Barnegat Light, NJ

We left Cape May very early on Friday, June 16 because we anticipated a long trip up the coast of New Jersey and thunderstorms were predicted for the afternoon.  Our initial plan was to reach Atlantic City by noon and anchor in nearby Brigantine.  After Jonny took Archie into shore to do his business, we left promptly at 6 a.m.  The day started off quite pleasantly with somewhat overcast skies and calm seas.

As we cruised by Atlantic City, we were making good time because the current was in our favor. It looked like we could make it to Barnegat Bay before the storms moved in so we decided to go for it and travel another 28 miles or 4 hours which would get us there by 3.

However, as we got beyond Atlantic City, the radio started broadcasting the imminent arrival of a string of strong thunderstorms. The radar showed that they were largely behind us and we were far enough offshore to be “relatively” safe so we kept going. We proceeded to batten down the hatches, donned life vests and contacted the Coast Guard to let them know we were out on the water and got ready to ride it out. Somehow we managed to fortify ourselves with lunch prior to the storm’s onslaught.

The sky got progressively darker as the storm clouds moved in. As the rain started, thunder and lightening followed and we had periods of torrential rain. It was pretty scary (though Jonny insisted that he was only worried if the wind kicked up too much).  Fortunately it did not and he very deftly steered us through the severe line of thunderstorms that lasted almost two hours.  We were very lucky to have ended up between some of the worst storm cells according to the radar map. During the peak of the storm, our visibility was limited to what was on the radar screen.

By around 3, the storm moved on just as we neared Barnegat Light.  Jonny safely guided Zendo into the familiar inlet and we entered a sea of calmness. What a relief!  We found our usual anchorage and dropped the hook.  Inside Zendo we put away all the things that had fallen off shelves and settled our nerves with calming cups of tea and ginger cookies. It was a nerve-wracking experience.  Little Archie was a trooper having glued himself to my side throughout the day’s journey.

After a very quick rest, Jonny took Archie for a dinghy ride onto shore while I had my regularly scheduled book club meeting with my sister and niece. (We just finished Maya Angelou’s Why the Caged Bird Sings).

Later on we had a delicious dinner of shrimp scampi and zucchini and did some trip planning. Tomorrow we head to Sheepshead Bay in NY and then on to the Hudson River.  All’s well that ends well on this calm night in a lovely anchorage!