[Rhodes22-list] Glorious Cruise or Ship of Fools ?

[Richard Arking]

A week from now my brother Bob and I  (ages 76 and 67) will be in Edenton
getting the "keys" from Stan and Rose for my newly recycled 1996 R22.  I
have been following the list for a long time so when Donna- my much better
half- and I  saw a dark blue hull gleaming at the Annapolis show last
October we were ready. The boat will soon be ready too, after a long
winter/spring of my sending "toys" from WM and Defender, et al to Stan to
add on ( such as Doyle's UPS triradial genniker- thanks, Mary Lou).   I
didn't listen to Stan when he would email me to stop spending money already
but I do want to listen to Stan and the List about travel advice for
cruising from Edenton to Brooklyn,NY.
I have charts for the whole route, from Edenton eastwards to the entrance
for the Dismal Swamp canal route via Elizabeth City north to Norfolk, then
up the length of Chesapeake Bay, the C&D canal, coasting the NJ shore to
Cape May.  Fellow Power Squadron members tell me that if the weather is
perfect enough  and the Jersey wind from the usual SW an R22 should be fine
for near offshore reaches to Absecon Inlet (Atlantic City) and next day
again 3-5 miles offshore to Barnegat Inlet and there enter  Barnegat Bay on
a slack tide to sail in Barnegat Bay northward toward Manasquan Inlet and
out for the final leg to Brooklyn. ( the ICW from Cape May  to Barnegat
Inlet is all motoring, no sailing and lots of bridge openings.)

(1) Are We Nuts?  Notice that Donna is driving back to Brooklyn from
Edenton...

(2) In the Chesapeake at this time of year how many nm might we hope to log
most days?
    I'm a little familiar with the area around Rock Hall, Chester River,
Annapolis and Magothy River from a brief cruise in 2008,  But the rest of
the Chesapeake is Aqua Incognita. Should we choose the east or the west
side of the Bay?  Which are the List-preferred anchorages, marinas, etc?
(3) Should we bite the bullet and stay in the ICW in South Jersey or try
close inshore if conditions are good?

Bob and I need and want advice on every aspect of this trip, the route, the
boat and anything else.
 For instance, what fuel consumption (gal/hr) to expect from a new Honda
9.9 hp , say, in still water and no wind at 5 kts?    Friends here say we
should have three  6 gal tanks aboard.: prudent or overkill? What size
tanks fit under the benches anyway? (a 22 L x 14 W x 10" H  or a 12 gal one
24" L x 18 W x 12 H ?), etc,etc
   Thanks to all in advance,  Richard Arking, s/v  (no name yet!),
Brooklyn, NY