Day #328 – Cape May, NJ

Last night we were pleased to have Susan and John Hague stop by for a visit.

We had met them in Ft. Pierce and they live about an hour from Cape May.  It was great to see them and spend time together again.

This morning we cast off our lines at 6:00 am and headed out to Manasquan.

It started out as a great day on the water.  There were rollers but they were only about two feet and not uncomfortable.   About an hour into the trip Brad radioed us that they were taking on water.  They had about a foot of water in their bilge and their alarm had gone off.  Their bilge pump was not working.  No sooner had they radioed us than the Coast Guard was hailing us to give our exact location, asking the number of people on board, what kind of boat they were on, did they look like they were sinking, etc.  They dispatched a boat from the Cape May station and they arrived about ten minutes later.  I am constantly amazed at their professionalism.  They asked for permission to board Salvage Crew and one of the YOUNG men climbed aboard.

By now their starboard engine was really smoking and they had to shut it down and run on just the port engine.  The Coast Guard asked permission to bring their high volume pump aboard.  They did, but apparently they had a leak in the fuel line and it wouldn’t work.  So, back to basics and the Tupperware bowls came in handy.

Salvage Crew led the way with the Coast Guard following them and Good News behind them.

Brad and Patti skillfully maneuvered the boat back into the marina on one engine.  It is a somewhat tough approach even with two engines, but they did beautifully.

So, welcome safely back to Utsch’s Marina.

Safely in the lift we all breathed a sigh of relief.

These three young men were extremely professional and courteous.  They certainly make their country and its citizens proud.

They pulled out and went back to their base across the harbor.  Just another day at the office.  The Cape May Coast Guard station is where all recruits do their basic training.

This flag flies at the parasail outfit right in front of our boat.  It seems to sum up the day fairly well…

Day #327 – Cape May, NJ

We have enjoyed our time in Cape May even if it has been a little longer than originally planned.  Utsch’s Marine is a family run marina and they are very hospitable, accommodating and friendly.  This lighthouse is at the entrance to the marina.

This morning a little boy was on our dock trying to catch crabs.  He finally succeeded, but hope he asn’t planning on having it for dinner as he might starve.

Patti and I spent a good part of the morning planning our stops after we reach Manasquan, NJ.  We hope to make that 100 mile trip tomorrow.  If all goes as planned, the following day we will be in New York City.

After lunch we rode our bikes up to the Lobster House Fish Market which is attached to the Lobster House Restaurant.  They had fabulous selections and I bought fresh scallops and crab meat.  Patti bought smoked scallops and mahi mahi.  Looks like we have a few more good dinners in our future.

Andy and Brad spent the day doing odd jobs on their boats as we will be on the move for the next few days.  While we are in New York City we want to spend our time exploring, not fixing and finishing.  We plan to cast off our lines at 6:00 am.  Here’s hoping for calm seas out on the Atlantic Ocean.

Day #326 – Cape May, NJ

We are still waiting for the weather to improve.  So we are still in Cape May and decided to go out for more exploring at 9:00 this morning.

Our first stop was the Cape May lighthouse.  It was built in 1859, was automated in 1946, and continues operation to this day.  The tower is 157 feet 6 inches tall, from the ground to the tower’s cast iron spiral staircase. There are 217 steps from the ground to the top, with 199 steps in the tower’s cast iron spiral staircase.  We decided not to climb to the top.

The beach is expansive there and many bike and hiking trails run through the area.

Then we drove back to the boardwalk area.  This time we walked along their boardwalk and saw the ocaen front.  Interestingly, they charge to get onto the beach.  Guess that is one way to support it.

Little huts are available to screen you from the wind and sun, of which there wasn’t much again today.  This whale and dolphin watching boat went by.  Wonder if they saw anything.

These beautiful houses must need constant maintenance.  This guy was on the tiny roof three stories up.  No thanks.

You can see how high they were up.

This lovely home is named May West.

We then drove to the Fishermen’s Memorial overlooking the Cape May Harbor.  It is a statue of a women and two small children looking out into the harbor where the fishing boats return from the sea.  The memorial honors those who never returned.

On June 20th they held a memorial service and six new names were added to the wall. The ceremony was to honor the six scallop fishermen who lost their lives on March 24, 2009 about 75 miles off shore.  Their boat, named Lady Mary, began taking on water about 5:00 am and by 7:30 it had sunk.  Two of the fishermen were found alive in the water.  One later died so there was only one survivor.  Seven men left and only one returned.  The Smith family lost two sons and their uncle.  Such boats routinely bring in up to 18,000 pounds of scallops after a week at sea.  It hit this area particularly hard as many of their livlihoods are based in the fishing industry.

In the afternoon a diver named CJ came to the boat to replace the zincs.  He was a nice young man and replaced all six zincs.

The good news was that the props and bottom paint are all in great condition.  That is always a relief.

Day #325 – Cape May, NJ

Happy Father’s Day to all!

We decided to take advantage of the non-boat-travel day and the rental car and drove to Atlantic City.  We all wanted to see the boardwalk and the casinos we had heard so much about.

