Our departure from Cape May was delayed a bit as a heavy fog developed right after sunrise. Warm, moist air from the land had moved out to sea and settled over the cool water, resulting in advection fog or pea soup. We watched as a few local fishermen left their slips and were encouraged when we could actually see across to the other side of the marina. With buddy boat Sugarfoot off our stern, we headed out of the marina and into the Atlantic, bound for Atlantic City.
Visibility was about 1/8 mile as we made our way out the Cape May inlet. We had our navigation lights and radar on. A large fishing vessel eerily emerged from the fog and we passed port to port. We had our headsets on and I was on the bow for a better look.
Other than the fog, however, it was a great day on the water. The Atlantic was flat and the wind was light and behind us. We saw horseshoe crabs, dolphin, and even a large turtle. Even though we cruised four and a half miles off the coast, we still had to keep our eyes open for floats and bouys, marking fishing grounds. Overall it was just a long, uneventful day with most of our time spent just looking out the pilothouse windows.
As we made the turn into Atlantic City's Absecon Inlet, the fog had actually begun to thicken. Piloting primarily by radar, we stayed in the middle of the channel straining to eyeball the actual channel markers for confirmation. We knew the resorts of the Atlantic City boardwalk were supposed to be off to port. With the help of Google Maps, we later identified this large structure (below right) as the Flagship Resort.
We and Sugarfoot entered into a very narrow channel at Rum Point that opened into a large protected anchorage. The fog was a bit lighter where we set the hook, but the Brigantine Boulevard Bridge, which crosses the inlet, was only partially visible.
As I write this at 7:30, the fog is as thick as its been all day and we're just hoping that we'll be able to get out of here early tomorrow morning. We cannot navigate this narrow channel by instrument only. Friday will have favorable wave and wind conditions for our next leg to Staten Island. Weather conditions deteriorate on Saturday. Here's hoping the fog lifts.
The map below shows the path we've taken from Annapolis to Atlantic City.
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