Tuesday, June 19, 2012 - NYC Yeah!

One World Trade Center
View from Liberty Landing Marina

We left the dock at 6:15 a.m. and pulled into Liberty Landing at 5:45 p.m. We had swells yesterday left over from the week of winds that we waited out in Cape May. We expected the swells would diminish today. It wasn't meant to be. The swells continued, but a 10 knot south wind caused a following sea to develop throughout the day. Instead of just swells, we had swells with a following sea. The autopilot doesn't do well with following seas, so we yawed back and forth while riding the swells up and down. It was cold and overcast most of the day and overall a pretty miserable trip. The good news is that we made it to NYC. Coming into the city was pretty amazing. Though there were tankers, ferries and tugs, it was no worse than many Sunday afternoons around the Palm Beach inlet. We can now look forward to the last leg up the Hudson River, through the Champlain Canal and then to Lake Champlain.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Atlantic City from the ocean as
 we approached the inlet

We left the dock at 6:15 am. The sun was out and even though it was only 56 degrees when we left, it was pleasant on the bridge. There was little to no wind, so there weren't even ripples on the surface. There was a three to four foot swell, but though a little uncomfortable at times, it was very doable. We were just glad to be underway again. After about an hour an a half we could begin to see the Atlantic City skyline. We arrived at Farley Marina at the Golden Nugget at 11:15 a.m. Finally, we are back on our trip.



At the dock in Atlantic City with
Harrah's in the background

We will be in New York City tomorrow evening. Tonight we plan
to win enough at the slots to pay for the trip.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

It was a great place to stay, but it is time to go

Happy Father's Day. Another day of waiting. The wind was cold and we mostly just hung out. I spent quite a bit of time going over possible stops on the Hudson and along the Champlain Canal. The marina let us know that this was the March weather that they didn't have this year. It was in the 80's in March. Thanks a lot. We ended the day with dinner at the Lobster House which continues to amaze us. The prices are reasonable and we have had some great meals.  Finally, the wind switched towards the south and by the time we turned in, there was almost no wind. We are  shooting to leave as early as possible tomorrow. A number of boats are waiting until Tuesday because the wave height predictions don't go below 4 feet until then. They are more experienced, with this cruising thing, but we are anxious to start moving again. If it is too rough when we go into the ocean, we'll turn around and attempt the inside route.

Saturday, June 16, 2012

The winds continue. The refrigerator is defrosted and we went to Harbor Fest, Downtown Cape May and we did some grocery shopping. Grocery shopping has been one of our biggest challenges. The store here is about a mile and a half from the marina and Cape May is busy with tourist traffic. We still plan to leave Monday morning, but it would be nice if the wind would start letting up. The highlight of our day was salmon and clams casino that we purchased form the seafood market attached to the Lobster House cooked on the boat grill.

Friday, June 15, 2012

View from the Schooner American used
 as a bar and restaurant at the Lobster House

We went to the Lobster House for lunch before Ann Marie and Wally were to leave for Boston. This was our third time eating there and we were continually amazed at the price and quality of the food.  After our guests left, Karen did laundry and I cleaned the boat. The boat can always use cleaning and there seems to be an unlimited amount of laundry. It is amazing how the days just evaporate.

It looks like the really good weather won't be with us until Tuesday, but as of now we are planning to leave for Atlantic City first thing Monday morning. The wind will still be out of the East, but at 5 to 10. We expect swells, but we think that will be bearable. Tuesday we will leave as early as possible for the long ride to NYC. Tuesday the winds are predicted to switch to the south which would mean a very comfortable ride for one of our longest days.
Saturday is Harbor Fest in Cape May, so we plan to check that out after we defrost the refrigerator.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

It is hard to believe the wind is still blowing. Wally and Ann Marie are leaving for Boston tomorrow and Karen and I will wait out the wind. At least we are glad to be in Cape May, NJ. There is plenty to do and Utsch's Marina has great bathrooms and wonderful staff. We were successful in finding Egg Creams and we rode the historic trolley. Of course, the web site said you could begin the trolley ride anywhere on the trip, but when we tried to wave them down, they just waved back. Wally and I changed the oil in the engine and the generator. The new engine oil changing system made the task pretty easy (thanks Ted Kasper - mechanic extraordinaire). It looks like Sunday will be the day to head towards New York. It will be Atlantic City or Manasquan Inlet the first day and then Liberty Landing Marina in New York the next day. We are ready to head up the Hudson to Lake Champlain.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Wally at the Arcade

Cape May Beach

Today is Keenan's birthday. Hard to believe he is 21. We are sorry we couldn't be with him. We will celebrate when we see him next in VT. The wind continues to blow 15 to 20 with higher gusts on occasion. The wind shifted from the southeast to the northeast. We would like the winds to shift to the west or southwest or to die down to 5 to 10 from any direction before we head to NY. We took a bike ride to the Cape May beach and picked up groceries. There are a number of boats waiting for the wind to die down before heading north. Tomorrow we plan to go out in search of an Egg Cream and take a trolley ride through the historic district. We hope to be in NY City by Sunday or Monday and then begin our trek north on the Hudson next Wednesday morning.