Pros and Cons of the two choices


C&D Canal Route		Offshore Route
Pros		Pros
Can stop along the way at daily checkpoints and avoid overnight transits		Easy navigation - no land to get in the way
Can do a detour to Philly		Better breeze, more sailing if you're on a sailboat
Easier for short-handed crewing - less time on watch duty		Open ocean experience, with extended passages in magical ocean swell
More protected in case of weather disturbance		Offshore rules of the road
More direct route to the North		May be shorter time though longer distance
Cons		Cons
More complex navigation relative to land and traffic		Need to establish and execute watch schedules
More complex timing to catch the tides		Crossing shipping lanes can be a bit intimidating, especially at night
Inland rules of the road		Must go South to head North from most destinations on the CB
More planning for stopovers		Less desirable in questionable weather - fewer options for finding a safe port if a storm blows up offshore
Generally less scenic (esp. DE Bay), at least for our taste		Harder to get help if something goes wrong