The forecast was favorable. East winds at 5 to 10 knots, seas 2 to 3 feet. For awhile, we had very light wind with minimal waves, just a swell out of the east, but it built a little later. I was running the homemade Racor fuel polishing system while the engines ran on the Filter Bosses. The Racor's fuel pickup tube is lower than the FBs, and diesel fuel floats on top of water, so the idea was for the Racor to pick up water before the FBs. I checked the filters every half hour, and the first check showed about a pint of water in the Racor. I drained that out and got no more water for the rest of the 52 mile trip to Atlantic City. I have my fingers crossed that we've got our fuel problems behind us.
The trip was uneventful. Also boring. The Jersey Shore might have great beaches and nightlife, but for scenery, not so much. The boats that we passed (one sailboat, below) or passed us (all the rest, we're very slow) were more interesting.
This sailboat is a 28' Bristol Channel Cutter. It's a go anywhere blue water boat and many have circumnavigated. The company that made them is out of business, but you can buy a used one for anywhere from $90k to $280K according to Yachtworld.
The boat above says "Survey".
We travel at 7 to 8 knots (8 to 9 MPH). This guy was going faster. There are few times I wished we could go faster, but going down the Jersey shore is one of them. Going up the Delaware Bay will be another.
Even the dogs were bored, curled up on the seat behind the helm station. Gertie the cat was asleep in her usual spot under my chair. We keep Charlie locked up in the head in the forward stateroom since he often gets seasick. Pam and I wished that we could just turn on the autopilot and sleep on this leg of our cruise but that would't be seaman-like and is frowned upon.We arrived at Atlantic City at 3 PM.
Farley State Marina is $2 a foot a night, cheap compared to what we've been paying. The showers are in the main building and heated, another plus. It's also a short walk to a small beach where we can let the dogs run off leash, a huge plus.Last night, Pam and I went to the Golden Nugget Casino for beer and pizza. The first thing I noticed is that the majority of the people there used walkers or scooters and lug around oxygen bottles. What the heck?
Instead of pizza, we wound up at a steak house where the filet mignon was $38.95. That's all you got, the filet mignon. Everything else was extra. I ordered a pear and pecan salad that came with apples and walnuts instead for $10.95 and mashed potatoes for $7.50. Pam also ordered a salad, filet mignon, and baked potato, and we ordered a $35 bottle of pinot noir. The bill came to $158 plus tip. So much for an inexpensive stay in Atlantic City!
Unless the forecast changes, it looks like we'll be here until next week. On Friday we need to rent a car and drive back to Connecticut for Pam's son's wedding on Saturday, and then to upstate New York for my daughter's birthday on Sunday, returning Monday. We may play tourist today and take a two mile walk to the boardwalk. Maybe we'll visit a casino as well. Neither one of us are gamblers and I'm a poor loser, but I'm kind of interested to see how it works. Maybe we'll spend a little bit of money at a casino to see what the attraction is. I just hope I don't wind up in a scooter.
Craps is the thing. A friend told me he goes and plays craps. Puts $20 on the table and when it is gone, it is gone. A nice cheap evening of fun.
ReplyDeleteSo, I tried it. The first second and fourth shooters were hot, hot, hot. (I was third and crapped out on second roll, sigh.) Three hours later, I walked away with $650 after tipping the croupier $100. At one point, I had $1,000 in bets on the table. All from starting with $20.
The bad news is, my wife lost half of that the next day, trying to duplicate my experience.
The good news is, what was left paid our miscellaneous expenses for the week. (it was biz trip, company paid the hotel and food.)
I've never done it again, because the adrenalin rush was so intense, I can see why people get addicted to gambling.
But, it was a fun evening!
Hi Pam and Dave - Glad to hear the fuel issue seem to be waning. Watch out for the scooters there more dangerous than Tug’s pulling a barge. I can understand the desire to go faster. Sometimes I ‘d like to also go faster but I do savor the slow crawl in the right direction. Coming from sail to power (even at 6 knots) going in the desired direction has really changed my sense of speed! Hope it s bit warmer there. At least you did not get the 22 inches of snow here in MA. We even had an inch of snow on Autumn Dream’s Deck!
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