Sailing out of Manhattan takes some guts. There were so many ferries zipping back and forth to New Jersey, going full speed, they seem not to notice the little guys or they simply don't care. All eyes were wide open looking 360 degrees. I said good bye to the Statue of Liberty and to friends Vicki, Sasha & Simona. We stayed only a few nights at Atlantic Highlands Yacht Club. The little town had all the necessities however it is a very small, quiet town. Really, not much going on but a nice place to re energize. The laundry mat was closed due to renovations however the owner was there and offered to do my laundry for me, BONUS ! I certainly liked that.
During our short stay, we took the local bus and visited the nearby town of Red Bank. It had a nice little shopping area and nice marina. It was so hot, we ended up having a cold drink in a very air conditioned restaurant.
We sailed overnight along the shore of New Jersey to Cape May passing Atlantic city. It's really neat to see all the lights in Atlantic City from the ocean. Tim & I did 2 hour watches which seem to work well however maybe we'll try 2.5 or 3 hours next time. We arrived in Cape May around 7am and dolphins were there to welcome us.
You just cannot miss Cape May. This was one of my favorite places. The walk down Washington street is like walking thru time. Most of the homes are beautiful Victorian houses all very well maintained and decorated. Near the beach is a pedestrian walkway with cute shops and several restaurants. We took out our folding bikes one day and visited a bird sanctuary and the lighthouse on the point. It was hot and humid so swimming in the ocean was a real treat ! We stopped at the Fisherman's House and waited in line to buy some Macaroni & Cheese with Lobster, fresh fish and desert. This market had so many choices of fresh fish it was making me dizzy. I would certainly like to return to this city one day.
We then sailed on the Delaware Bay from Cape May to Reedy Island. As soon as we finished anchoring, a Policeman came up to us and was the nicest guy ever. He welcomed us and just wanted to make sure we knew about the tides and what to see around the area. Oh my, if we had a welcoming party like that everywhere we anchored, it would be heaven ! I'm sorry I didn't get the guy's name.
The very next day, we motored thru the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal to the North end of Chesapeake Bay. We sailed down the Chesapeake Bay to Annapolis. We had the best sail ever ! The winds were at 25 knots and we were at a broad reach going 9 knots ! YEEHA !
We arrived at Annapolis City Marina on a Wednesday race night ! All the racing boats sailed by our boat so we had a great view. Etchells, all sorts of J boats, you name it, they were there. The most exciting part was that they sailed thru the buoy field to their finish line. A bit strange and dangerous if you ask me but it was exciting to watch.
Annapolis has this water way called "Ego Alley". It is a short and narrow water way with open bars along the side. Everything passes thru there, dinghies, paddle boards, kayaks, seadoos, sailboats and huge multimillion dollar yachts, therefore, calling this place "Ego Alley". It's a hoot to watch.
Right at the end of Ego Alley is the dingy dock and the downtown area. You can walk past all the shops and restaurants up on the hill to visit the state Capitol. This state capitol was once the US Capitol for about 6 months in the 18th century, I'm not sure why. Don't miss the $1 oyster shots and do have a cocktail at Pussers on Ego Alley. We visited the Naval Academy which we could see from our boat. Definitely, this is not to miss.
From Annapolis, we took the city bus to Washington, DC at 7am. It was quite direct and only took about 75 minutes. We walked all day visiting every memorial you can imagine along with the White House, Capitol and Botanical gardens. An old friend from Montreal, Franca, met us in DC. I had previously been to DC but it meant more this time being an American. My feet were killing me at the end of the day. Franca drove us back to Annapolis and we of course, had cocktails and dinner at Pussers. After dinner and too many cocktails, Franca wanted to see our boat. Franca wasn't used to climbing on board our boat and proceeded to drop her camera in the water. OOPS ! Not good. A bit of a bummer to end the day however she was a good sport about it. BTW, thanks Franca for the Champagne !
Soon to be named "Alpenglow", she is now on the hard in Deltaville. Next Blog, probably middle of November.
To view pictures, click on the gallery.
