Cape May, NJ (return trip)

Archie had a rough night with an unhappy tummy so we didn’t give him much to eat on Friday, August 11.  Jonny took him into shore at Barnegat Light while I did my exercises (which I do not do often enough).  We pulled up the anchor by 9 a.m. and headed out. Our desire was to make it all the way to Cape May. But if the seas were uncomfortable we could duck in and stay near Atlantic City.

Fortunately, it was a very nice day and the seas were calm enough for us to decide to go all the way to Cape May. It was an especially good idea because the following day was supposed to be worse.  It was a long day of cruising with Archie glued to my side (or Jonny’s) most of the time. Even though the seas were relatively calm, there are those rolling waves when you’re out in the ocean which can make one feel a little queasy at times.  It particularly affected Archie and for the first time in two years he got a little seasick, poor baby! 

We finally entered the harbor to Cape May and set our anchor at 6 p.m. We were too tired to think about making dinner so we took Archie into shore and ate dinner at the Harbor View restaurant. It was nice to sit inside in the air conditioning and we had a fabulous view of the harbor (hence the name).

We ordered drinks and she crab soup for an appetizer. We each ordered one of their fish dinner specials. Mine was delicious - a whole hake that was perfectly prepared. Jonny’s swordfish was over done and he sent it back. They then told him they were out of swordfish so he ordered something else. It wasn’t delivered until I was almost done with my meal so that was disappointing. But we didn’t regret going out because we brought enough leftovers home to incorporate into the following night’s dinner on board. 

We got back to Zendo and called it a night after a very long day. Our plan was to stay on anchor for two nights because our next cruise is up the Delaware Bay and we need to time our departure with the current so we can make better time on that day long cruise.

On Saturday, Archie was feeling better - we think he appreciated a day off from cruising!  We took him on the dingy to  the opposite shore near Utsch’s Marina. Going this way is a longer ride across a busy harbor but we can walk next door to the great fish market run by the Lobster House Restaurant. We walked Archie through that part of town which isn’t particularly interesting but it has a couple of pocket parks for him to play in.

At the end of the walk we went to the fish market which is a favorite of ours. It was busy since it was a Saturday and we had to wait in line for quite a while. But that was OK because it gave us a chance to cool off and decide what we wanted to buy.  We bought our usual shrimp salad, potato salad and cole slaw, and decided to try their macaroni salad. We also bought their she crab soup and some nice fresh cod.

Jonny made dinner for us cooking the cod with tomatoes and capers and serving it with the leftover rice and broccoli rabe from the restaurant. It was delicious!

We went to bed early because we planned to get up and leave by 4:30 a.m. the next morning. Jonny wanted to catch the current on our way to Delaware City where we’ll stay for a week. We’ll visit Stephanie and Ryan in Philly and Jonny has a follow up eye doctor appointment. Thankfully his eyes are feeling much better! We’ll also be celebrating our 37th wedding anniversary so we’ll have to plan a little treat for ourselves.

Barnegat Light, NJ (return trip)

We left our Manasquan anchorage on Glimmer Glass very early on Thursday, August 10. We wanted to get ahead of the predicted windy, rainy weather and if possible, make it all the way to Atlantic City. Our back-up plan, if the weather started to deteriorate, was to duck in at Barnegat Light. Jonny took Archie in at 6:00 a.m. (poor Archie didn’t know what hit him)!  We pulled up anchor by 6:30. The bridge tender opened the bridge for us and we were off.

The weather was overcast and it seemed warm at first so I dressed in a tee shirt and shorts but once we got on the ocean, it became a lot cooler. I ended up in long pants and two shirts.  At first the winds were mild but within a couple of hours they were getting stronger.  The seas were also starting to build.  We didn’t want to wait until it became uncomfortable so we decided to go in at Barnegat Light.  There are very few places to anchor along the New Jersey shore so we needed to be decisive. It was 10:15 a.m. when we dropped the hook in this calm anchorage which we stay in frequently on our way up and down the coast.

We kept busy the rest of the day with Jonny working on our finances and me catching up on blog posts. For lunch we ate the delicious Italian sandwich that Jonny had purchased at the Italian specialty shop the day before. It rained on and off all afternoon. Later we took Archie in for a quick walk as we dodged the raindrops.

Barnegat Light is a tiny beach town (borough) in Ocean County, NJ with a population of only 640! It sits on the tip of Long Beach Island, a barrier island on the Jersey shore. It is clean and tidy and primarily residential - very family-oriented. 

We had passed this painted rock several times during our previous visits but this was the first time I had looked on its back side!

We had the short rib ravioli from the same market for dinner and it was excellent. Afterward, we had a quiet and relaxing evening reading and watching TV.  We’ll have to see how much further down the New Jersey coast we’ll get the next day. 

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.

Port Washington, NY

Jonny did some grocery shopping with Archie while I had my Spanish lesson on Tuesday, August 8.  We decided to head for a new destination, Port Washington, NY - just a 35 minute cruise across Long Island Sound. We passed by Hart Island, a small island across from City Island. Its history is fascinating. Its first public use was as a training ground for the United States Colored Troops in 1864. It has also been the location of a Union Civil War prison camp, a psychiatric institution a tuberculosis sanatorium, a potters field with mass burials, a homeless shelter, a boys’ reformatory, a jail and a drug rehabilitation center. Who knew! 

