Cape May, NJ

We went back and forth about whether or not to go on the Atlantic or the ICW to Cape May on Friday, July 25. We finally decided to go on the ocean side because it would take less time, the seas looked calm enough, and we wouldn’t have to leave at the crack of dawn.  

After taking Archie for his morning walk in this pretty town, we left Ocean City at the comfortable hour of 8:30. 

There were 1-2 foot swells and it was a little uncomfortable at first, but not bad.  Halfway through the trip the seas calmed to one foot swells.

We also decided to stay at a marina instead of our usual anchorage primarily because it was so beastly hot. We arrived at Utsch’s Marina by 2 and tied up at the transient dock.  Utsch’s grounds are very utilitarian but they are right next to the Lobster House restaurant and a great seafood market.  We usually load up at the market but this time we resisted because we weren’t going to be on Zendo for a few weeks. 

Instead we had a leisurely lunch at the Lobster House where we both ordered the same thing (unusual for us to do). Our very friendly Russian server encouraged us to order the seafood special which was a melange of lobster, clams and scallops over a bed of linguine with a lemon butter sauce. It was delicious especially accompanied by a glass of rosé for me and a beer for Jonny. Needless to say, we indulged in a nap afterwards.

We were very comfortable holed up in air-conditioned comfort aboard Zendo that evening. 

Ocean City, NJ

We left Berkeley Island early at 6:10 on Thursday, July 24 in order to catch a favorable current on the ICW heading south. This route requires a lot of attention because of how shallow the ICW is here and how narrow the navigable channel is. Jonny had to be hyper-alert so that we didn’t go out of the channel or touch bottom. He did a great job! 

We cruised past many of the Jersey shore’s seaside towns, each with their own water towers announcing their presence.

It’s just amazing how many waterfront houses are nestled side by side the entire length of the state. Because much of it is a barrier island, the houses line the Atlantic side and both sides of the ICW.

Originally, our goal was to go to our Brigantine anchorage near Atlantic City and the next day we would go on the ocean side to Cape May.  But we were concerned that the Atlantic Ocean would be too uncomfortable and in order to use the ICW we would have to bypass an inoperable bridge in AC. So we went outside the inlet onto the ocean to the next inlet called Great Egg Harbor Inlet. We had never used it before because it is not considered to be an easy inlet to navigate. This would give us the option on the next day to either continue on the ICW or to go outside on the ocean.  That extra hour on the Atlantic was bumpy, but tolerable.  Jonny had called Towboat US to get their guidance on entering the inlet. Getting into the inlet, which was not well marked, was a little hairy though Jonny navigated it like a champ.  Now we know why this is not a favored inlet!

Now that we were inside again, we had to find a good anchorage. By this time, we were in Ocean City where there were very few anchorages. One was too far from a place to take Archie and the other was in the middle of a channel. There were a few nearby marinas which I called to see if they had a slip for us. The first three that I called could not accommodate us.  Just as we were about to give up on finding one, we passed a small marina called 10th Street Wharf.  They had a space for us, one that was plenty large as its owner had a 72 foot Hattaras and was away for a few days. Hallelujah!  It turned out to be a pretty, small, local marina with limited facilities but we didn’t need them.  It had power so we could have AC and it was in a pleasant setting.  

After settling in, we took Archie and ourselves for a walk through town.

Ocean City seemed larger than the other NJ towns we’ve stayed in.  All the homes were beautifully maintained, many with small but pristine, well-manicured lawns.

I wasn’t surprised when we passed this sign commemorating the area to the original Italian Americans who had homes there.

We crossed the island to the ocean side where things were really hopping. There is a very long, wide boardwalk lined with shops, restaurants, amusement parks and a big roller coaster.

The beach was very pretty and lots of people were enjoying it on this beautiful summer day.

Thinking that we would stop somewhere for happy hour, we looked online and found a number of restaurants that were advertising theirs. However when we tried to find them we couldn’t. Jonny had a sneaking suspicion that this was a dry town and when we looked it up, indeed it is!  No booze, wine or beer is sold anywhere in town not even in the restaurants (and there is no BYOB).  So we returned to Zendo for our own happy hour and dinner.

That evening we were delighted to see the bridge next to our marina lit up with these festive lights.  We’re glad we stopped here because this town was much bigger and more lively than other Jersey shore towns that we have visited.  It’s definitely an attractive town for vacationers who love the beach, but most especially suitable for families who want a less raucous atmosphere.  

