Irish Attitude's Adventures: (New) Jersey Shore

Tuesday, June 4 - Thursday, June 6, 2013

New Jersey is on the east side of the Deleware River. We timed our travels well and followed the current south. At our usual 1400 rpms we were moving 12.4 mph! We were flying! Just above the bottom tip of New Jersey is a canal that took us into Cape May. We stayed at Utschs Marina, a family run operation. Finally.... we spotted some looper burgees! Lady KK, In Our Element were the only names we recognize but that is the way things go on the loop. Cruisers cross their wakes and other are just setting off. As we were entering the canal with thought we heard Bill from Carried Away on the VHF. Shortly after we docked Bill and Joyce pulled in. They were accompanied by a few other loopers, more new people meet!
That night we went to dinner with our good friends off Carried Away and Rick and Margi on Journey, a Power Cat, Jim and Linda on the trawler Symmetry II and Tom, Melesia and her father Hank off the Monk trawler also named Journey. Hank is 90 years young and a real character. He reminds me of my Dad. Tom is a retired NCIS agent! We agreed to head up the Jersey shore at 6:30 the next morning. (Symmerty II would join us later, they were waiting on parts.)

Entering New Jersey

Welcome to New Jersey!

Ferry Boats

Canal to Cape May

Utschs Marina

Two Tables of Loopers
(Joyce, Bill, Melesia, Hank, Tom, Me, Jim, Linda, Margi and Rick)

Bright and early the next day we headed up the Jersey shore. Everyone agreed the outside route would be the safest, weather permitting. Hurricane Sandy had done a number to the New Jersey ICW area. 10,000 boats are still missing! Reports on Active Captain were of shoaling and grounding. None of us wanted to take the risk and endure the stress so, out to the Atlantic Ocean we went. (Mike read on Memsahib's blog that Paul said he had one hand on the wheel, the other on the throttles, one eye out front and the other on the depth finder and his blood pressure medicine on the dash. We laughed at Paul's descriptions and kept to our plan!

Cape May Harbor

Blessed with Calm Seas

Oh Wildwood (She's wild about me!)

The approach to Atlantic City reminded us of Chicago. Huge buildings were breaking out of the horizon. The difference is in AC the buildings are casino hotels. The real difference is at night! I had not been here since I was in high school. There were no casinos back then just quaint shops lining the boardwalk. The beach was wide and long. The pier had arcade games and a huge ferris wheel, gone with Sandy.

Atlantic City Forming Out of the Ocean

Atlantic City

The Pier is Small and the Ferris Wheel is Hard to Spot

A 1970's Picture I Found Online (thewentworth 1).

Absecon Inlet into Atlantic City's Harbor

It Was Sad Seeing the Damaged Boardwalk and Missing Beaches

Our group turned north into an anchorage before the bridge. Low tide and skinny water at the entrance but it was marked. Bill and Joyce had engine issues on the way up and we waited for them. They rode over in their dinghy to thank us and invite all of us to docktails on their boat. Mike and I took a dinghy ride around to the state marina by the Golden Nugget. We went ashore but there was not much to see with limited time.

Bill and Joyce Dinghy Over (Journey in background)

Neptune (Or Zeus?)

Journey (Monk) and Journey (Cat)

Carried Away

Light Show All Night Long on the Side of Harrah's

Not Real Clear But You Get the Idea

Thursday's departure time was 6 a.m. Crack of dawn brought on fog. Symmetry II pulled out of another anchorage and right in line. We were headed outside again planning to anchor in the bay around the tip of New Jersey's Sandy Hook. Mike got a weather alert on his phone warning that Hurricane Andrea, now down graded to a tropical storm, was headed our way, fast. She had been in the Gulf of Mexico, crossed Florida and was head up the Atlantic Coast. Are you kidding me! It's the beginning of June! Up North! Journey (Monk) turned into Manasquan Inlet and Carried Away and Journey (Cat) changed to Atlantic Highlands, further south around Sandy Hook. Symmetry II and Irish Attitude booked it for New York City. The water got rougher but was it the weather or the ferries from NJ to NYC?