One, two, three, four, five, six, SEVEN and EIGHT! In the last week, we crossed off two additional states along the Great Loop route. Before we get into that, let’s catch you up to speed on how we got there.

We had a fun day ahead of us once I returned to the boat in Annapolis after a couple of days away. When we pulled into Annapolis the week prior, we were unaware of the Naval Academy graduation happening the following week, which meant the Blue Angels would be in town. Everyone, and I mean everyone, told us that no matter what, we needed to stay for the performance — and we’re SO glad we did.

Future Loopers and AGLCA Harbor Hosts Scott and Amy invited us to watch the show from their boat in the middle of the Severn River, and I think we had some of the best seats in the house. Just a couple of hundred yards away from where we were anchored was the sectioned-off area for the pilots to do their famous “Opposing Knife Edge” maneuver. That area was later where Fat Albert hovered dangerously close to the waterline. Seeing this performance from the water was definitely a highlight of our Loop so far and won’t soon be forgotten. 

Once the weather cleared up a few days later, we hoisted the dinghy and pushed off the mooring ball after 11 nights (our longest stop yet). Our original plan was to cross the Chesapeake Bay over to the Eastern Shore and anchor in Rock Hall. However, once we were well underway, we figured if the winds stayed low and the forecast stayed safe, we might as well make the most of the good weather day. Instead of a 28-mile day like we intended, we ended up crushing 51 miles all the way to Chesapeake City, Maryland. 

Our time in Chesapeake City was also a highlight on our Loop so far. Our anchorage was well protected and a short dinghy ride to all that the town had to offer. We finally tried Maryland crab and fell in love with it, randomly met Cooper DeJean at the Chesapeake Inn (Philadelphia Eagles cornerback and Super Bowl champion), and stumbled upon Jimmy Buffett’s fishing boat, Last Mango. 

From Chesapeake City, it was finally time to cross into another new state, which brought us to Delaware City — our first and only stop in Delaware. We stayed two nights at the Delaware City Marina, which tends to be a Looper favorite along the route. The marina is well-known for its daily weather and route briefing that sets cruisers up well for a safe Delaware Bay crossing. 

Speaking of which, we couldn’t have asked for better conditions during our time in the Delaware Bay. It’s important to pick a good weather window and use tides to your advantage as the route is over 50 miles from Delaware City to Cape May, New Jersey. Our only regret (but mostly out of our control since we needed a good weather day) was that we pulled into Cape May on a beautiful Memorial Day afternoon. The boat traffic was the most we had seen since leaving Florida in February. Instead of anchoring, we made the call to stay one night at the Canyon Club Marina for peace of mind and a good night’s rest. 

We hope that by our next check-in, we are in New York and will have traversed the entire New Jersey coast. Cheers to continuing the adventure!