10/21/2009, Cape May, NJ
Tonight something is happening on Ishmael that we never would have expected. Kooper is having a sleepover. That's right we have two dogs on board. Our friends, Karen and Richard from s/v Trefoil, are having problems with their centerboard. The only way they could get it fixed was to have Trefoil hauled out of the water. The problem is that Colby, their 96 pound black Labrador doesn't climb ladders. And at his size nobody is excited to carry him up the ladder. Since the two dogs seem to get along we offered to take Colby for the night. It seems to be going well.
After spending 6 nights in Atlantic City we headed to Cape May, NJ on Tuesday morning. We left early thinking it would be a much shorter day than the trip from Manasquan to Atlantic City. In terms of distance it definitely is shorter but with the winds on the nose and the waves coming towards us most of the day we made poor time. We were almost ten hours going the 40ish miles to Utsch's Marina. (This is a great marina and they have a really customer focused staff.) On our way here we were past by friends on their boat Scenic Route. We first met them in Erie, PA and they are also from Michigan. Lon made his boat. That is picture of it up above.
Cape May has a relatively shallow entrance but it is well worth the visit. It is a beautiful town with a very quaint downtown area. It is full of unique and one-of-a-kind shops. Karen and I went for a stroll through the area before heading to the hardware store and then to the grocery store. We had to do some major provisioning or Ben was going to start a mutiny. We don't ever seem to have enough food on board to keep him full.
If you ever get the opportunity to stop in Cape May, whether on a boat or by car, do so. I certainly wish that we had been storm stayed here rather than Atlantic City. Not only is Cape May a much more comfortable place to be docked, but if we had been here we could have done all of our provisioning and laundry before today. That way we could have spent this beautiful day heading up the Delaware Bay. It was in the 79's here today and the sun was shining with light winds (not so good) and flat seas. As it is we will give Colby back to his parents early tomorrow and head out the inlet in the morning. We do hope that Karen, Richard and Colby get Trefoil back in the water tomorrow and maybe they will catch up in a little while.
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10/17/2009, Atlantic City, NJ
Well, we're still in Atlantic City waiting for the weather to improve. It looks like we'll be here until at least Tuesday. Yesterday, after Ben had finished his schoolwork, he and I went to the Atlantic City Aquarium. It's small, but if was very well done. It's a three story building and they have made the top floor an observation area. From there we could see the ocean and the entrance, Absecon Inlet, to the Atlantic City area. Even with the winds being lighter the water between the jetties was like a huge white water rapids. Not some place I'd want to be in a boat.
The part of Atlantic City where we are is very quiet and quaint. We can see all of the casinos and the lights from the buildings are so bright at night that the sky never gets dark, even where we are docked. But right by our marina, which runs $1.50 a foot instead of the $3.00 a foot at Trump's Marina, everything is more like a small fishing village. It's actually kind of funny looking across the water and seeing pretty beach styled homes lining the shores of the bay with great looming casino hotels in the background.
From the boat we can see the pretty white and red buildings of the Coast Guard across the bay and the tops of the fishing fleet, which is docked further down the bay. We are only a block or two from several small restaurants that have great food and a real neighbourhood quality about them. There is also a small grocery store/deli, a pizzeria, a Chinese food restaurant and a liquor store all within easy walking distance. The aquarium, which is associated with the marina, is a stones throw away and the admission is part of the docking fees. Plus today, if the weather co-operates even a little, the aquarium is hosting an Octoberfest weekend and they will host a craft sale.
On the down side; there are not any showering facilities (although George is setting our shower up today), the restrooms are only open during the day, there are not any local laundromats, there isn't a full sized supermarket anywhere in Atlantic City and parts for boat repairs are not readily available. However you can reach most of those things by taxi or you can wait and find them in Cape May. We have been told that Cape May is the place to provision and prepare for the trip up Delaware Bay and down the Chesapeake Bay. So we'll wait.
The picture above is one I took while entering Absecon Inlet.
