Manasquan, NJ

On Wednesday, August 9, Jonny brought Archie into shore for a quick walk before we left Port Washington at 8 a.m. Our plan was to cruise the East River and on to Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn.  It was a sunny and mild day. There was some wind which may have become a concern so we were keeping an eye on it.

We cruised down the Manhattan coastline which never gets old. We passed iconic landmarks like the Empire State Building, interesting architecture and the city’s numerous bridges.

A seaplane landed right next to us which was rather exciting in this relatively narrow waterway.

And all sorts of boat traffic were our constant companions.

Because the waters were pretty calm and the aforementioned wind was out of the west, we decided to move beyond Brooklyn and head for Manasquan. After a long day on the water, where we encountered very few boats, we arrived at the Manasquan Inlet.  We passed Manasquan’s beaches where many people were soaking up the sun.  

One of our favorite anchorages is here, a tucked away cove called Glimmer Glass. Jonny hailed the bridge tender who opened the narrow bridge after just a short wait.

Winding our way in we passed a combination of lovely homes, many packed cheek to jowl,  as well as beautiful vistas of low grasses and calm inlets.

We found our favorite place, where we are surrounded by tidy homes with boats docked two and three deep, and dropped the hook at 4 p.m.  Now that we have Archie, we have found a little beach area that we can dinghy to which we did without delay.  The three of us took a nice long walk into the town of Manasquan which is just delightful. It has several appealing restaurants and attractive shops that I wished I had more time to explore.

Instead, we stopped at an Italian Specialty market called Joe Leoni’s where we stocked up on short rib ravioli, fresh bread and black pepper tarallis (delicious Italian snacks like small savory breadsticks).

Unfortunately, the nearby hardware store had closed but Jonny gave himself a consolation prize - a six pack of a local IPA from nearby Cape May.

As we returned to the dinghy, there was a family with a bernadoodle by the little beach.  Moose and Archie immediately hit it off and started playing together, chasing each other in and out of the water.  The owners were very friendly and interested in our boating adventures. We hung out together for quite some time. Archie was so happy to find such a great playmate.

Back at Zendo, Jonny rinsed off Archie who was now a very wet and tired dog. 

Dinner on the aft deck consisted of the last of the chicken/artichoke/orzo one pot meal that has fed us three times!  We spent the rest of the evening watching videos of Robbie Robertson who had passed away that day. His creative work with The Band was an important part of the soundtrack of our youth.

Hearing about the terrible fires in Hawaii caused me to call my friend Michael. He and Melina, who we had just been with in Vermont, had just been in Hawaii for Melina’s son’s wedding. Michael had returned a couple of days ahead of Melina. But by the time she was to leave all flights into and out of the island were cancelled and she was stuck. The fires had destroyed a good part of the town where they had been staying! Fortunately she and her sister were able to move to higher ground, though Michael didn’t know if that solution would remain a safe one for long.  Such a frightening situation.  Many people have already died and important cultural artifacts of the island have been destroyed.

We feel so blessed to be safe and secure in our little boat in a calm and protected anchorage.