October 3, 2011
Cape May, NJ
Brooklyn Bridge from the East River
Well, it has been quite a run and the first leg of our brief journey is over. I’ve showered at Utsch’s wonderful bathrooms and feel like a whole $10! But, I didn’t feel that way most of the trip.
Better reason prevailed and we did NOT leave upon my arrival. The weather on the Sound had been crappy all day. Pat was worn out from preparing. I was tried from my flight. We decided to stay tied to the dock and depart at first light.
Pat enjoying his coffee during a dreary start on Long Island Sound
Up at 6, a quick trip to Dunkin’ Donuts, and we were on our way about 7:20 am. Pat’s new Yanmar engine still had break-in time left, so we planned to motor down the sound. However, it was a bumpy ride and the old fuel in the tanks stirred up the sludge in there and clogged the filter in the fuel line. I set to sailing and Pat went below and set to changing filters.
Because the wind was out of the north, we sailed most of the way to the East River and then motor sailed through Throg’s Neck and down past Manhattan without any fanfare. It actually rained on us when we got to NYC.
Needing to take on additional fuel, we decided to head across New York Harbor & the Hudson River to Liberty Landing Marina, where they have diesel, a four hour free tie up and a nice restaurant. We ate and drank like sailors, while everyone else was dressed in their Saturday night’s best. I was embarrassed for a minute, then the scurvy sailor in me took over and we set to pillagin’ and plunderin’ the fine folks at Liberty Landing.
Lady Liberty as we sailed by at night
After we’ve had our fill of food and pretentious people, we left and decided to move down to Great Kills Harbor to anchor for the night and get some shut eye. No trip from Liberty Landing is complete with out sailing by Lady Liberty and tipping our hat. From here it was a quick two hour run down to our chosen anchorage at Staten Island.
Great Kills is a wonderful anchorage, in that it’s protected from all most every direction. We dropped the hook and hit the bunk for a great nights sleep. Long day, but we came right on through with out a hitch.
The morning would be another story.
Rainbow over a rough Atlantic
We had figured a twenty hour over-night run to Cape May, with potential bail outs at Mansquan, Barnagat, Absecon (Atlantic City) inlets. We would avoid Atlantic City at all costs, with the exception of needing fuel, after last year’s adventure there. So, for us, it was Cape May or bust. Little did we know. . .
Wanting to arrive in the morning, still figuring our twenty hour rule, we left around 2 p.m., thereby expecting arrival at 10 am. The Atlantic, however, had different plans. Weather was on the nose the WHOLE way there and we ended up motoring the entire trip. From Sandy Hook to Atlantic City, the wind and waves were on the nose and we spent the evening and night climbing mountaing and surfing down the backs of them. It was a constant pounding with intermittent bouts of thunderstorms thrown in.
Coast Guarge in action
Once abeam of Atlantic City, two-thirds the way down the New Jersey coastline, we checked and found we had plenty of fuel to keep going, so we decided to keep moving, gladly avoiding Atlantic City. Even the Hooters at the Trump Marina wasn’t enough to lure me in. The seas were laying down. Pat came on watch about 6 am and I hit the bunk. In a few hours, Pat woke me to Home Land Security boats and a Coast Guard helicopter doing exercises off the Atlantic City shore. The scene that struck me, however, was how different the seas were. There was no wind and the water reflected the view like a distorted, warped mirror as the waves continued.
next morning glass on approach to Cape May, NJ
We pressed on regardless, entering Cape May Harbor and arriving at Utsch’s around 4:30 pm, at mild six hours later than anticipated, having sailed exactly zero of our 123 total miles covered during our 26 hour leg of this trip.
Best part, Utsch’s give all transient boats a free bottle of their private labeled blueberry wine, which isn’t all that good, but after 26 hours and a hot shower, who cares! G’nite.
– Steve