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