Berkeley Island, NJ (return trip)

We left Sheepshead Bay at 6:50 on Wednesday, July 23 to avoid the winds that build up in the afternoon. We were going to go as far as Manasquan, NJ or maybe further if the seas are calm enough.  Traveling south on the Atlantic was pretty comfortable for most of the day. However as the day wore on, the seas picked up and we decided to go in at the inlet at Manasquan and take the ICW to Berkeley Island where we anchored on the way north. I spend a lot of time knitting an afghan for Stephanie and the new baby while we’re underway.

We arrived at 2 p.m. and were the only boat in the anchorage. This is a great anchorage for us.  It is very calm,  pretty, and secure and we are always surprised that there are so few boats here. The primary reason is that it shows up on the cruising maps as being very shallow, but it’s definitely deep enough for a boat like ours that draws four feet. We particularly like it because it is close to a large park that requires a very short dinghy ride.

After resting a while we took Archie to the park for a walk. 

This park is really lovely. It sits on a piece of land that juts into the water. Lots of families were enjoying the afternoon with their children. Some of the kids were playing in the splash park and many people were fishing for crabs off of the dock.

Upon returning to Zendo we had more of the takeout from the Tashkent Market including cheese-filled dumplings, a delicious meat and vegetable stew-like dish, and fresh green beans that we had bought at the farmer’s market in Old Saybrook.

After being graced by a spectacular sunset, we went to bed at a reasonable hour because we are planning to leave even earlier the next day.

Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, NY

While I had my Spanish lesson on Tuesday, July 22, Jonny took Archie in for a walk. By 9:05 we were on our way to New York City. It was another beautifully clear day with comfortable seas. We had a rip-roaring ride on the East River. With the current, Zendo got up to a whopping 12.3  knots!

As always, we passed under soaring bridges including the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges. We cruised past many of the iconic NYC buildings including the United Nations, the Chrysler Building and many of the architecturally interesting high rises.

As we passed the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, the wind and waves picked up and we were glad it was just a short journey to Sheepshead Bay Yacht Club in Brooklyn. We arrived at our mooring at 12:55.

This yacht club is not in an attractive part of town and we usually just walk Archie to a nearby, kind of cruddy beach. This time, however, we arrived early enough that after our lunch of grilled tuna melt sandwiches, we decided to explore and go further afield.  The yacht club has a launch which makes it easy to get back and forth to shore and the launch is usually filled with colorful and friendly local characters.

From the yacht club walked all the way to nearby Manhattan Beach crossing an attractive pedestrian bridge to get there.

The streets in this part of town were lined with large houses on smallish lots, many of them rather ornate. It was a very nice and obviously affluent area with many of the side streets ending at the waterfront.

We then walked over to nearby Brighton Beach where the homes were a bit more modest but still very nice. The beach here was wide and deep with a big boardwalk that many folks were clearly enjoying.  We sat on a bench watching the action and enjoying this new scene.  

Afterwards we walked into the commercial district of Brighton Beach which is filled with restaurants and shops that cater to the local residents, most of whom appear to be Russian and Ukrainian. 

We had done some research regarding good restaurants and found one that was listed as one of NYC’s top 25 so we thought we would check it out.  But first we wanted to stroll busy Brighton Beach Avenue where we  discovered the fabulous Tashkent Super Market. We took turns going inside because we had Archie with us. I have never seen a more appealing market with its rows of perfectly arranged fruits and vegetables, fabulous baked goods and the largest array of prepared foods each, of which looked irresistible!

Even so, we moved on to check out the restaurant we had read about.  It turned out to be a tiny, but cute, hole in the wall with about a dozen tables inside and a sad little table on the sidewalk. When we asked for an inside table they told us that we couldn’t sit inside because of Archie (who was wearing his diabetic alert service vest). This has never happened to us. We put up a mild argument, citing the law and Jonny spoke with the owner. But the owner was Muslim and wasn’t comfortable having a dog in his restaurant so we accepted his perspective and left (the outside table was not an attractive option for us).  Instead, we went back to the Tashkent market and bought an array of take-out goodies to bring back to Zendo and eat on board. After the long walk to Brighten Beach, we took an Uber back to the yacht club. 

Back on board Zendo we indulged in only half of the items we bought. They included baba ganoush, a dish that was somewhat like a cheese and spinach lasagna but quite different and delicious, a traditional Russian(?) beef stew with pomegranates and peppers and a wonderful salad with cheese, avocados and nuts.  What a treat! We enjoyed all of them, each unique in their preparation and flavor.

All in all, it was a great day exploring new neighborhoods in our amazingly diverse country!

