Wednesday 2 October 2013

Jersey Shore

Hello everyone. Sorry it's been so long to get something posted but I can't beat myself up about it as some things are out of my control - I've been reading a great book than't helping me stay grounded - Thanks Jen!

Well the last week has been wonderful. Weather has stayed in our favour. Rain has held off and the temperatures during the day still have a hint of summer in them. Nights are cool and getting colder every day. We had the electric heater on last night.  The leaves have started to turn as fall sets in.



We have spent some time out on the Atlantic, a couple of fabulous sailing days with 20 knots of wind on our aft quarter. We are thrilled how are new sails are running.



am

pm

Leaving NYC we followed the Jersey Coast south and made our first stop in Manasquan Inlet at a place called Brielle and spent 3 nights at dock as no real options for anchoring available.
Had a great few days taking in the sights and sounds, including a seafood festival. Very expensive docking fees, almost as much as NYC, a bit shocking. Al ended up getting the days mixed up (happens when your retired) and booked us into the marina on the wrong day, oops. Had to take a different dock for the night.

Jersey Shore at Point Pleasant


Manasquan Inlet


Crazy  pier docking, quite a jump in low tide
From there we ended up in Atlantic City.  Not as exciting as we had thought it would be (without spending money) and ended up leaving 1 day earlier than we had planned.  

Next was Cape May which we loved. Spent one whole day biking and exploring. Cooked and ate my first feast of Mako Shark, delicious, even though I couldn't google how to cook it!


Atlantic City




Cape May


We headed up the Delaware Bay with great weather and a gentle push up to Chesapeake City under motor. Another wonderful place where we spent 2 days at anchor and 1 on the free dock. Biked and walked around a town that still resembles an error when the canal was built in the early 1800's.  Oh, and the Crab fries, amazing. Its like the East Coast version of Canadian Poutine - french fries topped with fresh crab and covered in a cream sauce, OMG.





Met some great people and had our first boat party on board.  A few cocktails into the night Al convinced Brian, one of our guests, to join him in letting me shave their heads (sorry Anne), I don't think I did an awful job but both of them probably need a bit of touching up!




looking good after guys.




Two things that keep repeating themselves on this leg of the trip has been 1. the incredible number of crab pots that scatter the waterways and are extremely difficult to see. And 2. is how quaint and beautiful all these little places that we are coming across. Picturesque waterways where fishing is obviously a big part of everyday life, both commercial and pleasure. With beachside holiday hotspots and amazing architecture and history.


Look closely, you can see the crab pot buoy.

We have been getting great use out of our bikes, definitely worth dragging them around.  One day we ended up going around 9 miles on the hunt for farm fresh eggs. Well, happily that's exactly what we found only 5 minute bike ride from our boat!. A wonderful couple ran a little honour "store" where they sold eggs, and local organic meat.  We got a bit excited as there was no grocery store to be had in Chesapeake City and proceeded to fill our back pack!

The farm land around this area was so beautiful, filled with spectacular horse farms.



hit the jackpot for eggs

The boat is holding up well with no surprises or real issues yet.  One area, other than internet, that is driving us CRAZY is the ridiculous effort and no return in finding a place that will fill our propane tanks.  We never would have thought this to be such an issue. Hopefully our next stop we'll have better luck.
Well we seem to be braking the budget weekly. Although we haven't started to loose sleep over it yet, we are hoping that things will start to even out soon!  

Hope all is well with everyone. 


you never know who you'll meet.




2 comments:

  1. Hi guys! We are loving the blog and look forward to checking it now every few days. Love Al's new short "do". Trip sounds WONDERFUL, as we sadly put our CS27 to sleep this weekend for the winter! :-(( The crab-poutine sounds tasty...what a great idea!!! LOL hugs from Ray and Angie

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  2. P.S. spoke with Dennis who partied with us all in Sandy Cove with his wife Sandy, (Phase II) and he was asking about you, so we told him about all your adventures so far. He sends his best wishes and regards.

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