The Atlantic, The Inlets, Land o ’Bruce, Giovani’s Bridge, That Certain Statuesque Lady, Baked Big Apple. and Henry’s Bay

 

Well…..

It’s been a while since we spoke (our bad) and SO much has transpired.   Pull up a chair, crack open your beverage of choice, and let’s get caught up, OK?

Alternators are like Deer (When you see one, start looking for the next one.)

When last we posted, we were in Cape May, NJ waiting for a storm front to pass.   As the forecast improved, we made plans with a group of Looper boats to head up the NJ coast toward New York on Sat, 6/5.  On Friday, we made a trip to the fuel dock and lo and behold, saints preserve us, we got an alarm on the PORT alternator.   (Heavy sigh or words to that effect)   A brief inspection with a voltmeter showed only 4.5 volts of output (vs. 13.5+ normal.   No one in the area had an appropriate replacement in stock.   Bur since we cruised successfully (if unknowingly) all last summer on one alternator, we decided to proceed with our voyage and look for a repair/replacement along the way. ( It was Commodore Kathleen who had the foresight to call our Dela, MD mechanic and ask him to ship a replacement to our NYC-area marina.  YAY, Kathleen!)

The Atlantic (OMG!)

At the crack of 6:30 am, we were underway from Cape May, through the inlet into the ATLANTIC  OCEAN.  Our destination was Brielle NJ on the Manasquan River, a distance of about 100 miles.  Turning north, we had the NJ coast to port about two miles and Portugal some 3,000 miles to starboard.  Seas were calm, winds were light. And, of course, the port alternator alarm ceased as soon as we hit open water.  Go figure.

As we proceeded north, a minor wave of hysteria swept our fleet-for-the-day because one forecast model (out of 6) showed a chance of rising winds and seas further north.  As a result,  a bunch of boats led by a Gold Looper in the Grand Banks 36 elected to bailout and pull into Atlantic City.  (We suspect they heard the siren call of a casino buffet.)  Some later continued north up the inside of NJ’s barrier islands, but only us and Hallelujah stayed the course north.   Included was a 10 kt tour of the Jersey shore, including Asbury Park, where Bruce Springsteen cut his chops.   At 2:00 Pm we ran the Manasquan inlet, home of infamous Random Railroad Bridge, to our berth for the night at the Brielle Yacht Club.   Hallelujah arrived about an hour later.   The feared rising winds and seas never arrived.

Inlets

The NJ coast is protected by a long string of barrier islands.  These hold a continuous string of beach towns and hamlets chock full of seaside homes, condos, and resorts, punctuated by the occasional boardwalk and amusement park.   

The barrier islands are periodically pierced by inlets that provide openings between the Atlantic and the protected inland waters.  These inlets are subject to significant tidal flows in and out, in some cases exacerbated by an outgoing river current.  But they’re real purpose seems to be to strike fear in the heats of inexperienced boaters.   To believe the dock talk and the cruising guides, you should never attempt to run an inlet on a day ending in “y” , on a sail or power vessel, or when a Democrat or a Republican is in the White House, because  you are going to die!

Killer (not) Inlet

Certainly, you must treat inlets with respect and with awareness of the state of the tide and the winds.  And some inlets are better than others. So, it pays to call the USCG or TowBOATUS for some local insights before entering an unfamiliar inlet.  But the reality is that the locals run the inlets every day without incident.  Be smart, be aware, and don’t succumb to TMI from somebody’s brother-in-law’s cousin’s, next-door neighbor’s plumber.   (Sheesh)

Giovanni’s Bridge

Sunday morning, after worshiping with the nice folks at First Presbyterian Church, we headed back out the Manasquan Inlet and north around  Sandy Hook (truly a hook and truly sandy) into Lower Bay and Sandy Hook Bay to our marina for the night.   As we turned the corner, we got our first glimpse of the NYC

skyline.  Despite a minor rub rail  incident while backing a 15’ 6” boat into a 16’ wide slip (nothing a few screws and some 3M 4200 couldn’t fix) it was a smooth, uneventful day.

Monday morning dawned bright and calm, with a little bit of fog along our planned course north.  We reconnected with Steve and Ann on Halleluiah and steered a course between Staten Island and Coney Island and under the (Giovanni) Verrazano Narrows Bridge into……..

……….. NEW YORK FREAKING HARBOR, BABY!

We’re not sure to who Steve knew or who he called, but the fog lifted, the waters were dead calm and there was almost no boat traffic as  we made our way to The Battery and to the Statute of Liberty for buddy boat photos.    Hallelujah then headed up the Hudson while we cruised far enough up the East River to say we had passed under the Brooklyn Bridge and had dodged the Staten Island Ferry.    Our destination for the day was Liberty Landing  Marina, just west of  Lady Liberty on the NJ side of the Hudson.  WOW!  A red-letter day, indeed.

Baked Big Apple

Liberty Landing is a big splurge on the Loop, at double or triple the cost of other marinas.  But with the proximity to Manhattan, it is hard to resist.  We caught up on laundry and mail and did a Docktails social with fellow Loopers.  On Thursday, we found a doggie daycare for Admiral Maggie in Jersey City (and learned the ins and outs of transporting her there by Uber.)  A water taxi took us across the Hudson and landed us on the Lower West Side not far from the WTC Memorial. 

View from our marina

Unfortunately, we caught NYC in a heatwave, with temps of 90 and heat indexes approaching 100.   On Tuesday, we went over and wandered down to Battery Park,found sone lunch, and did some sightseeing.  On Wednesday, we went back for a (disappointing) Hop On/Hop Off bus tour of downtown and mid-town which showed us lots of sights but afforded little opportunity to explore any in detail.  Still, NYC is a fascinating place to visit.  Can’t imagine living there.

Henry’s Bay

Thursday, we made preparation to head up the Hudson when the port engine failed to turn over.   Secure in the knowledge that we have a spare starter in the cargo hold, Wade applied the ’55 Oldsmobile solution (3 sharp raps with a 1# Craftsman hammer) and the reluctant starter awakened to its task.  And off we went, cruising up Henry Hudson’s River, under the George Washington Bridge, past Harlem,  Columbia University, and Yonkers.  In Half Moon Bay (named for Hudson’s ship) we first put into Stony Point to partake of (relatively) cheap fuel.  With our tanks topped off with 300 gallons of fresh diesel, we crossed the Bay to Half Moon Bay marina where we encountered yet another crowd of Loopers and yet another Docktails event.  (Oh, darn!)   With prudence and luck, we should not have to refuel until Buffalo, where we will enter Lake Erie.   Our supply of Dewars, Rolling Rock, and Malbec will not last that long, we suspect.

Next Stop

Poughkeepsie!  (Poo-kip-see)  Which apparently is a real place, not just a funny name on a board game.

 

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