We had heard several good things about Port Washington from other boaters and we wanted to check it out since we are not in a rush to get anywhere. We left City Island at 11:20 for the fairly well protected bay by Port Washington.  Huge homes lined the shoreline as we approached the town.

Port Washington is very welcoming to transient boaters by offering free mooring balls for the first night (with an $8 per person round trip charge for using the launch) and only charging $35 on subsequent nights (with free launch service).  We took a mooring among a sea of sail boats.

After eating lunch onboard we took the launch into town to check it out. What a pleasant surprise! This is a very attractive town.  It is really a hamlet within the town of North Hempstead on the north shore of Long Island’s western end.  The population is 16,753 and was settled in 1644 so it has plenty of history. It was an important sand-mining town and according to Wikipedia much of it was used to build New York skyscrapers including the Empire State and Chrysler buildings as well as the New York City Subway.  It’s a very pretty town with lots of appealing shops and restaurants.  We walked along Main Street and up a hill to the center of town with its municipal buildings and a small park.  We were delighted with what we saw and were quickly convinced that we would return here in the future.

We stopped at a hardware store to buy new smoke alarms. They were very dog friendly and spoiled Archie by giving him treats as we arrived and then again when we were on the second floor. Thankfully, he performed admirably! Jonny asked the sales person for advice on where to get the best ice cream. She recommended a place near the docks so off we went for our “cruiser’s delight.”

After our delicious ice cream, we called the launch to go back to Zendo. The launch first had to make a stop at the north town dock which was just across the street from a Stop and Shop, a Target and a Homegoods store - major shopping opportunities! So we got off to pick up a few more groceries including tonic water  (mixers are not sold in NY liquor stores).  This was the biggest Stop and Shop we had ever seen - it was great! We restrained from engaging in other shopping expeditions and called the launch again.  We are now doubly convinced to return to Port Washington.  It is very rare to find a cruising port with as many conveniences as this one while still maintaining its historic charm.  Interestingly, our launch operator grew up in the town next to Jonny’s hometown so they reminisced about their favorite childhood haunts.

Back onboard Zendo we ate leftovers for dinner and had a relaxing evening continuing our viewing “pleasure” with The Wire. Our next stop will be Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn. 

City Island, NY

We left our Nyack anchorage on Sunday, August 6 at 8:05 because we wanted to catch the current on the Harlem River.  Jonny was very excited because he has been wanting to take the Harlem River from the Hudson to the East River for a couple of years now. We had never completed the circumnavigation of Manhattan Island and today due to the timing of the tides was our big opportunity.

It was a beautiful sunny day as we cruised south on the Hudson first going under the Tappan Zee bridge and then passing the beautiful Palisades.

Jonny confirmed by radio the opening of the Spuyten Duyvil Railroad Bridge, the only one out of almost ten that we had to pass under on this leg of our journey.  None of them are as dramatic as the Brooklyn or George Washington Bridges but this route saves us three hours so it’s definitely worth it. 

We followed the Hudson River with the current which had us “speeding” along for awhile at up to 12 knots (our normal cruising speed is 7 knots).  Jonny had timed it perfectly!

Our original plan was to stay at the Harlem Yacht Club on City Island, one of our favorites. However, they never responded to our calls and the weather was predicted to be rainy and windy with the wind coming from the south.  We would be better off staying at the South Middeford Yacht Club on the other side of City Island where we could get a slip and be on the east side of the island which would be more protected from the approaching storm. 

So by 11:45 we had settled into our slip at South Middeford. Some may recall that this was the place where we rode out the hurricane that hit eastern Connecticut and Long Island last year. After taking Archie for a walk and doing homework and other chores, we had leftovers for dinner and a relaxing evening. Later that night we were hit by a pretty big storm with lots of wind and rain. We were a little rolly in our slip but we were safe and snug and glad to not be on an exposed mooring. 

The next day was Monday and we were looking forward to a visit from Jonny’s cousin Steven and his wife Ann who live in Stratford, CT. A few days ago we had talked with them about going into either Manhattan or the Bronx for the day but rain was predicted so we changed the plan. Instead, they drove in to City Island. They had never been here before and we knew they would enjoy its funky ambiance. They arrived by 1:00 in the afternoon. We chatted for awhile and walked down the main drag to have lunch at Artie’s Steak and Seafood Restaurant.  It turned out to be an all afternoon affair.  We had a delicious lunch with all things seafood - lobster rolls, soft shell crabs, clams casino. The only slight disappointment was the somewhat tough grilled octopus.  But the laughs and the company certainly made up for it.

Afterward we walked some more through this tiny island enclave and returned to Zendo where we received an enthusiastic greeting from Archie. He always loves company! We chatted some more and enjoyed hearing about all their travels and stories until it was time for them to drive home. Fortunately they only had a sixty minute drive.

We definitely didn’t need dinner so we settled in once again after a very fun day. We took Archie for a walk to a nearby park where he got to run with some other dogs and practice his retrieval skills! Tomorrow we plan a short cruise across Long Island Sound to a new stop for us - Port Washington, NY.