Wednesday, May 20
We stayed in Cape May for an extra day since the weather was not conducive for heading out into the Atlantic Ocean. Instead, we took care of a few chores on the boat then biked through town over to the
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| Cape May Lighthouse |
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| Military Sighting Tower |
We had cocktails on MISS MY MONEY then went out to dinner at a seafood restaurant across from the marina with the crews of MISS MY MONEY (David & Barbara) and TIGER (Bill & Carole).
Thursday, May 21
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| Rough water at the mouth of the Delaware River |
This morning we got up early, thinking the wind would have died down overnight, to head up to Great Kills harbor on Staten Island, NY. We left the dock about 6AM and hit waves of about 3-4 feet on the bow as soon as we got out of the harbor. We throttled back to a slower speed to handle the rough seas, but were concerned that we then wouldn’t make the whole 110 nautical miles in one day. We had contingency plans to find refuge along the way, but kept going and things,gradually, got better. We were at slow speed for three hours before the waves dropped to 1-2 feet so we could speed up, then, after another three hours, the wind shifted and by afternoon we had a reasonable ride with a tailwind and confused seas of about 1 foot. It was comfortable enough for me to take an quick afternoon nap while Elaine was at the helm, and then for her to get into the galley to make some crepes which she would use for dinner tonight. A cold front brought this changing weather and it was cold! It was in the low 50s when we started out, and the high today was only 60 degree. That’s pretty chilly when you’re out on the water with that wind. We started the generator for a while when we were underway so we could put the heat on and warm up the cabin. We usually pilot the boat from the flybridge (outside, on top) but today was spent down below, all day, due to the cold and rain.
We pulled into Great Kills Basin about 5PM and anchored out, rather than go to a marina. It is very peaceful here, with a calm water surface despite the wind howling outside. After anchoring, we turned the generator again, to heat up the boat, cook dinner in the oven (ham, cheese & kale crepes) and watch the news on TV. The generator is off now, so I’m sure it won’t be long until we crawl into bed and add an extra layer of blankets tonight…
Notes from Elaine...
Yes, I suppose I was MIA for awhile, but I had complete confidence that Dave was doing a superb job in describing our daily events. I just like to add a running commentary every once in a while on… well, life in general on the water.
One of the things that I enjoy on the boat is the navigation. Although I am eternally grateful for the GPS to pinpoint our exact whereabouts, I sit with the charts on my lap (like a blanket) and am completely in awe of the cartographers who have mapped out "tanks" and "spires" and "cupolas". Really? At first, it seemed like overkill, but I find them useful as landmarks (e.g., four tanks down there is an inlet). And although we primarily navigate by computer I still like to know exactly where I am - down to the longitude and the latitude. When I had to navigate down the Delaware Bay in the dense fog, I still knew exactly where we were, and had the radar turned on so I could avoid running into blobs on the screen. I suppose that is "technically incorrect", but you get my drift. And for those who have not been out on the water, all land, from a distance, well pretty much looks alike.
Life on a boat does have its limitations. Since I had foot surgery just prior to starting this trip, I have been exercising and doing physical therapy on the top deck of the boat. Legs up in the air (like a bug on its back), sideways push ups against the railings, I did them all. Little did I realize that boaters tend to travel in groups (by default, going the same routes, places, etc.) so we start to recognize each other. Nobody has mentioned seeing flailing limbs however - boaters are so nice...
Notes from Elaine...
Yes, I suppose I was MIA for awhile, but I had complete confidence that Dave was doing a superb job in describing our daily events. I just like to add a running commentary every once in a while on… well, life in general on the water.
One of the things that I enjoy on the boat is the navigation. Although I am eternally grateful for the GPS to pinpoint our exact whereabouts, I sit with the charts on my lap (like a blanket) and am completely in awe of the cartographers who have mapped out "tanks" and "spires" and "cupolas". Really? At first, it seemed like overkill, but I find them useful as landmarks (e.g., four tanks down there is an inlet). And although we primarily navigate by computer I still like to know exactly where I am - down to the longitude and the latitude. When I had to navigate down the Delaware Bay in the dense fog, I still knew exactly where we were, and had the radar turned on so I could avoid running into blobs on the screen. I suppose that is "technically incorrect", but you get my drift. And for those who have not been out on the water, all land, from a distance, well pretty much looks alike.
Life on a boat does have its limitations. Since I had foot surgery just prior to starting this trip, I have been exercising and doing physical therapy on the top deck of the boat. Legs up in the air (like a bug on its back), sideways push ups against the railings, I did them all. Little did I realize that boaters tend to travel in groups (by default, going the same routes, places, etc.) so we start to recognize each other. Nobody has mentioned seeing flailing limbs however - boaters are so nice...
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