May 24, 2008 - Offshore run Quinby Inlet, VA to Ocean City MD.

After a peaceful night at anchor, we departed Quinby Inlet on a rising tide with light winds from the North West, shortly after 6:15am. The shoals either side of the channel are marked, but care and constant vigil on the depth sounder was required until we were almost two miles off shore. A large shoal extends out at least a mile on either side of the channel, and was visible to the naked eye in calm waters shortly after low tide.

Miles and miles of magnificent sand beaches along the coast; some say the best beach on the east coast of USA. As we passed Assateague Island, just south of Ocean City we saw the wild horses roaming the beaches and many campers enjoying a weekend camped out on the sand dunes. We anchored overnight behind Assateague Island, just inside the Ocean City inlet. We lowered the dinghy and went to explore Ocean City. We docked at one of the restaurants, just before the bridge and had an early dinner followed by a stroll along the busy boardwalk. The crowds and carnival type atmosphere was not our thing, so we returned to the boat for a quiet evening.

May 25, 2008 Ocean City MD to Little Egg Inlet NJ

Another early morning departure. The Atlantic Ocean was flat calm all day and perfect for offshore cruising. For most of the day the sea was as just like a mill pond. We re-entered the ICW at Little Egg Inlet. This can be a treacherous inlet when wind and tide are working against each other. That was not the case today. The shoals were clearly visible in the calm waters and were well buoyed. We stopped at Beach Haven YC Marina to fuel and pick up our new credit cards, which were delivered to the marina. Apparently our card numbers had been found in a fraud ring and although they had not been used, the bank shut them down and issued new cards. This is the second time in a year that we have had our credit card compromised. Diesel fuel price jumped fifty cents per gallon since we called three days ago. We need fuel and prices are expected to increase as we reach New York State. It has been reported that fuel is currently less expensive in Vermont. We’ll reserve judgment until we reach Lake Champlain. After fueling, we continued onwards for a couple of hours to Beach Island State Park at mile 22. This is a popular anchorage, especially on weekends, and this happened to be Memorial weekend! The approach to the large anchorage was shallow, and not having local knowledge, we elected to anchor offshore a ways in 6’ depths. Tide is minimal here, less than 1’ so we felt with a 4’ draft, we were fine for the night.

During the past couple of weeks, we have incurred many long hours of daylight travel with far to many dawn departures, and so have decided to spend a couple of days here at rest, just enjoying the beach.

Next morning when we awoke, the wind was coming from the south west and continued to freshen all morning, causing us to rock and roll at anchor. After listening to the marine forecast, we learned that winds were forecast to strengthen to 30 knots from the south west and continue to blow well into the evening. We consulted the charts and elected to move the boat about 7 miles to the calm of Tom’s River. Although we were in the Inland waterway, Barnegat Bay was producing 3’ waves and whitecaps. Smaller boats were encountering problems; listening to the VHF we heard of a sail boat capsizing just off shore and a small power boat sinking beneath a bridge. We were thankful that we had chosen to seek the comfort of the river cove.

May 27, 2008

This morning was calm and muggy with thunder showers forecast for later in the day. It was time to lower the dinghy and explore Tom’s River. We docked the dinghy at the Lobster Shanty on the waterfront in town and enjoyed a good lunch.

May 29, 2008

Another early morning departure to ensure that we arrived at the Manasquan Inlet at slack tide; meaning that we wouldn’t have to fight the wind and current fighting against each other as we transited out the inlet into the Atlantic for the twenty mile run to Sandy Hook, NJ, the entrance to the channel into New York City. Being a weekday, all we had to contend with in Manasquan was the current in the canal. The current is due to there being a one foot tide at the Barnegat Bay end, and a four foot tide at the Manasquan end. Needless to say, the current was swift, which helped our fuel economy for a short while. Not having to endure the wakes of sport fish boats rushing to get out into the Atlantic or negotiating around numerous small fishing boats that choose to sit and fish in the middle of the channel, or the crazy jet skiers who are oblivious of anything other than themselves made today’s trip through Manasquan a pleasure. Other than having to navigate through the narrow railway bridge just prior to the inlet, we had time to enjoy the scenery and the many magnificent waterfront homes.

Today was a special day for us. It was convocation day at the University of Manitoba for our daughter Heather, who received her fourth degree, and second masters in education.
We arrived at Sandy Hook NJ about 10:30 am and were able to find a spot to drop the anchor and connect to the internet for 11:00am for the graduation ceremony. Technology is a wonderful thing. It allowed us to watch her receive her degree on a live web cast, and I was even able to take a photo off of the event. We are extremely proud of her!