Day 62 - Thu 28 May 2015
Docked - Beach Haven, NJ

[photo: Diane, sister Shirley, and friend Florinda]

We were glad to have secured all the cushions and Bimini last night because it continued to howl until we are asleep and probably long beyond. Fortunately, when morning came, the wind was not nearly as strong. We weighed anchor at 0645 and it was a struggle to get the anchor out of the mud. It held us very well all night, as we wanted, but it was a big mess to raise. With the washdown hose not really working effectively, it just left a huge splattering of sticky mud all over the foredeck.

We decided to start both engines and have Diane carefully monitor the temperature of the port engine. I deliberately left the port engine's power setting lower than normal, and added power to the starboard engine as needed. As expected, we were fighting the ebbing current for the first part, then getting a slight boost as we neared the Little Egg Inlet.

At one point, we turned a corner and saw a trawler out of the marked channel by perhaps 20 feet downwind and listing about 45 degrees. You could see the propeller and rudder completely exposed. I slowed down to reduce our already small wake and see if someone needed help. There was a dinghy floating aside, but no sign of activity. We both felt very sad for the owners and carried on.

Once we were headed N past the inlet, the current was rather strong against us. Also, the chartplotter data were a joke since Super Storm Sandy roared through here in 2012. The navigational marks and buoys were often in very different locations and the physical marks guided us over spots which were formerly charted as too shallow for navigation.

We tied up at the Beach Haven Yacht Club and Marina in a strong current and gusty winds; it took a while, but we got it done. The dock hands got a good tip today. Diane readied the interior of the boat and I got to work with the horrible mud stains all over the boat from weighing anchor this morning. Diane then put all the cushions back on and we got ready to receive Diane's sister, Shirley, and her friend, Florinda.

In the meantime, we saw that Aunt Aggie was docked here as well and we got to chat all too briefly with George and Martha. They had been traveling with the grounded trawler (I'll withhold the boat name). A short while later, I saw a woman with a dog and quickly found out they were 2 of the 3 crew onboard the stranded trawler. She and the dog were brought back here on a towboat and her husband stayed aboard.

Her story is that they were traveling in the narrow channel at high tide and after they turned that sharp corner, the captain heard a sound he thought meant he hit a crab pot buoy. To avoid wrapping the line around the prop, he put the transmission in neutral. Apparently, with the strong current and gusty winds, the boat was pushed out of the channel quickly and he could not get himself off. When the boat started listing, fuel started leaking out of the vent (the tank was full, of course).

She reported that TowBoat US had been out twice at the supposed times of high tide with no success. As she was told, and I can easily understand, these strong S winds for the past week have literally blown a lot of the water out of that section of the waterway. Running aground at high tide just made it all the worse. The wind switched to blow from the N tonight so that should help their situation a lot and we hope for a satisfactory resolution.

Shirley and Florinda arrived about 1300 after checking into their motel and having lunch. They would have been welcome to stay overnight on the boat, but it turns out that even the gentle rocking at the dock was enough to make them both very queasy. We visited for a while and then set out in their car to drive down to the S end of Long Beach Island. The wind was still strong and although it was not really cold, the wind chill made it seem so.

We tried to go to the Maritime Museum, which is fabulous, but only open Fri-Sun. One of the things I noticed were many hand-lettered signs in the various store windows showing when they would be opening for the season. I would have thought Memorial Day was the start, but apparently mid-Jun is the target for most stores. With no luck in that section, we stopped at the Black Whale for a drink at 1500.

Next, we drove back to the center of town, parked, and the ladies wandered from street to street shopping. I mostly stayed outside, but occasionally there was a store with lots of those funny sayings for sale and I entertained myself with them. Diane was enjoying herself being able to shop with 2 other women.

Around 1800, we got back to the boat, visited a bit more and then walked across the street from the marina to Tucker's restaurant. The prices were on the high side, but the food, drink, and service were quite good. By the time we were done, it was late (for us) so we said goodbye for the night. We will meet again tomorrow for breakfast. Clyde got his walk on the dock and it was time for bed.

We will be here again Fri night and then leave early to make Forked River on Sat to visit with my mother, brother, and other sister-in-law.