Rock the Boat - Lewes to Cape May and Back

Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse in the Delaware Bay just off Lewes 
near the ferry terminal

We went for a fun and inexpensive boat ride on a rainy evening last Friday.  The rain didn't dampen our fun on the ferry ride.  We danced to live music provided by the cover band, Glass Onion.  In fact, the light rain cooled things off nicely.  It was off and on for the trip from Lewes to Cape May but ceased and the float back was dry. 

This was a fun event and I highly recommend it.  The price was right.  It was unique.  What's not to like about a comfortable boat ride, snacks, drinks, available bathrooms (got to be practical here) and live music provided by a very friendly, fun-loving band. 

We saw the band first in Milford, Delaware in the amphitheater behind the library.  They announced to the crowd, as they threw Mardi Gras beads to the children, that they played every Friday evening on the Lewes/Cape May ferry and that you could buy ferry walk-on tickets for relatively cheap ($12?) and ride to/from just for fun and drinks, socializing, musical entertainment, and dancing if you are so inclined and brave enough (or tipsy enough) to, uh, brave the tipsying, I mean tilting deck as the waves occasionally gave us a little rock and roll of their own.  We did notice that a lot more people danced on the return trip then on the way out.  But then, it was raining a bit on the way out. 

This is at the ferry terminal on the Cape May side.  We were
paying particular attention because we'd like to take our boat,
the River Dancer, across the Delaware Bay and through the intercoastal 
canal and putz around on New Jersey's intercoastal side.

Looking east down the intercoastal canal at Cape May.

The beasty ferry approaches the terminal at Cape May. 

The Delaware bayside beach at Cape May. 

Intercoastal Canal at Cape May

A beautiful evening on Delaware Bay.

Thank you to the New Jersey ferry crew. 

When we got back to Lewes, we bellied up at the separate, four sided deck bar of Grain On the Rocks, excited about having a drink and dinner but even though the bar area was not at all crowded (maybe 3-4 other customers) the bar tended refused to make eye contact with us. She busied herself making drinks and maybe she was helping to make drinks for others at the outside tables on the deck or to help back up the bartenders serving drinks inside the restaurant.  But here's the thing.  A good professional makes eye contact to let you know she sees you and usually says something to the effect that she'll be with you in a minute.  Nada.  Nothing.  Just a sour puss expression that pretty much told us what we needed to know.  We gave it about five minutes and left before our fun experience on the ferry was sullied with a shitty end to the evening.  We then ambled over to the Rose and Crown, entering from the side street.  This bar was packed.  Yet the bartender immediately greeted us and invited us to sit anywhere at available high tops or booths.  He told us he'd be right with us and he was.  He apologized for the wait, though there really wasn't much of one.  He was moving right along, working his arse off.  We had prime rib and clam chowder and lovely drinks to end our evening.