We returned our rental car this morning and left Atlantic City at 10:30 AM. The winds were light and the skies were blue and sunny. But the tide was ebbing and it was almost low tide. The entrance/exit to Atlantic City through Absecon Inlet is fairly shallow and the waves were impressive. I'd say at least four feet, maybe six. The boat got bounced real good until we got out in deeper water and headed south.
I had started the Racor fuel polishing system before we left. After a half hour underway, I did a filter check. The Filter Bosses were as clean as a whistle, but the Racor had picked up about a cup of water. Here we go again! I checked the Racors every ten minutes after that, and each time drained a half a cup of water. Eventually, it slowed to the point where I could check it every fifteen minutes, and then every half hour. Besides water, a lot of crud was being picked up as well. But the bottom line is that my system works. While the Racor was picking up gunk and water, the engines were running along very happily on the Filter Bosses. The vacuum gauges show that they're not clogging up at all.
The trip down the Jersey shore is, well, boring. Not much to see. Even so, I plotted our course with something I invented a number of years ago. I call it the "Navi-Nut". I plan on selling them on the internets in the not too distant future.
One simply takes one's coordinates from a chart plotte or GPS and place the Navi-Nut at this position. The only downside to this system, from my experience, is if the chart is in a sunny place. It attracts kittens looking for a nap place and then the system locks up.
We arrived off Cape May at 3 PM and saw these strange creatures just outside of the inlet.
Didn't "War of the Worlds" happen in New Jersey?
The entrance to Cape May is straightforward and well marked. We hooked the sea buoy at the entrance and headed in between the jetties. The only issue was this wild current at the entrance that would make Hell Gate proud. It slowed us from 7 knots to 5, and just past this we hit 9.
We're staying at Utsch's Marina at Cape May. It was a little tricky finding the entrance (hang a lewey at day marker 16, run 20 feet off the bulkhead, and take a right just before the little lighthouse). We went to the fuel dock where a couple of very capable hands took our lines. We took on 150 gallons of diesel and then docked for the evening. Tomorrow is Delaware Bay.
We'll be doing Delaware Bay at exactly the wrong time. High tide is at 7:12 AM, which means that we'll have the tide against us for most of the day at speeds of up to 1.5 knots and the distance from Cape May to the entrance of the C & D Canal is 67 miles (we travel a 8 knots in slack water). But the alternative is to sit in Cape May for a week. With the weather windows being so bad lately, I think we're going to go for it. It will be a very long day for the dogs, and we'll get to the C&D at dusk. But it's well lit, so we should be OK.
Pam just called our friend Miro on his cell. He's a power boater who bought a sailboat this spring and outfitted it to cruise. He also taught himself to sail over the summer. He left Stamford CT early today. He's singlehanding and he's going to run outside all the way. He's headed for St. Thomas. He's off Barnegatt Inlet right now. He knows about the storm brewing out in the Atlantic and will duck in when necessary.
So at least we're not the last boat to head south, although we may be the last to get there. I'll need another Navi-Nut.
I had started the Racor fuel polishing system before we left. After a half hour underway, I did a filter check. The Filter Bosses were as clean as a whistle, but the Racor had picked up about a cup of water. Here we go again! I checked the Racors every ten minutes after that, and each time drained a half a cup of water. Eventually, it slowed to the point where I could check it every fifteen minutes, and then every half hour. Besides water, a lot of crud was being picked up as well. But the bottom line is that my system works. While the Racor was picking up gunk and water, the engines were running along very happily on the Filter Bosses. The vacuum gauges show that they're not clogging up at all.
The trip down the Jersey shore is, well, boring. Not much to see. Even so, I plotted our course with something I invented a number of years ago. I call it the "Navi-Nut". I plan on selling them on the internets in the not too distant future.
One simply takes one's coordinates from a chart plotte or GPS and place the Navi-Nut at this position. The only downside to this system, from my experience, is if the chart is in a sunny place. It attracts kittens looking for a nap place and then the system locks up.
We arrived off Cape May at 3 PM and saw these strange creatures just outside of the inlet.
Didn't "War of the Worlds" happen in New Jersey?
The entrance to Cape May is straightforward and well marked. We hooked the sea buoy at the entrance and headed in between the jetties. The only issue was this wild current at the entrance that would make Hell Gate proud. It slowed us from 7 knots to 5, and just past this we hit 9.
We're staying at Utsch's Marina at Cape May. It was a little tricky finding the entrance (hang a lewey at day marker 16, run 20 feet off the bulkhead, and take a right just before the little lighthouse). We went to the fuel dock where a couple of very capable hands took our lines. We took on 150 gallons of diesel and then docked for the evening. Tomorrow is Delaware Bay.
We'll be doing Delaware Bay at exactly the wrong time. High tide is at 7:12 AM, which means that we'll have the tide against us for most of the day at speeds of up to 1.5 knots and the distance from Cape May to the entrance of the C & D Canal is 67 miles (we travel a 8 knots in slack water). But the alternative is to sit in Cape May for a week. With the weather windows being so bad lately, I think we're going to go for it. It will be a very long day for the dogs, and we'll get to the C&D at dusk. But it's well lit, so we should be OK.
Pam just called our friend Miro on his cell. He's a power boater who bought a sailboat this spring and outfitted it to cruise. He also taught himself to sail over the summer. He left Stamford CT early today. He's singlehanding and he's going to run outside all the way. He's headed for St. Thomas. He's off Barnegatt Inlet right now. He knows about the storm brewing out in the Atlantic and will duck in when necessary.
So at least we're not the last boat to head south, although we may be the last to get there. I'll need another Navi-Nut.
How do I get a Navi Nut™? Maybe you can get Active Captain to promote them on their site?
ReplyDeleteThe Navi Nut™ is still in the testing and development stages. I hope to get the bugs worked out and release Navi Nut™ 1.0 before the end of 2012. I'll need to seek bank financing, or better yet secure a federal grant to finish it.
ReplyDelete