crew member follows assigned checklists in Blue Book. Provision for food & drink.

• 1600 Seminar: Each crew member explains duties and what they did today. Review of Safety Gear.

• 1800 Dinner; continued informal discussions of voyage and preparations.

Day 2

• 0600    Reveille & Breakfast on board.

• 0700 Perform Final Checks per Blue Book. File float plan in School office.

• 0800 Depart Lankford Bay Marina; start underway Logbook entries. Also use range light to check compass deviation. Proceed up Bay under sail or power as needed to make C&D Canal before dark. En route, use navigational opportunities as available to fulfill ASA Practical Requirements for Coastal Navigation and advanced Coastal Cruising; refer to ASA Logbook: Take bearings for positions, Estimate current set & drift; check compass deviation, estimated time of arrival, etc.

• 1300 Discuss all safety gear; review MOB recovery procedures under both sail and power; demonstrate recovery of a float under both sail and power using QuickStop & QuickTurn maneuvers.

• Be prepared for an unannounced man overboard drill sometime during this passage.

• 1630 ETA C&D Canal; dock at Schaeffers & top off fuel and water; discuss fuel consumption and calculate fuel consumption rate for various rpm’s.

• 1730 Anchor or tie up in Engineers Cove, Chesapeake City.

• 1800 Dinner -  Discuss plans for navigating Delaware Bay; lookup tide & current data; discuss and plan best time for departure. 

• NOTE: Captain has the option to continue on at this point if tide and currents are favorable or for other reasons; this will require negotiating Delaware Bay at night which can be dangerous given  heavy ship traffic, notorious shoaling, shallow water, strong currents, and steep waves in heavy weather. If possible we prefer a daylight passage through Delaware Bay.

• ALSO: At this point Captain should pay particular attention to weather and be prepared to abort  the Delaware Bay or Ocean portion of the cruise if he deems appropriate.

Day 3

• 0500 (or with favorable currents)  Reveille; weigh anchor  and depart.

• 0600 Breakfast underway in Canal; about a 2 hour passage; Captain prepares a big breakfast!

• RIG FOR SEA: Jack Lines; secure all gear; check safety equipment before entering Delaware Bay. Set Underway Watch Schedule; continue making log entries; brief crew on logbook requirements and Watch Duties.

• 0900 (or High Tide)  Reedy Point and down the bay. Discuss and practice navigation techniques; discuss traffic and how to avoid large vessels; use available opportunities to practice radio procedures, contact other vessels to discuss close approaches, radar visibility, etc.

• SAFETY DISCUSSION: Review MOB procedures, Fire Drill procedures, Abandon Ship assignments and procedures.

• 1700 Vicinity of Cape Henelopen; exiting Delaware Bay and entering Atlantic Ocean.

• NOTE: Captain has the option to continue on at this point or to abort the Ocean portion of this cruise if prudent in view of expected Weather/Sea conditions or other factors. Once in the Atlantic, the only options in case of severe weather or an emergency are to return to Delaware Bay or Cape May,  put in at Ocean City,  MD (not recommended) or continue on down coast to the Chesapeake Bay entrance.

• 1800 Dinner at sea. Plan for overnight Sail; Captain write night orders in the logbook; particular emphasis on identifying  and avoiding traffic, weather vigilance, navigational vigilance, safety procedures and sail/engine guidelines.

• NOTE: a significant portion of the crew may be sea sick at this point; the Captain should emphasize the importance of maintaining watch discipline and combating illness with fresh air and participation in ship’s work. Captain should prepare to be up and on watch at anytime during the night.

Day 4

• 0700 Reveille; all hands awake with possible exception of the Mid watch.

• 0800 Breakfast; according to Ships Routine in Blue Book.

• 0900 Clean up ship. Discussion of various topics including Navigation, Heavy Weather Sailing and Emergency Drills with particular emphasis on Offshore Coastwise Navigation, night navigational aides and the experiences of the previous night. Also, topics of sail trim and rigging and other issues as may arise. Review DR plotting techniques.

• 1300 Each student does a DR on Universal Plotting sheets and determines position using LOPs from land objects. When far enough off shore and out of sight of land, find a buoy or landfall using DR. Or, Captain uses GPS to find position and the closest DR gets a prize.

• 1800 Vicinity of Chesapeake Bay Entrance. Assign Student Captain and  Navigator for approach to Chesapeake Bay and Little Creek. Student Captain should be in charge, subject to review by the Ship’s Captain, to get the boat safely into port.

• 2000 Through Thimble Shoals Channel and on to Little Creek; possibly a night approach.

• 2100 Dock at Fuel Dock at Taylors Landing Marina. Brief & critique of  Student Captain & Crew accomplishments! Revise crew assignments for next day departure and cruise up Chesapeake Bay; rotate assignments daily for remainder of cruise so that each student gets a shot at all positions.

Day 5

• 0700 Reveille; all hands awake and breakfast.

• 0800 Student Captain & Navigator plan the day’s passage. Engineer top off fuel & water and pump out holding tank; compute fuel & water consumption of cruise to date; check engine oil & coolant levels. Boatswain check deck equipment, sails and rigging. Emergengy Coordinator check MOB and other emergency equipment.

• 0830 Depart; head north up the bay. Use available navigational and traffic opportunities to build navigational and seamanship skills and confidence.

• As much as practicable, Student Captain is in charge, delegating tasks; Navigator responsible for finding appropriate anchorage and harbor for the night.

• ALSO: Students study ASA Logbook topics for ASA exam.

• 1800 Enter harbor or anchorage. Weather and other conditions permitting, make this a night entrance.

• 1900 Make Student Crew assignments for next day; plan passage to arrive at St Michaels after dark.

Day 6

• 0700 Reveille; all hands awake and breakfast.

• 0800 Student Captain & Navigator plan the day’s passage. Engineer top off fuel & water and pump out holding tank; compute fuel & water consumption of cruise to date; check engine oil & coolant levels. Boatswain check deck equipment, sails and rigging. Emergengy Coordinator check MOB and other emergency equipment.

• 0830 Embark; head north up the bay. Use available navigational and traffic opportunities to build navigational and seamanship skills and confidence.

• As much as practicable, Student Captain is in charge, delegating tasks; Navigator responsible for finding appropriate anchorage and harbor for the night. Students study ASA Logbook topics for ASA exam.

• 1300 Review MOB recovery procedures under both sail and power.

• 2000  After dark, conduct nighttime MOB drill under power or sail with strobelight on float; demonstrate quick stop sailing and power maneuvers.

• 2300  Night approach to St Michaels; find red nuns  “8”, “10” & “12.”  Nun “12” is a must!

• 2400  Anchor or Dock at Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum.

Day 7 

• In Port - St Michaels

• 0700 Reveille; all hands awake and breakfast.

• 0800   Review ASA Log topics and other topics as needed in preparation for the ASA exam. Conduct docking drills/discussions including warping and Med moor. Review marlinspike & knot skills. 

• 1300  ASA written exam for those working toward ASA certification.

• 1700   Review Exam with Instructor. 

• 1830   Dinner; enjoy a visit to town.

Day  8

• 0600 Depart St Michaels for Lankford Bay Marina on the Chester River via either Kent Narrows or out into the Bay.

• 1200 Arrive Homeport, derig and clean boat following the Boat Cleaning Procedures.

• 1400 Award Cruise Completion Certificates; students depart. Captain/Instructor grades exams and submits ASA paperwork.

 

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