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Harvey
10/14/2009, Atlantic City, NJ
Below are several pictures from the many days that we didn't have internet. Actually we had internet but we are having trouble with the alternator charging our house batteries.
We left Haverstraw on Sunday morning. We stayed for two days trying to get caught up on a few things before we headed toward the Atlantic Ocean. The marina in Haverstraw had a big party on Saturday night and so we were a bit late leaving because nobody showed up for work and we couldn't get any ice. We also realized just how close we were to New Jersey. Saturday night Ben heard a lot of yelling and weird noises and then in the morning we woke up to find the finger dock beside Ishmael was covered in blood. But no it wasn't the mafia and they were not investigating a crime scene, it was just a couple of brothers, about 12 and 15 who had got a little boisterous. (The yelling was the father telling them what's what.)
When we left Haverstraw, heading for New York, we started traveling with a very nice couple that we met. They have a dog too and hop down the New Jersey coast instead of running all the way to the Delaware Bay. They showed us a great little anchorage by Liberty Park Landing on the New Jersey side of the river and it was within sight of the back of the Statue of Liberty. However, when we pulled anchor we were more than a little grossed out by whatever was on the anchor. It wasn't sand. It was both black and greasy. But it provided for great holding and we were close to a launch ramp that was next to a park that was great for the dogs to walk.
Since we started this trip there have been a few things that have concerned us while planning. One was the locking process, another was getting through New York Harbor. Well the Erie was easy and on Sunday and Monday the New York Harbor was not much of a challenge either. Of course it helped that we had somebody with experience leading the way. But the harbor was no rougher, wave wise, than Benton Harbor on a weekend when the wind is blowing in between the jetties and the river is moving the other way. And as far and marine traffic, we've been to Grand Haven on a long weekend and that was way scarier than the traffic in New York Harbor. Not only that the captains in NYH follow the proper rules of navigation.
Monday night we arrived in Manasquan. It is a beautiful fishing town. Not at all of what you think of when you think of New Jersey. The bay we anchored in was about 100 feet off a beach that the dogs could run free. The live on the beach, besides the many dogs been exercised, kept Ben intrigued as well. We stayed two nights there because of a small craft warning on Tuesday. So we spent a lot of time on the beach and in Manasquan. For a good part of the day there was a science class doing research and collecting marine life for their classroom aquarium. I tried to get Ben to join them, but no way would he even consider joining.
Wednesday we left Manasquan in front of a gale warning that had been issued for the area. The call was for an infamous nor'easter and we know enough to know that our perfect little anchorage had one big draw back. No protection from a strong wind from the northeast. So off to Atlantic City we headed were we could find a marina that was actually protected from the coming winds.
On our way to Atlantic City we were joined by several little birds just as we left Manasquan. One of them, pictured above, spent the whole day with us. He covered every inch of Ishmael. Our little hitchhiker was in and out of the cockpit and he even ventured below into the saloon. A couple of times I spotted him in the cockpit combings. He rode in the dinghy for a while and he stood on the bowsprit a few times. We started to suspect that he might have a gambling problem and sure enough when we headed in at Atlantic City he completely lost control and couldn't get to shore fast enough.
We also spotted a pod of dolphins while we passed Little Egg Inlet and earlier George saw a small whale broach. That combined with the crabs, flying fish, clams and jellyfish at Manasquan have got Ben really excited about what else he'll find on this trip. He really is a kid that loves the beach and the water.
Well the nor'easter is still coming and it looks like we won't be moving until Monday at the earliest. At that point George has to go on a training session. Ben and I are not sure if we'll go home or stay with the boat. If the storms are to continue I think we'll stay so we can keep an eye on the lines.
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For those of you who were wondering how Kooper got on and off the boat when we are at anchor, here's the answer. When we have our dinghy pulled all the way up on the davits it is level enough with the stern of Ishmael that Kooper can simly jump into the dinghy. We than lower the dinghy with Kooper in it and when the dinghy reaches the water we all climb down the ladder and join him. When we return we just reverse the operation.
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