Port Washington, NY

We got an early start at 7:40 on Monday, July 21 leaving New Haven bound for Port Washington. We stopped for a pump-out before leaving the marina. Although we had just had one a couple of days ago we had thought it strange that that dockhand had finished it much more quickly than usual. The holding tank was now showing signs of being very full (I will spare you the details).  And we thought that we might be having a problem with the vent being clogged which Jonny had tried to address to no avail.  We also have been somewhat distrustful of our gauge.  When Jonny did the pump out himself it took quite a while to empty. It had never been this full and we are now convinced that the previous dockhand had not emptied it properly. 

Our cruise across Long Island Sound was quite pleasant. It was a beautiful day with some clouds and not too hot. The seas were calm and there was no boat traffic on this Monday. 

We spent some time trying to figure out what we have to do with our health insurance plan when we move to Philly. It’s proving to be a bit complicated getting straight and thorough answers to our questions, but we’re using all our known and retired resources to help us get there.

For some reason, the boat became inundated with flies even though we are in the middle of the Sound!

As we approached Port Washington, we saw many beautiful homes lining and overlooking the shore.

By 3 p.m. we arrived at the free mooring by the town dock. After spending an inordinate amount of time killing flies inside the cabin, we dinghied into town (the outboard is still not working properly). We walked around for a bit but didn’t go far as it was time to get back for dinner.That evening we had lamb chops, boiled potatoes and a nice salad with fresh avocado and spent the evening relaxing onboard.

New Haven, CT

After the previous day’s adventures we expected our cruise on Saturday, July19 to be much easier. But first we took a walk into the charming town of Old Saybrook where we discovered a farmer’s market that was just opening. What luck! We bought green beans, four ears of freshly picked butter and sugar corn and two blueberry peach pies (a large one and a small one). We figured we would bring the large one to Michael and Debbie Bergman’s house the next day. They are Jonny’s cousins who we often visit on our trip (the same ones where we had a tree fall on our rental car a few years earlier for those who have been reading this blog for awhile). The small pie was just for us since blueberry peach is one of Jonny’s all time favorite pies!

On the way back we passed one of those Little Free Libraries that you see in people’s yards. I just love them!  I found two good books to bring back. Unfortunately I did not have a book on me to trade but I will definitely pass it forward when I can.

Returning to Zendo we left our mooring at 10:05 for the cruise to New Haven. It was a nice sunny day, not too hot and with very calm seas. We passed two scenic lighthouses on our way.

For lunch, I steamed all four ears of corn and we ate them for lunch on the flybridge while we were underway.  This was the kind of corn we were looking forward to eating while in Connecticut - absolutely delicious!

We arrived at the Pequonnock Yacht Club in New Haven by 2:45 where a couple of friendly members and staff helped us tie up.

Later that afternoon my cousin Sally, who lives in nearby Woodbridge, came to pick us up as we had made plans to go out for pizza with her. We always have pizza when we’re in New Haven because it is recognized nationally for having the best pizza in the country!  This time instead of going to the three most well-known places (Pepe’s, Sally’s and Modern), we decided to go to Zuppardi’s Apizza in West Haven which is also highly rated and was recommended by our friend Paula in Vermont who grew up in West Haven.  A big advantage of going to Zuppardi’s was that the lines and wait times are much shorter than the “Big Three.”  It was good to catch up with Sally and the pies were very good - a small clam and bacon pie and a large pie with lots of fresh tomatoes and other vegetables.

The next day Jonny worked on the boat, washing it, changing the water filter and trying to address an issue we’re having with our holding tank.  It is acting like it is full (our gauge doesn’t work well) but we just had a pump-out that seemed very short for what we thought was a full tank.  In the meantime, I defrosted the freezer (an every other week job), vacuumed and dusted.  We also went into town to stock up on a few groceries.  We walked through a neighborhood of older homes within a designated historic district.

Later in the afternoon, Michael came to pick us up to bring us to their home in Hamden for dinner.   Their entire backyard is divided into a huge vegetable garden and a large area for their chickens.

Debbie made a delicious dinner with a first course of roasted breaded eggplant slices topped with burrata cheese served over a bed of arugula and topped with fresh basil. All the veggies were fresh from their garden. That was followed by two branzinos wrapped in grape leaves and cooked on the grill.  We had our pie for desert. Debbie’s meal was fabulous! And we enjoyed the two bottles of wine that accompanied it.

It was a wonderful evening for all of us. But little Archie had to be on a leash the whole time to keep him from chasing the chickens and their two kitties!  

It was almost 10 by the time Michael brought us back to the marina. We were beat by such a full day - a good combination of accomplishments and fun!