Day 1- All crewmembers arrived today and we began preparations for this circumnavigation of the Delmarva peninsula, a 400 mile advanced coastal training cruise that would include the Chesapeake and Delaware bays and 50 miles out into the Atlantic Ocean as we sailed from Cape Henlopen to Cape Henry. Student sailing experience and goals for this cruise were reviewed and preparatory assignments made. These included Navigator, Engineer, Boatswain and Emergency Coordinator and required students and Captain to work jointly inspecting the boat and its equipment, reviewing and practicing procedures for routine and emergency conditions, planning routes and navigation, analyzing weather reports, and planning meals and food provisioning lists. After a full day of work, we went ashore for a relaxing dinner.

Day 2- In the morning, we continued with inspections and preparations and, by evening, had the boat, its equipment and ourselves in pretty good order for the upcoming cruise. Again, dinner ashore and early to bed in anticipation of tomorrows early cruise departure.

Day 3- Arose early to have breakfast and conduct final pre-sail checks and we were underway by 0930. While going up the Chesapeake Bay to the C & D Canal, we conducted various navigation and safety exercises and arrived at Chesapeake City by late afternoon. 

Day 4- In order to enjoy favorable currents, we got underway again at midnight and transited the C & D Canal to Delaware Bay. The trip down Delaware Bay was a bit bumpy, and, by the time that we entered the Atlantic Ocean, some crew members were experiencing sea sickness. This, however, was not severe and everyone continued to perform their watchkeeping duties capably and polish their seamanship skills in the good winds that we were experiencing.

Day 5- Winds were out of the southwest, the direction we needed to go, so it was necessary to tack periodically offshore out into the Atlantic and again back toward shore. Progress was slow but consistent and we continued to make way toward our destination. 

Day 6- A fierce thunderstorm passed as we headed for the mouth of Chesapeake Bay and all navigation instruments subsequently failed. It was necessary to sharpen our manual navigating skills and calculate speed and distance for dead reckoning using classical methods, which was a very beneficial exercise for all crewmembers. (It was later determined that the instrument failure was not caused by lightening but resulted from an abraded power supply wire.) We docked at Salt Ponds Marina, fueled there and departed later on for Solomons Island.

Day 7- After taking on more fuel, we proceeded to the Choptank River and the town of Oxford, then to Knapps Narrows and finally St. Michaels where we negotiated the Miles River in the dark.

Day 8- In St. Michaels we toured the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and took The ASA#106 test during the morning. In the afternoon, we got underway and motorsailed to Annapolis. Finding it too crowded, we continued on to Rock Hall and managed to get into port ahead of another fierce thunderstorm. The students finished the exams, discussed their final questions of the trip, cleaned the boat and departed for home very tired but happy for their experience.
 

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