A day in Manhattan with a trip to West Marine and another Fairway visit for Carol.
Just one more night before heading out to catch a good weather window for the trip around the New Jersey Coast.
Sunday 5th October
It's an overcast and depressing day as we leave 79th Street Basin and head down the Hudson into New York's Harbour but amazingly there are a large number of sailboats out actually sailing.
We pass Ellis Island and of course here's the obligatory pic. of the herself.
And as we pass under the Verazzano Bridge and out into the Atlantic we are saying our goodbyes to New York.
The good life is a comfy cushion and being next to dad.
But we aren't going too far yet. Across from Long Island is Sandy Hook New Jersey and this great yachtsman's resource Atlantic Highlands with lots of anchoring space and mooring balls with facilities in a well-protected picturesque harbour.
Monday 6th OctoberMust make the most of the weather window so the next morning we're off to start the part where we must go out past the Jersey Shore for 120 miles of unprotected travel in the Atlantic. There is a limited number of places to go in and take shelter for the night and some people take the plunge and do the trip to Cape May non-stop which can take as long as 24 hours. With Buddy and his need to go ashore twice a day and a reluctance on our part to do that kind of sailing we elected to take the short trip to Manasquan inlet, lessening the trip to Atlantic City - the major leg.
The ocean is a whole different kind of sailing compared to what we're used to on say Lake Ontario. Although the waves were quite small compared to some we've experienced, they have more power and the boat is kind of tossed about like a toy. It's a bit unnerving at first but eventually you get use to it.
We decided on stopping at Manasquan also because we'd read on someone's web site that there was a restaurant there that offered cheap overnight docking if you ate there. With the dinghy up on deck (that was not easy due to a jammed halyard) and no anchoring available anyway, docking was the only option. Turned out not to be true so we ended up getting a deal on a fuel dock belonging to the Fisherman's Supply Store.
Manasquan Inlet is a serious fishing place.
Tuesday 7th October
7 am and we're heading out the inlet and back into the Atlantic for a longer slog to Atlantic City. We put up the main sail to help with teh motoring but there really isn't enough wind but the rollers are a bit bigger today but coming more from behind so less rocking for us.
We had a couple of passengers, a small bird and this fella - now we know how they make it to Mexico.
9 1/2 hours later we're in heading into the inlet at Atlantic City and anchoring in a beautiful area
with a splendid view of the Casinos.
At night we're treated to a light show on the side of the Harrah's Casino. Bear in mind this thing is over 500 feet high and is the tallest building in Atlantic City.
