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.
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