Sailing To New York City

At Anchor In Atlantic City

The highway bridge in morning light, the next day. This is the only way to get to the barrier island northeast of Atlantic City, which is crowded with houses.

The boat closest to us in the anchorage, Fulfillment, from Pittsburgh, PA. At first we though it was unoccupied, since the dinghy had lost air and was slowly folding in half, but we later saw people aboard.

Saturday, June 23, 2007

I had a good sleep last night and this morning I took a shower, so I feel very much rejuvenated today.

The weather was quite pleasant, warm and breezy, and I spent several hours in the cockpit idly watching the world go by. I even had time to do the acrostic puzzle from last Saturday's Washington Post.

There was a huge amount of boat traffic in the vicinity, with boats zooming hither and thither, making numerous conflicting wakes. Fast powerboats, slow cruisers, open boats with fishermen, pontoon boats, jet skis, even a few sailboats (though they were limited by the height of the highway bridge). There must not be any speed limit in the inlet since powerboats went as fast as they wanted, including cigarette boats that raced by at full throttle.

The sandy shore on the far side of the inlet was a popular spot. Lots of people and cars congregated, plus a number of boats that were nosed-in to the beach. There were four sailboats and two trawlers at anchor in the adjacent cove, though the chart showed a very shallow bar at the entrance. Later, I saw a sizable tour boat motor into the cove, so there must be decent water over the bar. Obviously, local knowledge is essential.

During the day, a couple more boats anchored near us by the highway bridge.

Fishermen near us in the inlet, with the crowded barrier island in the background.

The popular sandy beach on the far side of the inlet. It's not very crowded yet since it's still morning.