The Chesapeake Bay has no set route, and Loopers will stop at towns in first Virginia then Maryland. Most Loopers traverse the “Bay in May” before the northern canal systems open. It can be challenging to navigate the Bay, due to frequent shallow depths.

The Chesapeake & Delaware Canal (C&D Canal) was cut across the northern Delmarva Peninsula to connect the Chesapeake Bay and the Delaware River, and thus the Delaware Bay. Over 25,000 commercial and recreational vessels utilize the C&D Canal every year, making it one of the busiest canals in the world.

There are no locks on this sea-level canal, but there is a small free dock in Chesapeake City adjacent to the C&D Canal Museum and Bethel Bridge Lighthouse.

The Delaware Bay is nestled between Delaware on it’s west side and New Jersey on it’s east side. The route through the Delaware Bay ends in Cape May, NJ, where Loopers cross the 3.3 mile Cape May Canal before entering the New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway.

The lower bay is largely marshes and mudflats, peppered with bird sactuaries and wilderness reserves. With strong currents, frequent shoals, and commercial traffic, Loopers need a good weather window to cross the Delaware Bay.