Just Ducky: September 2012

The Journey Begins

Throgs Neck Bridge

Our saga begins with just about the best weather possible. We had beautiful, if chilly, weather until we got to Cape May. Can’t complain about that! Before I get started, just so you know, when I say “we” it usually means Mat doing the heavy lifting and me standing by for orders. Most of the time I am sooo glad we don’t have equal responsibilities.

Just Ducky took us up the Long Island Sound to Westbrook and then To Branford CT, sailing most of the way. (We LOVE September sailing!) In Branford we called cousins Lee and Marty as well as Laurie (Brian is in Poland getting a hug from his new granddaughter) to see if they were free for a visit. Lee & Marty came down to the boat to give us a family sendoff. We always enjoy their company.

Although we are underway, it doesn’t feel like we are since we are still in local waters. We decided to spend the next night in Glen Cove, NY, another free Brewers marina. We seem to be on the monarch butterfly migration path and what we want to believe was a single monarch following us all day. Our good luck charm. Since this part of the sound was new to us we felt like we were truly on our way.

Every day has been cool on the water to start, so fleece and long pants give way to shorts and tee shirts as the day progresses, at least for Mat. I still had a hard time giving up my sweatshirt.

The most exciting part of the trip for me is coming through Hell Gate in Manhattan. Of course Mat is at the helm fighting the currents and traffic and I get to sit back and enjoy, so he may have a different opinion! Rushing down the East River, coming around to see the Statute of Liberty in the distance is awesome. The 911 memorial building is a sight to see. When we were about 15-20 miles away, it was still visible. We went through on the 13^th so 911 was on the top of my mind.

When a boater asks you if you have gone aground and you say, no, their stock answer is “you will”. Well we did not have to waste too much time getting stuck in the sand in Sandy Hook, NJ. Our son Rick said, “Okay, you got that out of the way early!” With the assistance of a fellow sailor, we set the anchor on the starboard (right) side of the boat and turned the bow around and it worked. We quickly left that proposed anchorage in search of deeper water.

We left at 6am the next day for our long trip down the Jersey coast. The beautiful sunrise with the moon and the planet Uranus visible was worth getting up for. As exciting as Manhattan is, the Jersey shore is boring. Mile after mile of flat beach doesn’t inspire any photos. All I could think of is what part of the Jersey Shore is Snooky from? 13 hours later we arrived in Atlantic City at dusk, after the harbormaster had gone home. Tricky finding our slip at the marina, but flashlight and binoculars in hand, we found it. The next day we finally got some good exercise walking the 4.5 mile Boardwalk, won $22.50 at the casino, had a great dinner and left for Cape May the next morning.

Cape May is a quaint Victorian town and we love being here. We also were welcomed by our friends Dani and Roger who have a beautiful home here. They graciously had us stay with them for a couple of days. We got to meet Dani’s daughter Hillary, son in law Contrano and grandson Nevio. They truly made us part of the family as we celebrated Hillary’s birthday. We had a great dinner at their restaurant the Good Earth. A trip out to Cape May Point to the lighthouse and bird/butterfly migration area was great.

This is where the weather breaks down as the cold front moved in. Our plans of going up the Delaware River today quickly changed to tomorrow as the winds were predicted at 25-30 and the seas 6-8 feet! Not our kind of traveling. Tomorrow looks promising as we travel into the Chesapeake Bay on our son Tom’s birthday. Happy Birthday, Tom!