40°32′45″ N 74°8′34″ W

Aug 2 – Mansion Marina, NJ

We arrived at the Mansion Marina on August 2 at 3:00pm. The passage up from Barnegat Bay was pretty easy as the wind was on our stern & there was only a gentle swell on the water.

The photo above shows the Barnegat Light at the entrance to the bay – as we are headed back towards the ocean.

It’s a tricky entrance because the outer walls of the breakwater are submerged & generate breakers in the channel. This makes the water rough & does not allow any room for mistakes or you could end up on the rocks.

As we rounded Sandy Hook the sky ahead of us was darkening & we could hear thunder. We were still about 45 minutes from the marina so we started closing windows, etc. in anticipation of rain. The VHF radio also started to broadcast severe weather alerts for heavy rain & possible hail. Fortunately for us we made it into the marina before the storm hit & all we got in our area was a gentle, steady rain for a few hours.

The marina in Great Kills Harbor was ok but it did not have any amenities other than a single bathroom so we decided to leave a day early & head for New York. I found a marina that was across the Hudson River from NYC & fairly close to Newark Airport for our crew change on Sunday.

Cheers!

39°46′1″ N 74°6′20″ W

Aug 1 – Barnegat Bay NJ

We arrived at Barnegat Bay at 5:00pm yesterday afternoon. Originally we had planned on stopping in Atlantic City but we would have been there by 1:00pm & have given up several hours of good traveling time – so we continued on for another 4 hours….

The weather this week has been ideal for ocean shoreline passages. The winds are light & waves are less than 2 feet. However, the forecast shows the weather deteriorating by Friday this week so our goal is to get to NYC as quickly as possible so we don’t have to be concerned about ocean weather & wave conditions any longer.

We left Barnegat Bay at 6:30am this morning (photo above) & are headed to a harbor that is just “below” NYC harbor (screenshot below).

We will spend 2 days at a marina there & then move to another marina in Newark NJ that is very close to the Newark airport.

Sunday is crew change day. Ed flys home & Catherine (aka “the Admiral”) flys in to take Ed’s place.

With this crew change I’ll really have to clean up my act! No more wearing the same shirt for 3 or 4 days in a row & the Spam has to go overboard. On the positive side, I’m really looking forward to seeing Catherine again & sharing the next segment of the journey home with her.

I flew down to Jacksonville FL on June 30 & have not seen her since then. So it will be a big reunion in the Big Apple & cruising up the Hudson River will be fantastic!

The screenshot above shows our current position as I am writing this blog posting. Our chart plotter says that we are about 68 nm from our destination & will arrive there in about 9-10 hours. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned from years of sailing (& now trawling) it’s that patience is key to remaining sane. Enjoy the slower pace & make the most of it.

At our rate of speed the boat burns about 1.5 Imperial gallons an hour. That translates into about 13 miles per gallon. The other day I was talking to a fellow in a marina & was asking him about travel times & distances between that marina & the next one I wanted to go to. He said he had been at my next destination several times on his boat but that he travelled at 20+ knots (a lot faster that I can), so we were trying to “convert” the travel time to be relevant to my boat. During our conversation he asked me about my rate of fuel burn & then replied that his boat, a big Sport Fisher, burned about 120 gallons an hour at optimum cruising speed! So, going slow can be rewarding in more than one way – especially for a thrifty Scotsman like me!

Cheers!

38.9515° N, 74.9067° W

July 31 – Utch’s Marina Cape May, NJ

We arrived at Cape May at 4:30 yesterday afternoon. We made great time on this passage as the water was calm & we had lucky timing with the tide cycles.

We met several barges & freighters during our passage down the Delaware River & across the bay. Once we reached the Cape May Canal we met a car/passenger ferry that was headed across the bay to Maryland.

Cape May has several large marinas & is a hotspot for sport fishing on the ocean. We couldn’t believe how many boats there were – and this is only one of several marinas!

Last night Ed & I discussed our route north to NYC. We are now only 125 nm from Sandy Hook, NJ which is at the mouth of the Hudson River and New York City.

