Delaware's eerie glow and the intrigue of Chesapeake Lindsay McRory October 9, 1995 (Editor's Note: Lindsay continues to push south with a couple of his sailing buddies. Once to Norfolk, Virginia, he will head back to Halifax, Nova Scotia, by plane to collect his young family and return to Hakuna Matata to begin the voyage November 1.) It seemed like it wouldn't, but morning did come. By 10 a.m. we were past Cape May, heading up the Delaware Bay. Delaware Bay is a large shallow swampy place. There are no towns, no resorts, no anchorages. For those of us from the West Coast it reminded us of the lower Frazer River in British Columbia. While checking the engine room I was surprised to find the fluorescent lights were on. So I went to turn them off, but they were off. Hmmm. In fact, they couldn't be on in the first place because they only run off the generator or shore power. The generator wasn't on and we certainly were not plugged into a dock. We had happened upon the Salem nuclear power plant. We couldn't even see the place but it was generating enough stray electromagnetic interference to excite the gas in the fluorescent tubes. It was like taking a fluorescent light and placing it in your microwave oven. Turn on the microwave and voila, light. But we weren't in a microwave oven ... or were we? No one laughed at this scientific comparison. One can argue that the big power companies have done years of research and studies to tell us with a straight face that it is perfectly safe to live under high-tension electrical transmission lines and beside power-distribution stations. Reminiscent of the cigarette commercials of the 1950s that promoted smoking as safe and healthy. Cleans out your lungs, they said. Delaware City, Delaware is strategically located on the Delaware side of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal, it was the only place for us to pull in for the night. The Delaware City marina is located a half-mile down a thin canal. In fact, the canal was not much wider than Hakuna Matata's length. It was interesting turning the boat around in such a tight spot, but it was extremely well-protected. No rocking, no rolling, no wind whistling through the rigging. Perfect. Too tired to party, we were all in the sack by 9. It's only a few miles between the dismal brown banks of Delaware Bay and the head of Chesapeake Bay. The contrast between these two places is amazing. Large tasteful homes with manicured lawns lined the waterfront. Straw-covered mud banks gave way to trees and green vegetation. Chesapeake Bay is a pretty place. One can see the attraction it has for cruising. We figured you could probably spend six or seven months here probing the Chesapeake for its secrets. Not us; we blew by it in two days. We had the wind, we had the weather and we had a schedule. Next time I'm leaving the schedule at the dock. The end of this leg was much like the start. Lots of wind and lots of waves. We surfed into Norfolk Harbor under a reefed main and the number two jib. After sailing and living aboard for a month, it was time for the "big cleanup." We brought our storm-tattered sails into the local sail maker and closed up a few things. It was tough to leave the Hakuna Matata, but it was time to get the family and prepare for our return for the next leg. Norfolk to the Bahamas ... no schedule.