Atlantic City to Sandy Hook
June 18, 2013
After way too much salt water taffy and a one pull win on the slot machines, we left Atlantic City at 0530 yesterday. We were the only vessel leaving at that time which caused me to wonder if they knew something we did not. The seas were big lumpy swells with very little wind to add to the mix. Initially, we hoisted the headsail to reduce the rolling but later deployed it fully to add to our motoring speed. The first part of the day was dealing with hip rollers that made the ride just plain weird. Then our course changed and that brought the swells dead astern, which added to the boat speed. Our highest on the back side of one was 9.5 knots. We reached Sandy Hook and some rough thunderstorms after twelve and a half hours. We were tired.
Instead of anchoring near the Coast Guard Station just around the corner at Sandy Hook, we took a mooring buoy at Atlantic Highlands. It is a pretty place but its harbor was devastated by Hurricane Sandy last year. We retired well before sunset since no one came to collect the mooring fee. Scurv and I went to shore this morning to pay and found out that the moorings are not for rent. Oops! Did not see that in the guides. Why Knot and her crew beat feet to the anchorage at the Coast Guard Station on the Hook to plan for the challenge of sailing through NYC on the East River to enter Long Island Sound. To those like us who have never done that before, the guides all strongly mention the need to plan the passage due to the big time currents in the River. They can be over four knots so this will be our first time to really plan based on current. While the trip of around 14 miles is spectacular, we will share it with perhaps the heaviest traffic in the US. One is cautioned not to be a nuisance and stay the heck out of the way. Homeland Security will not take ignorance as an excuse for breaking the rules. If you bother them or the locals, the first time fine can be $27 grand. OK, so this Texas crew, never having been here before and never dealing with currents this way will attempt to time it right and not get in the way. If there are no further blog entries after tomorrow, you will know we blew it.