Cape May to Atlantic City, Aug 15, 2012

A day of firsts!!!

Sunrise, Utchs Marina, Cape May

Our first day on the outside on the ocean! Winds s/w at 10 knots, 1 to 2 foot seas. Almost perfect. A gentle roll. Winds coming on the back quarter. No problem. We have about 35 miles to go and transitted the distance in 5 hours.

There were about 5 boats 5 miles offshore fishing.

We would surf down the wave at 8 to 9 knots, and then slow to about 7 knots at the bottom of the wave. We were about 5 miles offshore and we came to a group of much smaller power boats out fishing. We thought we were really doing something, and these guys come all the way out to go fishing.

In this area we also saw a huge sea turtle floating on the surface. He didn't move, or dive. Made us think that he perhaps was dead.

We had a Coast Guard pass us to our starboard. Peter calls out that he just saw a whale. WOW what an experience. We watched and we saw it again. I grabbed my camera in the hopes of getting a picture. We waited. And waited. We saw it a couple of times ahead of us and then nothing.

Then all of a sudden, the whale breached and spewed not 10' off the starboard side of our boat. Scared the daylights out of the both of us. By the time I got to the side of the boat with the camera he was going down. And was gone. We later saw him behind us but too far away to get a picture.

That made the entire trip worthwhile. An experience of a lifetime.

Atlantic City Lighthouse

While we were in Cape May, we docked beside another boat "Slow Roll" Skipper Doug. He just bought this boat and is travelling back into New York with it. Told him we were going that way with "Waypoint" and he could join us if he liked. He came along with us. So we are now 3 boats travelling together.

We also met another couple who were former sailors and they too have come over to the dark side and bought a trawler. "Bel Sito", Richard and Julie. They too are travelling north. They left about half an hour ahead of us this morning. Not sure where they are now. They could be at Atlantic City also.

Finding Waldo? Can you find Deja Vu?

We have had our daily ice cream cone, and visited the Atlantic City Aquarium (complimentary tickets with dockage) A good presentation, but it sure isn't anything like the aquariums at Chattanooga, Tennessee. Chattanooga has probably spoiled us for any other aquarium.

How about now? Can you find Deja Vu?

A thunderstorm has moved in. We are back at the boat for awhile. The weatherman talked about 2 storm fronts moving through. We were hoping to get to walk on the famous boardwalk.

Tomorrow morning, a really early start - 6:30am to  go outside again to make our way to Manasquan. About 50 + miles. It will be a very long day, probably 8 hours. We hope to get in before the daily rain that tends to come every afternoon.

We have made reservations for Manasquan and Liberty Landing, read Statue of Liberty. Two days in New York for sure.