We had an 86 mile trip ahead of us from Atlantic Highlands (northern Jersey) down the coast to Atlantic City, so we decided on a 2:30 am departure. Ugh. I’m not even sure that counts as an early morning start, more like a middle of the night start? With mugs of coffee in hand, we quietly lifted our anchor and headed north back towards the lights of New York City. We had to travel north to get out of the Sandy Hook region and then start south again down the Jersey coast.
On the 2013 sailboat trip, I photographed the many water towers that we could see on the shoreline, probably because they reminded me of a complex sample 8th grade SBAC math problem that involved a water tower (only my GPS math teacher friends will get that reference.) This time the gorgeous sunrise was far more interesting! Truthfully, I do think that sunrises may be more fascinating than sunsets.
Our sunrise sequence —
As a trawler, we could not have asked for a better day to make this run down the coast of New Jersey. If we had sails I would have wished for a light wind so that we could sail. But calm and flat seas with only a touch of breeze made it an easy day for a trawler.
It was a quiet uneventful day except of the pods of dolphins we saw. Yeah!
We anchored off to the side of the channel, south of the bridge which will be good for an early departure.
Atlantic City isn’t the thriving place it once was, but they keep the lights on at night.
Early to bed, early to rise. Right? We wanted to catch a decent current for leaving Atlantic City and for entering Cape May, so we left at 6:00 am.
Another perfect day for traveling offshore. Somebody is watching over me and knows that this easy beginning will keep me calm and enthusiastic!
The calm waters made it easier to spot pods of dolphins, which we did. (No pictures because I was too absorbed in the watching.) Al was treated to a whale sighting!! He thought it was a boat that he had not noticed before but the large silhouette slowly sunk below the surface and then appeared again. A big water spout confirmed that it was indeed a whale!
For our first evening in Cape May, we dinghied into the inner harbor area for dinner.
We spent a nice day in Cape May two years ago by walking into the town to enjoy the quaint Victorian homes and the shops. Since we have our bicycles along this time, we decided Cape May would be a good place to give them a try – flat roads, no hills. It’s a really great idea to have bikes along on the trip, but it sure isn’t an easy task to get them to shore!
Step 2 – Going over the side.
Step 3 – Both bikes and Al are in the dinghy. Captain Al points to my seat!
With the bikes we are able to go farther and do things we had not done the first time. We took the road into town along the beachfront.
I really wanted to recreate a childhood experience on this visit to Cape May. I remember searching for “Cape May Diamonds” with my sister along the beach when my family would vacation at the “Jersey Shore.” Unsure of where the location was, I asked at the visitor center where I might find the Cape May Diamond beaches. We were directed to Sunset Beach, about a 1.5 mile ride more, where the “concrete ship” was. I did not remember any concrete ship, but off we went!
Sunset Beach is a touristy little spot. And there were the remnants of this old concrete ship, Atlantus. There is a website with information about “Death of a Concrete Ship”
And now in 2015. Not much left.
My annual September pedicure of Teal Toes stand out among the pebbles on Sunset Beach. In case you missed sit in previous years, September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month and teal is the color – Take Early Action and Live. As a survivor, I can’t let the month go by without a reminder to everyone – a link to NOCC (National Ovarian Cancer Coaltion)
Back to the diamonds! These Cape May Diamonds are actually pieces of quartz washed down the Delaware River and Bay and worn smooth during the trip. Although we picked up a few pebbles, this location didn’t match my memory. I called my mother to ask about it because I certainly did not remember this famous concrete ship. My memory was right. As a child, we searched for the Cape May diamonds at the point near the edge of the town, not Sunset Beach.
Cutting Class arrived in Cape May that afternoon so we gathered together for our second dinner of the trip.
Peggy Bjarno
Great sunrise pics, and you sure did luck out on the trip to Cape May! Someone was definitely looking out for you. You should soon be in the Chesapeake Bay, our home “surf.” Interesting to hear about the sailboat/trawler differences. Thanks for sharing your journey. 😀
Peggy