Ahhh! The calm after the storm. Monday morning found us still at anchor, but we had a decent night’s sleep, now that the winds have died down and we could stop worrying (so much) about the boat dragging anchor during the night.
We spent a relaxing morning, catching up with family and friends as we waited for the local marinas to open up. We received the news that our Jeep was successfully moved (by sister Cathy and brother-in-law Todd) to our son Mike’s house outside of Philly. We are appreciative of their generous help and glad they got to spend some time with their nephew and his beautiful growing family.
The first marina we called was full, but we were able to get a spot at Canyon Club Resort Marina. It was more expensive than we would have liked, but they had a discount for us card-carrying members of the AGLCA (America’s Great Loop Cruisers’ Association). After 4 nights of rough seas in the Cape May Harbor, it was tough pulling up the anchor, it was really dug in. We saw another boater who had left during the storm come back to retrieve his anchor that he was apparently unable to raise during the storm. He had tied a float to it, so he could find it and return with a TowBoat service to help retrieve it.
So, we moved to our marina, and sure enough…. it was very resort-like…. attached to a fancy condo complex with tons of boat slips. It had everything we needed and more. You could even get diesel pumped to your boat while in the slip instead of having to move to the fuel dock. They had a beautiful infinity pool, complete with metal palm tree sculptures, but it was a bit cold for swimming, and we were there to take care of chores, not vacation. The dock tenders joked that most people come in to the marina to weather the storm, not after the storm, but they were very helpful in getting us tied down and settled in.
In the marina, we noticed a bunch of floating shells. We had seen them several days ago when we were first motoring in to Cape May. Captain Mark thought they were turtle shells, or perhaps some type of water plant. Now that we could see them on closer inspection, we realized they were horseshoe crabs, distinctive because of the long pointy tail. They were clearly not alive, as many of them were rotting, and only partially there. Further research indicated that they weren’t the actual horseshoe crabs at all…. they were molts from when the crabs grew a larger exoskeleton and shed their smaller one. Sidekick Sue found this fascinating, as she always loves watching and learning about wildlife wherever we go.
Once in the marina, Captain Mark took care of all the “regular” chores… the pump-out, filling the water tanks, and bringing a week’s worth of trash to the dumpster. While we could have taken advantage of fueling right at our slip, Captain Mark opted not to. We still have a half a tank of diesel and the rumors are that one should “travel light” through the New Jersey ICW because the waters can get a tad shallow, and this can help avoid grounding.
With the boat chores done, we moved on to provisioning. In order to satisfy the Fitbit Gods (who know we haven’t been off the boat to walk in 4 days), we decided to walk into town to the Acme grocery store (about 2.5 miles away) to get a few bags of groceries. We bought the “lighter” items from our list, with a plan to come back for the heavier items. We also found snacks for breakfast, since we’ve been out of eggs for the last few days and have been improvising for breakfast. In honor of Memorial Day, Sidekick Sue had a delicious red white and blue vanilla yogurt parfait with strawberries and blue berries and granola crunchies. Captain Mark was happy with an apple and some popcorn chips.
On the way back, the Explorers scoped out dinner options, as they decided they deserved a dinner out after 4 days at anchor. Sidekick Sue was craving spaghetti with meatballs, so they made note of Tony’s Pizzeria and Restaurant. Sidekick Sue also found a wonderful shop full of antique consignments, and added a little terracotta turkey to the collection of Thanksgiving décor she has been collecting on this trip. As our kids have grown and married, Thanksgiving has sort of become the “Dixon” holiday, so Sidekick Sue has been trying to find cute decorations… much more challenging than Christmas decorations.
After putting away the groceries, the Explorers suited up for grocery shopping part 2. We got out the big Osprey backpacks, the folding bikes and the bike basket to head back to ACME for the items we needed that were too heavy and bulky to carry on foot (seltzer water, flat water, juice, etc.). We are still kicking ourselves for forgetting to bring our “granny cart” on this journey; it would have come in handy. So, we biked back into town, but before shopping, we wandered around a bit through a charming pedestrian shopping area on Washington Street and then out to the beach. There were rows and rows of adorable Victorian houses, restored with period colors and architecture. Following the theme, there were horse and buggy rides all around the square.
Finally, we biked back over to the ACME. Each of us carried 2 twelve-packs of seltzer water in our backpacks and Captain Mark balanced another bag of groceries in his bike basket. The ride back was manageable, but we had to be very careful about maneuvering with all the extra weight on our backs and bikes; sudden stops, starts and turns had to be avoided at all costs. Once safely back to the boat, Sidekick Sue did the laundry (and at least got to sit in the sun by the pool and read in between loads). Captain Mark refueled the gas for the dinghy, and made another courageous solo trip back to the ACME, stocking up on more water while we had the chance to have our bikes on land.
After an exhausting day of chores, we headed out to eat. The marina that we were staying in was located on the opposite side of the Cape May Canal than the shopping and the restaurants. Therefore, each trip we made, required we cross a long tall bridge over the canal. To get on and off the bridge, we had to use crosswalks because the pedestrian walkway was only on one side of the bridge. Standing in the crosswalks, waiting for someone to stop, the Explorers confirmed that they are now back in the land of the rude drivers. It doesn’t surprise us, after living in the Boston area for nearly 20 years, but it is disheartening to see the city centers in the northeast living up to their stereotype. Dinner at Tony’s may have been our first real indoor eating experience in over a year and a half (we’ve been in some “almost indoor” patios, but not completely enclosed). Not to worry as there was only one other table in use the whole time we were there. Apparently, most of Tony’s business is takeout these days.
After dinner, we made the walk back to our boat again. We had the end slip on a very long dock, and with all of our trips and errands, it felt like we had walked it a hundred times (and we would walk it again in a few minutes to get to the “real” showers). Over and over, we walked by the same people, getting their boats ready to go out for Memorial Day, and then again when they returned. Our efforts were rewarded when Sidekick Sue’s Fitbit announced she had broken her personal record with 25,000 steps on this day of errands. (Take that, Fitbit Gods)
We settled in for a quiet night. Took advantage of our electricity to watch the big TV. Our latest binge is the YouTube channel of the “Millennium Falcon”, a young couple out of Australia that has been vlogging their sailboat adventures for the last few years (thanks Carrie for the recommendation). Sadly, Captain Mark was too tired to stay awake for the adventures, so he retired, while Sidekick Sue worked on finishing up the jigsaw she had started during the boring time at anchor. Tomorrow, we (finally) get back on the trail.
This blog is awesome! Have fun and batten down the hatches!