The route along the New Jersey ICW looked interesting but there are several places where shallow water could be a problem for even this boat with only a 3 1/2 foot draft.

The weather forecast for the rest of the week looks very promising with light winds & calm waters predicted for the New Jersey coastline so we decided that our next passage would be a few miles offshore on the ocean & then we would head inland to Atlantic City NJ which is about 40 nm north of Cape May.

We have also noted several spots along the way where we could head inland if the weather & water conditions turn bad on us.

As you can see in the photo above, things are looking pretty good at the moment (8:30am August 1).

Shortly after we got out of Cape May Harbor this morning & started heading north we passed by an area called Wildwood that had lots of high rise hotels & apartments on the shoreline. There even was a large amusement park with a roller coaster which I’m sure Emily would have liked to spend a few hours on.

Cheers!

39°31′17″ N 75°7′12″ W

(Our current position at this posting)

We left the Bohemian Bay marina at 6:00am this morning. It was cool & calm with the sunrise on our stern as we headed out of the bay.

We had a few miles to go before entering the C&D Canal & there were no other boats around.

The canal is about 20 miles long. Several high bridges cross over the canal. The water was as smooth as glass & plenty deep from end to end so we had no worries about running aground.

For the entire trip through the canal we only saw one other boat & it was a workboat from a nearby marina.

At 9:00am we left the canal & entered the Delaware River.

There’s big ship activity on this river. We have met several large ships & ocean going tugs & barges.

Our course even took us past a nuclear power plant (in the background of the photo above).

We were lucky & caught the tide going out towards Cape May. Our speed jumped from 6.5 knots to over 9 knots. That has lasted for a couple of hours & the tide is now turning so our speed is dropping as well.

Ed & I did not have much for breakfast & as we passed the nuclear power plant I remembered that we still had some Spam left over from yesterday’s gourmet lunch. So, now’s the opportunity to have some Spam & eggs for breakfast!

We dined on fried Spam, scrambled eggs & fried Minute Rice with canned mushrooms. Yummy! If anyone wants the recipe I’ll be glad to share it with you:)

It’s now approaching 1:00pm & we have about 26 nautical miles to go. That will take us about 4 more hours – unless we get another boost from the river current & tide.

I think I’ll use the time to search on the internet for some more Spam recipes.

Cheers!

39°29′9″ N 75°53′45″ W

July 30 – Bohemian Bay Yacht Harbor

Photo above – entrance to Bohemian Bay Yacht Harbor

We left Chesapeake Beach this morning at 6:30 am. Our dock neighbor Tami came down to see us off. That was a nice farewell from a new friend.

The weather forecast was for winds from the north below 10 knots with occasional gusts into the teens. These winds created whitecaps & wave patterns that met us head on as we travelled north up the bay. It resulted in a lumpy ride but I’d rather meet waves head on then have them coming at us on our port or starboard side. I like rock n roll but not in a boat!

We passed under the Chesapeake Bay Bridge which is actually a twinned structure with each bridge carrying traffic in a single direction. It is very impressive from the water.

Today was a beautiful day for sailing & through the morning & afternoon we saw dozens of sailboats out enjoying the wind & sunny weather. I cannot recall ever seeing so many sailboats on the water in one day.

Today we also passed some important milestones. First of all, we have now travelled the Chesapeake Bay from “bottom to top” &, more importantly, the first can of Spam on this boat was consumed for our lunch!

Ed & I dined on a gourmet luncheon comprised of Spam, processed cheese slices & Minute Rice – slathered in yellow mustard & all wrapped up in a soft tortilla! Talk about healthy eating-we know how to do it up right.

We arrived at the marina in Bohemian Bay at 4:30pm. It took us 10 hours to travel 61 nm. Not bad considering that we were heading into the wind & waves for virtually the entire journey.

It’s a half moon tonight & we are retiring early. Tomorrow is a big day – we will get up at 5:00am for an early start to travel through the Chesapeake & Delaware (C&D) Canal & then on to Cape May, NJ.

Cheers!