Cape May was a welcome stop after an almost non-stop ‘sprint’ from Westport. Choosing the option to take on long days and use the available weather windows paid off, as we had a smooth (but very long) cruise from Atlantic Highlands, NJ to Atlantic City where we anchored for the night under the neon glow of the casinos. We didn’t go ashore as we needed to leave early again the next day for Cape May. We got to Cape May and soon learned that the strange weather disturbance off Florida was now projected to be a Tropical Storm in a day or two, and was heading up the coast right towards us. Luckily, we found a safe marina and were able to settle in for 4 nights and some R&R after non-stop cruising. This was really our first stop to stretch our legs, enjoy some food (and beer) off the boat, see some sights, and get the bikes moving again after way too long being stowed away. Cape May is a great seaside town with lots of shops, eateries, and a big promenade that stretches the length of the town. We managed to find 4 breweries within biking distance, and besides one very big bridge to cross (we walked the bikes), nice safe bike paths.
Tropical Storm Ophelia came thru very slowly. Thankfully, we never truly saw Tropical Storm winds as the eye went ashore to the southwest, but due to its massive size, we did endure a steady stream of 30+ knot winds with lots of rain for 2 straight days. There were some serious gusts as well, but thankfully all the extra lines held the boat safely in the slip and the bimini top stayed put throughout the storm. Looking back we were very fortunate to be in a safe but fun spot to wait out the storm. It also allowed us to start the next leg of our trip almost immediately. Looking back at other boats that were a day or 2 behind us in NY or NJ, they are now delayed a week or more waiting for another good day along the Jersey shore while we are headed to the Chesapeake.
We tried a beer called “Rick”. It was a cucumber dill Gose beer, yup, pickle beer and it was VERY good!
Segment Stats
- Sandy Hook, NJ to Atlantic City, NJ – Wednesday, September 20th
- Traveled in the Atlantic Ocean for 81.5 Nautical Miles, cruising time 11 hours 50 minutes
- Anchored in Absecon Inlet outside of Harrah’s Hotel and Casino
- Atlantic City, NJ to Cape May, NJ – Thursday, September 21st
- Traveled in the Atlantic Ocean for 38.3 Nautical Miles, cruising time 4 hours 44 minutes
- Docked at a slip in Utsch’s Marina. The marina is very nice but the approach to marina is shallow with strong current and once inside the protected waters, one needs to navigate super narrow fairways.