Brigantine, NJ

The tides were not in our favor as we headed south on the ICW on Tuesday, September 29 so we decided to leave at first light bound for Atlantic City.

It was very cloudy with light rain falling on and off as we cruised the narrow, shallow passage.  We kept the front windshield on the flybridge closed for the entire journey which is very unusual for us.

Cruising down the coast of New Jersey we passed an endless array of the beach houses that line the Jersey shore.

We didn’t even bother to eat lunch until we arrived at our Brigantine anchorage just north of Atlantic City at 1:30.  We have stayed here several times and find it to be a pleasant, sheltered spot and never crowded.

The afternoon was spent with our usual activities of trip planning, boat repairs, blogging, etc.  Although naps were in order because we planned to watch the first presidential debate and leave early the next morning, sleep eluded both of us.

That evening we watched the horror show that passed as a presidential debate.  We cannot wait until we have someone qualified to be president occupying that critically important role.

During the night we each alternately were awakened several times by the wind.  A front moved through with high winds - 30 knots and gusting into the 40s. As it started to rain, we closed all the windows.  It wasn’t until we were both awake at the same time and Jonny agreed that we would not try to travel the next day that Lynn was able to to sleep.

The next day was sunny but the winds were still very brisk - 20 knots and gusting to the 30s.  We were in no rush so we took the day off and did more boat chores, cooked, read, etc.

For dinner we had the excellent squash soup Lynn had prepared the day before from the delicata squash that Debbie and Michael gave us from their garden.  We spent a quiet evening, each of us engrossed in reading our books.  The next day we would be heading to Cape May where we’ll stay at a marina and take the ferry to Lewis to visit our friends Michael and Christina who are staying in Bethany Beach, MD.

Berkeley Island, NJ

First thing on Monday morning,  September 28, Jonny called the marina that our friends had recommended to us to see about getting Zendo fixed. Unfortunately they were totally booked but they gave him another recommendation.  So Jonny called Good Luck Point Marina and they said they could take us anytime.  Good luck for us!  Next, he called Sea Tow who said they could be here in 90 minutes.  In the meantime, Jonny went to work off some of his energy/anxiety by going for a paddle. Of course, Sea Tow arrived when Jonny was out of sight but after a few loud blasts of Zendo’s horn, he returned.

The very competent Sea Tow captain had us tied up in no time and we made the 6 mile journey to Good Luck Point Marina without incident.

We were met by two mechanics who helped us tie up and came aboard to discuss our problem.

Because Jonny had done so much work already to rule out a number of issues, they quickly determined that one of our thru-hulls was probably clogged with debris.  The remedy included a haul-out so they could unclog it.  Of course this coincided with lunch time so we had to wait until they returned from lunch to tackle the issue. That was not a problem and as soon as they returned, Zendo was hauled out.

Sure enough, the engine thru-hull was clogged with cabbage grass.  They pressure blasted it and picked and scraped at it. It was packed in so tightly and that’s why it didn’t budge when Jonny blasted it with the reverse cycle on the wet vac the day before. Happily and before long, Zendo was back in the water, good as new!

By then it was almost 3:00 and we headed out to see how far we could go.  But anchorages with protection from southern winds are are few and far between on New Jersey’s ICW, so we decided to stop at Berkeley Island, a nice calm anchorage near Tom’s River.

Jonny was much relieved that the issue was resolved.  We relaxed for awhile and later in the afternoon Lynn made a new recipe from the New York Times collection of recipes to make during Covid. This one was another “homey” one pot dish with tuna, cannelloni beans, and  cheese flavored with wine, fresh herbs and anchovies. It turned out to be quite savory and delicious.  That, along with a salad, constituted dinner.

We spent another evening with Madame Secretary and went to bed early anticipating an early start and a long journey the next day bound for Atlantic City.

Silver Bay, NJ

On Sunday, September 27, we left our anchorage at 9 a.m. on an overcast day that produced a beautiful mirror image of the homes on the smooth waters of Glimmer Glass. 

We continued cruising on New Jersey’s intracoastal because wind and wave heights on the Atlantic were not appealing.

We had only cruised about 90 minutes when the raw water exhaust alarm went off (it is really loud)!!  As Jonny examined the situation he noticed that white smoke was emerging from the exhaust - not a good sign. He pulled over to a safe spot to see what he could do. The safe spot was actually an intersection in the intracoastal - not great, but certainly adequate in these narrow passages. 

A SeaTow boat was towing another boat and we hailed him thinking that we might need a tow. He said he’d return after he finished his tow.  In the meantime, Jonny kept checking whatever he could and shortly Captain Wayne returned.  He tied up next to us and was very generous in reviewing with Jonny anything that could be done to diagnose the problem.

