The Long Way Round

Wending our way up the Jersey coast. We haven’t done this trip in this particular way for years, opting instead to take a thirty-six hour shortcut directly from Cape May to Block Island. This time, this last time, we had decided to go slowly, to draw all the enjoyment possible from each stop along the way. The weather gods seem to be doubling down on that decision, forcing us to stay in some places even longer than we would have chosen to.

Approaching Atlantic City

We are hoping to get up to Manhattan in three quick hops; Atlantic City, Barnegat Light, and Sandy Hook. The first stop, Atlantic City, goes according to plan, but heading out the next day for Barnegat, we encounter some fog. 

A pod of dolphins accompanying us

I’m not sure we would have chosen to travel today if we had known how thick the fog would become. But by the time it turns into a real problem, it’s too late to turn back. The visibility is terrible; we can see only a few feet from the boat before we are enveloped in a thick gray soup. Rick has to rely completely on the chart plotter, the boat’s GPS system, which shows buoys and channel markers, but cannot tell him if there is another boat nearby. We really cannot see those buoys until we are right on top of them. At the entrance to the Barnegat Channel, two coast guard boats come suddenly into view, ghostly apparitions, hanging in the water, very close to our boat. I had a momentary thought that they were going to board our vessel, or that they were going to tell us we couldn’t go into the channel. But they pretty much ignore us. 

We turn into the channel, and Rick tells me we should be seeing the lighthouse on our port side. I stare off into the fog, not seeing a thing, until suddenly, there it is, a huge towering structure taking shape out of nothing. I am pretty freaked out. Rick keeps his cool, and tells me to keep my eye on the depth sounder. I’m not sure he really needs me to do this, but he knows I need something to keep my mind occupied. Without seeing the chart plotter, I feel very out of control. But Captain Rick knows what he’s doing; he safely guides the boat through the channel and into a good anchoring spot. 

The fog mostly lifts the next day, but the winds are very strong, and combined with a string of thundershowers, we are stuck in Barnegat for most of the week.

While we’re here, we try to stay true to our “squeeze that lemon” approach to our trip. We go ashore for dinner, visit the lighthouse up close and personal, and go to the beach almost every day. The water is way too cold for swimming, but the walks we take are very rejuvenating. 

Finally, on our last night, the winds moderate just enough for us to enjoy our first cocktail hour on the foredeck, reminding us of what we most love about cruising. Cheers!