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.
The Great Loop 