After checking the strainers, the fluids levels and the impeller, he finally thought to try to blow air through the through holes thinking they might be clogged with debris.  That seemed to work and the water was flowing again.

We took off after this two hour sojourn with Captain Wayne following us through Point Pleasant Canal, a narrow channel lined with homes that we had to go through.

Things seemed OK so he took off and we proceeded.

But it wasn’t long before the alarm went off  and smoke started coming out of the exhaust again.  We were lucky to find a safe anchorage in nearby Silver Bay, just north of Tom’s River. Jonny slowly eased us in there and we anchored for the night.  Now we definitely would need professional help to solve our problem.  After consulting with friends familiar with the area, Jonny learned of a nearby marina with a very good reputation. Of course, it was too late to reach anyone so we had to wait for the next day to call. So we tried to relax for the rest of the afternoon and evening. Fortunately, we don’t have a tight schedule to keep and we’re just hoping that the problem is relatively minor.  We had an easy dinner of angel hair pasta with pesto and a salad and went to bed fairly early. Jonny was exhausted having not slept well the night before and the stress of not knowing how to fix this latest problem.

Manasquan, NJ

We departed our Liberty Landing anchorage at 9 on Saturday, September 26 and had a smooth trip through New York Harbor.

Boat traffic was heavier than the day before. The skies were cloudy, the seas were relatively calm, and the temperature was comfortable as we left NYC and cruised on the Atlantic down the coast of New Jersey.

Unfortunately, it didn’t last too long.  Little by little the wind and the seas picked up and it became rougher with 2-3 foot swells in 4-5 second periods.  It was fairly uncomfortable and also became quite chilly. So much so that Jonny was kind enough to make lunch. He heated up soup and brought it up to the flybridge in Turvis cups - genius!

By around 2, the sun started to emerge as we entered the Manasquan Inlet, a very bouncy entrance.  As soon as we entered the inlet, the wind died down and it was much more pleasant.  People were actually swimming at the beach there!  

We cruised up the Manasquan River past what we assume are beach or summer homes until we came to the drawbridge that we had to pass through to get to the Glimmer Glass anchorage. The drawbridge only opens on the hour so we had to dawdle for 30 minutes.

Once inside we cruised up the lovely long estuary that is Glimmer Glass in search of the best place to anchor. Even though there were no other boats there it took us three tries before we were properly situated.

Glimmer Glass is one of our favorite anchorages in New Jersey.  It is long and calm with few, if any, other boats anchored. It also has the best name!  

The shores are lined with homes placed cheek to jowl with lots of boats tied up.  There’s a park on one side with train tracks behind it.

We settled in for the evening and Lynn made a new recipe called Colcannon (an Irish dish with potatoes, kale and crispy shallots) - very homey.

That night we watched the movie Emma on the big TV. The movie was just OK but Lynn was happy to not have to try to watch a show on the small IPAD screen for a change!

New York, NY

September 25 was not only memorable for being Lynn’s birthday but also because Michael and Debbie, Jonny’s cousins, were joining us for the cruise through Manhattan.  They drove to New Rochelle to meet us on Zendo by 8:30 so we could get a relatively early start and catch the fast current through Hell Gate.

It’s always very exciting going through NYC and would be especially so today because we had eager participants to share it with.  Debbie and Michael came armed with beautiful produce from their garden and of course, a nice bottles of wine. We are really enjoying the “fruits” of the gardens that all our cousins have willingly shared with us this summer.

By 9 a.m. we were on our way on a day with overcast skies and temperatures in the 70’s.

There was surprisingly light boat traffic on the East River and in New York Harbor. We passed all the beautiful bridges and landmarks that we don’t tire of seeing. The sun kept trying to peek through but never quite made it to fully sunny skies.

For lunch we anchored behind the Statue of Liberty where we ate a delicious lunch of the ciambotta that Lynn made the day before and fresh bread and  marble pound cake for dessert from the bakery in New Rochelle.  Beer and wine helped to wash it all down.

After lunch we dropped our guests off at the dock of a restaurant in Jersey City where they were able to catch an array of public transportation that eventually got them back to their car. It was a really great visit!

We headed back to the anchorage where we would stay overnight next to Liberty Park, a much calmer spot than under Lady Liberty.

That night we received very good news that Stephanie had tested negative for Covid after getting a rapid results test. Needless to say, everyone was greatly relieved!  And Lynn was very happy with all the birthday calls and messages she had been getting all day.

Jonny made a light dinner of eggs with the remaining ciambotta and we relaxed after a full and very enjoyable day.