A Good, Long Day

Day 12  |  Atlantic City to Staten Island  |  84 Miles  |  11.5 Hours

The alarm went off at 5:00 am and we looked out the window to see condos and birds in the anchorage. Yay, the fog was lighter than it was when we turned in for the night. We pulled anchor and headed out the narrow channel with Sugarfoot, our buddy boat, right behind us. At its narrowest point, I'd say the channel was about 25 feet wide. Considering our beam is 16 feet, that didn't leave us much room for error. There was no way we would attempt to leave in a dense fog.

Once into Absecon Inlet we fell in behind a tug towing 10 little barges. We passed the Flagship Resort that we could barely make out last night and were pleased to be able to see the Absecon Lighthouse as well. The poor little guy looks out of place as the high-rise resorts have sprouted up around him. We exited the inlet into the Atlantic and headed north. The waves were as flat as we could have ever hoped for.

The morning sky ranged from cloudy to sunny and I went through three layers of clothing, never quite getting it right. I seemed to always be cold in the shade and hot in the sun. Around 10:00 we passed the entrance to Barnegat Bay. Its lighthouse (below center) was barely visible in the hazy fog. In an hour or so, however, the sun was back out and we settled in for the bulk of our longest day yet on the water. Watermen and other cruisers were all around and kept us alert and entertained.

I practiced my bird photography on the common seagull. We counted at least a dozen mylar balloons just floating in the ocean (please don't release your balloons). At 3:30 we passed Sandy Hook Lighthouse and entered into False Hook Channel, taking us very close to the beaches.

We watched as a cruise ship out of New York Harbor passed ever so close to the Ambrose Channel West Bank Light. Distances are easily misjudged on the water and the cruise ship actually passed behind the lighthouse ... with plenty of room to spare. A short distance back the landscape changed and we enjoyed passing the beaches dotted with fishermen as we entered Great Kills Harbor and headed to the far end for our dock assignment at the Great Kills Yacht Club.

A special treat for me was being able to answer all the texts, messages, phone calls, Polos, and emails on my birthday. Thanks to all. Before we got to Sandy Hook, I opened several cards that had somehow made their way onboard. My dad gave me my traditional birthday cards (a collection of 1970s-90s baseball cards). It was fun to go through them and pick out the Hall of Famers and/or former Richmond Braves. The one I'm showing below is Dale Murphy, an all-time favorite Brave. This is the first year in a long, long time (or maybe forever) that I haven't celebrated birthdays with my sister who was also born on June 1, but two years later. Happy Birthday, Lisa.

We grabbed a quick shower and walked into town for dinner. Its been a long day. We're looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow morning and then cleaning Crossroads, inside and out. We have friends coming to visit on Sunday and need to tidy the place up.