Home Again, Home Again

We had a nice quiet trip down the Delaware Bay for once and even had a favorable current most of the way.

We anchored off the Coast Guard Station in Cape May, NJ and got a chance to say hello to friends on Exhale who we had crossed the Strait of Florida. After listening to the forecast the next morning, we decided to go past the inlet and travel the longer and more difficult route up the New Jersey Inland Waterway.

The inland route is full of twists and turns, very shallow water (particularly with the new moon), and bridges. The low fixed bridges (30 feet) make it impossible for most sailboats to use large sections of the Waterway.

We ended up trying to anchor behind Mordecai Island at Beach Haven when a gentlemen waved us over to his dock and invited us to tie up for the night. He even invited us to use his shower in the house. We declined the showers, but accepted the dockage. A very strong thunderstorm came through during the night and we were grateful for the security of the dock. New Jersey was beginning to look a lot better to us than in the past. A radio call to Exhale (which had to go outside in the ocean because of the low fixed bridges) as we went by Atlantic City revealed that they had NOT had a pleasant trip outside and aborted their trip earlier than planned.

The inland route does have some interesting sights, including the garish Atlantic City and the beautifully kept houses perching over the waterway.

We left early in the morning for a relatively short trip to Manasquan and worked our way carefully up Crabtown Creek to a tiny little bridge and the anchorage at Glimmer Glass. We were about to land the dinghy at a beach for a walk into town for a few supplies when another home owner shouted over and invited us to use his dock for our dinghy. Where was THIS New Jersey all the other times we had been through?

Another early start sent us out Manasquan Inlet for the trip across to New Jersey and New York. We went past Sandy Hook and through the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and took a left at the Statue of Liberty to the anchorage behind her at Liberty Park. We were there early in the afternoon but would have faced a strong adverse current if we had continued on through New York.

The anchorage is an interesting spot. During the day (Sunday) it was a main thoroughfare for jet skis and small fishing boats. There is a view of the Park and the Narrows Bridge. We were anchored off what we believe to be a new science center with what purports to be the largest IMax theatre in the world. The cruising guides all say that this is NOT the place to go ashore and leave an INFLATABLE dinghy as you explore the park. So we'll have to wait for a future road trip to see where we really were!

The next morning, we rode a strong current all the way through New York City and a lot of Long Island Sound. We passed close to the South Street Seaport and under the slew of bridges that feed the city.

Execution Rocks, Long Island Sound

With a bad forecast for the next day, we went all the way to one of our club moorings in the Thimble Islands off Stony Creek, Connecticut.

The next morning (May 19, 2010), we had another short trip -- this time on a rather cold rainy day -- to the mouth of the Connecticut River and our mooring in North Cove, Old Saybrook, CT. Home sweet home?

Outer Light, Old Saybrook

It will take a while to decompress and get back to "real" life. We'll fly to Dallas early in June to see our daughter Lyz and family just in time to celebrate grandson Mikey's 4th birthday. I'll post a final summary of this trip once we get a chance to go though the log and come up with various facts and figures.