Up the New Jersey Coast
22 May 2007 | Barnegat Inlet, Delaware
Jim Lea
Yesterday (Monday) the wind was out of the north, as forecast, so we decided to stay another day in Cape May. For the morning we did some chores. I changed the oil in the engine, and all the fuel filters. There are three on the engine and two on the generator. The only one that looked dirty was the primary filter on the engine. And it always does after about 100 hours. But its best to have them clean, as a dirty filter is a great way to get into engine trouble when you least need or expect it. I also had a few more strainers to clean, and I operated all the thru-hull fittings, just to make sure they don't seize up. Then we headed in to get some fuel. We carry 150 gallons in two tanks, and were only down by 40 gallons, but we decided to fill up here as it will probably be our last convenient place to do it before Maine. After that, we headed ashore and walked into the town of Cape May, about 2 miles from the harbor. It is a really pretty town (we had gone through it in the fall, too) with a lot of Victorian houses. They were originally large summer homes, but many are now B&B's. And all are extremely well maintained. The paint jobs are fantastic with every color of the rainbow represented somewhere in town, and each home has detailed finish work, all painted in accent colors. After wandering around looking at the homes, we went into a grocery store to re-stock, and with a load of groceries, called a cab to take us back to Utches Marina, where we had left the dinghy. Back at the boat we just had time to put everything away when Mac and Sandy Yuile, from Peterborough, arrived for drinks. We met them in Cape May last fall, and, although we saw their boat anchored in St Augustine, had not seen them since. So it was quite a coincidence to run into them here again. We had a good time talking about our winter experiences. They spent it in the Florida Keys. The wind forecast for the next few days is for light southerlies. The direction is great, but the strength means that we will be motor-sailing. This morning (Tuesday) we headed out of Cape May and up the shore to Barnegat Inlet. We decided to head here and look at the weather tomorrow and, if it holds, we'll head across to Block Island, bypassing New York City and Long Island Sound. So today was a bit of a boring day of motor-sailing up the New Jersey coast, passing mile after mile of high rise condos on the beach, and of course, the spectacle of Atlantic City and its huge buildings visible for miles. But other than that, a quiet day on the water. Barnegat is not a highly recommended inlet in any of the guides, and because the channel shifts frequently, the marks are not shown on the charts, so we had little to go on as we approached. The only other information we had was not to enter if there are waves breaking in the entry. I called the local Coast Guard and they told us the conditions in the inlet (2'-3' waves, no breakers), but offered little else. So we just headed in, and after a careful approach, we were able to pick up the marks and follow them in, to find 2 marinas and a large yacht club, plus a large fishing boat fleet. And we found a very snug anchorage, well protected from all winds. A great find! Tonight, monkfish with a salsa, broccolini and Carolina rice! And... of course, a nice cold chardonnay! And tomorrow, New England (well, tomorrow we cross, and expect to arrive early Thursday morning).