Since it looks like we will be in Cape May a few more days, we will probably chose to bypass Atlantic City and go to Manasquan instead.  It will be a loooooong day, but we hope to make up a little time.

The Atlantic City boardwalk seems to be “Trump” City.  His presence is everywhere.

Trump’s Casino is absolutely beautiful inside and it is enormous.

We walked through and decided to come back after lunch.  We found a little spot along the boardwalk that served Greek food.  It was tiny, but the food was delicious.

The mode of transportation on the Boardwalk is “man-powered”.  They charge $5 for five blocks.  Patti noted that they had their “rain coats” on today.

We walked up and down the boardwalk.  There were so many sights and sounds.

This was the New Jersey Korean War Memorial.

They have an amusement park.

Some of the people were a little different.

After our tour we went back to the Trump casino to try our luck.  Andy was our “body guard” as the stakes were huge.  I played $20 and cashed out at $50.  That is the first time I have EVER won in a casino and I decided to take my winnings and run.

Brad and Patti were a little luckier.  Sorry Donald Trump, but we took YOUR money today.

Another thing we have noticed since we have been in this area.  Their sea gulls are different than ours.  They have black heads and are even more brazen than the ones we are used to seeing.  Looks like this one just finished his cigarette.

On our way back to our boat we drove around to look at their marinas since we wouldn’t be there by boat.  Trump charges $4 per foot and the place was nowhere near the boardwalk and we were glad to have seen Atlantic City the way we did.  A nice Father’s Day, although I would never have thought Andy would spend one in a casino.

He heard from both of his boys.

He had a well deserved Happy Father’s Day.

After a fabulous dinner of hot dogs and baked beans (nothing is too good for our Captains!) we were even treated to a great sunset.

Ahhh, life is good!

Day #324 – Cape May, NJ

When we woke up this morning the skies were clear although storms were predicted for later in the morning.  Andy and I got out and rode bikes to the marine store and the market.  As we were leaving the market the rain started lightly but there was lightening in the distance.  We barely made it back to the boat before the skies opened up.

Rain is expected most of the day so I guess it was a good decision to stay in Cape May for at least another day.  My guess is that we will be here several more days waiting for the right weather window.

Fortunately, yesterday after we arrived we got our bikes down and went exploring.  Cape May is a beautiful resort town on the Atlantic Ocean.  It was recognized as one of America’s top 10 beaches by the Travel Channel and has many Victorian structures as well as a rich history. Cape May is a seaside resort that draws visitors from all over the world and especially from New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

Our first stop was the town center where we were treated to a bagpiper performing outside of the church.

Their downtown shopping area is charming.

Even the shops are colorfully and beautifully decorated.

Cape May has been drawing vacationers since the mid 1700s and is recognized by the United States government as the country’s oldest seaside resort. It is noted for its large number of well-maintained Victorian houses — the second largest collection of Victorian-era homes in the nation after San Francisco. In 1976, the entire city of Cape May was officially designated a National Historic Landmark. It is the only city in the United States wholly designated as such. That designation is intended to ensure the architectural preservation of these buildings.

This is the historic Inn of Cape May.  It is beautiful, huge and 115 years old.

These magnificent homes line the street that looks right out onto the endless beaches on the Atlantic Ocean.

They just go on and on as far as the eye can see.  No wonder Cape May keeps vacationers coming back year after year.

Is there a better way to end a rain storm?!?

Day #323 – Cape May, NJ

We left Chesapeake City this morning at 6:20 hoping to travel with the tides and currents.  Since the sun comes up about 5:30, visibility was great. Below is a picture of Salvage Crew pulling out of port.  I guess we aren’t the only crazy boaters as two sailboats passed going the other way.

We traveled a few more miles on the C&D Canal and then entered Delaware Bay.  If you look at the map in the bottom right corner, you will see Cape May, today’s destination.  Delaware is off our starboard and New Jersey is off the port.

The Bay can be very rough, but Captain Andy did his research and the day was perfect.  Waves were less than two feet and there were small swells.  The distance from port to port was 74 miles.

We passed the Salem Nuclear Power Plant on the Delaware River.  It is a two unit system being built in 1977 and 1981. In the 1990s, the Salem reactors were shut down for two years because of maintenance problems. Actor Bruce Willis worked at Salem Nuclear Power Plant as a security guard before pursuing acting.

The Ship John Shoal Lighthouse marks the north side of the ship channel in Delaware Bayis made of cast iron. The Ship John Shoal took its name from an incident in 1797 in which the John, captained by a Robert Folger, ran aground while on the way from Hamburg, Germany to Philadelphia. Passengers and cargo were unloaded safely, but the vessel was lost.

The shoreline begins to be lined with beautiful homes.

The channel from the Bay is busy with dredging equipment, ferries and pleasure craft.

The no-see-ums are biting and the flies are huge.

We arrived at Utsch’s Marina in Cape May about 2:00.

We decided to take on fuel before our next leg which will take us out into the Atlantic Ocean.  Their price today was $2.37 per gallon.  It’s going up again, but still much better than when we left last August.

We hoisted the bikes down and spent the afternoon exploring.  Stay tuned for more on that tomorrow.