The luxury of having no set time limit for our trip is that we don't have to stick to a schedule. We stayed an extra day in Block Island because we wanted to explore a bit. We anchored in Great Kills Harbor on Staten Island for two nights so we would have favorable winds to sail down the Jersey shore. It was worth the wait! We had a 23 hour broad reach, with the roller jib held out to windward on a spinnaker pole. It was blowing gently 8 to 15 knots. We jibed several times as the wind shifted from northeast to east and as we followed the coast, which curves to the west as one sails south. Nico and I took turns steering through the night and the whole experience was pleasant as we glided past the lights on shore, three miles away. The most incredible sight was coming up on deck at 2 AM for my watch and seeing the lights of Atlantic City blazing. The buildings were like colorful, ever changing, neon signs. It was Vegas by the water.
After pulling into Cape May inlet at 7:00 that morning we napped, read, played Backgammon and I even baked bread as the wind howled and it poured rain all day. Our plan was to go through the Cape May Canal and into Delaware Bay but at 5:30 AM today it was still pouring and the wind was blowing an average of 20 knots with gusts to 25. We made the decision to wait it out another day to avoid a 60 mile, wet and stressful (for me) trip. No other boats around us left either. Since quite a few boats had squeezed into the anchorage since we anchored, we decided to move up the river, out of the current, to a less crowded spot. Following the chart, we headed to a nice looking sheltered spot, only to find that since Hurricane Sandy it had silted in and we had a foot under the keel at high tide! Lesson learned. We quickly split and ended up behind an island at the edge of the channel in the broad marsh, famous as a migratory bird stopover.
Effects of Hurricane Sandy - Great Kills Harbor
We left Staten Island at sunrise.
New York City grew steadily smaller. At one point we only saw half of the Empire State Building due to the curvature of the Earth.
We sailed all day along the coast passing Asbury Park and Bay Head, where Nico spent many of his early summers. Passed many big party boats bristling with bent poles on a Saturday afternoon.
By sunset we were halfway down the coast.
Our present anchorage in the marsh. Except for a narrow channel, most of the water you see is 1 - 4 feet deep.
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