We left our anchorage at the Bartlett County Park; still no sign of life from the sailboat that was anchored next to us making us more convinced it was unoccupied. The weather report was showing rain for the better part of the day, starting at 11:00 AM, but we felt that there was a little weather window that we could use to position ourselves at the end of the NJ Intracoastal Waterway, by 10:00 AM, to prepare for our entrance into NYC. Our plan was to anchor at the end of the waterway, leaving the ocean part of the journey for the next day.
The first part of the trip was very similar to the day before. We were in the ICW, behind barrier islands. We passed through some areas that seemed swampy, where we were dodging fishing boats drifting along. Other parts of the ICW were more developed with mansions, docks, and fancy boats. The closer we got to the top of New Jersey, the more exclusive the neighborhoods became.
Near the end of the ICW, we entered the Point Pleasant Canal. It was very narrow, and lined with homes on both sides. Because of the narrow width, the canal had a very strong current pushing us along. It reminded Sidekick Sue of the scene from Willy Wonka where the boat keeps going faster and faster. It was a little unnerving because the extra push from the current gave a feeling of being “out of control” as we passed under several bridges. Luckily, all of the bridges were at least 30 feet high, so we did not have to request any openings. The only one that was too low for our boat was a railroad bridge that was defaulted to the up position. At the end, we were swept into the Manasquan River, heading out to the ocean. Here is where we were planning to wait out the rain before venturing out into the ocean.
A quick check of the weather, showed the rain had been delayed again. Now it wasn’t supposed to rain until 5:00 PM. This seemed like plenty of time to start the ocean portion of the trip up the coast of NJ. Captain Mark said “be bold” and we ventured past our safe anchorage into the ocean through the Manasquan Inlet. Right away, as we passed through the inlet, it became windy and foggy, with very low visibility. Captain Mark had some doubts about his “boldness”, but we were getting some help from the current, and the ocean wasn’t too rough. Eventually, the fogginess cleared up a bit; it certainly was not a beautiful day, but the cloud layer thinned out and we caught glimpses of sunshine.
As we reached the top of New Jersey, we could start to see the outline of Manhattan across the water. Several times, we were passed by a high-speed ferry that was carrying people back and forth between NJ and NYC; luckily the wake it created was somehow minimal. To reach our anchorage, we actually had to pass around the point of Sandy Hook, and then back south for about 5 miles to reach calmer water. Our anchorage was right next to a mooring field, behind a breakwater where the water was perfectly flat…. no current, no wind. We set our anchor, but really didn’t worry at all because there was no motion to drag, or even rock the boat.
It was now close to 5:00 PM, but a check of the weather now showed the rain delayed until 7:00 PM. With that in mind, we decided to go ashore for a walk. Captain Mark rowed the dinghy ashore, but we had trouble finding the “right” place to park the dinghy. Although the comments on Navionics, referred to a public dinghy dock, we couldn’t find it. We ended up pulling our dinghy up on a roller, and onto a dinghy dock that had reserved spaces. Sidekick Sue, of course, insisted we figure out where we were supposed to be, as she was uncomfortable parking in someone else’s spot. So, the Explorers wandered around, reading signage and looking for someone to ask, but it seemed like the offices had closed at 4:30, and the whole marina and shipyard were deserted. Captain Mark wanted to move on, but Sidekick Sue resisted, like the “good angel” on his shoulder (or perhaps the stick-in-the-mud). They finally agreed to throw the dinghy back into the water, and just leave it tied to the dock we were clearly not supposed to use, in case the rightful owner of the spot came along (of course there was no sign that they did).
The Explorers walked along the waterfront and found a trail that seemed interesting, the Henry Hudson Trail, and followed it until it seemed to just disappear in a residential neighborhood. They went through the downtown area and learned that they were in the Borough of Atlantic Highlands. Most of the businesses were closed for the night, or in the process of closing, but we did run into the hardware store to replace a pair of leather gloves for Captain Mark to use when raising/lowering the anchor, as one of his gloves mysteriously disappeared, and may have gone overboard.
We remembered that we were nearly out of eggs, so Sidekick Sue stopped in a tiny mini-mart to inquire. No luck there…. It seemed to be a lottery ticket store (where was this when she was trying to buy a ticket for the big MegaMillions), but the owner gave us directions to a supermarket “across the highway”. That seemed intimidating, but the highway turned out to be a busy street with a crosswalk, so our Explorers had no trouble picking up a few bags of groceries. As it was getting too late to head home and start making dinner, the Explorers picked up some quick items in the deli for dinner and settled on a bench outside to eat before heading back.
We finally encountered the 7:00 rain on the way back to the dinghy, but all in all, not nearly as much as expected for a day that was supposed to be a wash-out. The Explorers were happy that they decided to make the move, putting them in striking distance of NYC tomorrow.
