Cape May, NJ Utsch’s Marina June 19-23, 2016
After a fairly calm, beautiful day cruising the C & D canal to Delaware Bay, dodging very large freighters and crazy pleasure crafts, our auto pilot crapped out again about the same time the small flies decided to get vicious! M & D were not happy! Mom scared me to death, killing the flies with our fly swatter. She put me down in the salon to get me away from them and the smelly natural insect repellant they were using…
I don’t like it when we hit the big rolls which started happening the closer we got to Cape May. I do much better in the salon with the carpet and less rolling…
When they let me out again, I just couldn’t hold it any longer and went to the bow by our scupper and peed! Crazy part instead of being mad at me, mom and dad were thrilled!!! Mom praised me and gave me a cookie after she rinsed down the boat…sometimes, I just don’t understand them!
We got in late afternoon to this nice, large, well equipped marina (they have tall, heavy, wooden steps to get us on and off our boat.) HEAVEN! When we checked in they gave us a welcome bag with wine, biscotti's and other goodies…WOW! Right after we came back from checking in and giving me my walk, we saw Cocomo, a 36’Monk with a gold looper flag. Both mom and dad said we know that boat! Dad went to his log and mom to our boater’s cards and found out it was Vicki and Wayne Bernhardt, Holland, MI. We met them in Oriental, NC where they had just crossed their loop. We couldn’t spend time with them then because Wayne was in the middle of repairing AC & something else and we were leaving the next day. This time M & D were able to go to dinner with them at the Lobster House next door. Great place and plenty busy!!! What great people! He is a retired USAF Colonel and they were stationed all over the world! Mom and dad had so much in common with them it was crazy! Can’t wait to catch up with them again somewhere along the way!!!
Today we are waiting to hear back from a Raymarine repair person for our autopilot. Once we know what’s going on, we hope to catchup with Trish, one of mom's Dragon Boat sisters and her husband for a Cape May tour and dinner.
It’s another beautiful day here, but if the weather stays as predicted, we may have to leave this gorgeous place for Atlantic City tomorrow instead of Thursday, as we hoped…however, that will be determined by this mechanic fixing our autopilot today???
Life on a boat requires daily and sometimes minute compromises & adjustments...as we have all discovered...I'm definitely under the weather today...couldn't hold down my breakfast, so mom is watching me closely!
 |
| Hoping Val and Tom will know if the background bridge is I 95 as you come over/up the C & D? |
Leaving the C & D behind
Not sure which power plant this is by the Delaware Bay but it is BIG!!!
We couldn't decide if this was another charming lighthouse or a former Coast Guard station or what???
Just one of the intimidating freighters that we passed or that passed us along the way
We couldn't believe how many of these light and foghorns we saw today...their sound is so eerie!!!
One of the big car ferries out of Cape May that appeared to be pretty full!
Some of the views coming into Cape May as we entered their canal
Who said New Jersey people aren't friendly???
Various views of the car ferry terminal
SEE, another sign welcoming us to Cape May
Can't get over the size of these boats!!!
Not sure if these ferries are like the ones we have been on where there is actually two decks for the cars...
It was a shorebird convention as we came by...
The Cape May Canal...
Vicki and Wayne at the Lobster House Bar
The Lobster House has been here in many forms for years....
I'll be posting more photos later after our tour...
Trish and Dave Koons showed up this afternoon to see Moondance and take us for our tour and dinner. We left a grumpy Lily...We were eating early so Trish could get back in time for sunset yoga on the beach...So Cool!!! Wish that I was in shape to join her!!!
We had such a great time seeing this charming town. It turns out tomorrow isn't such a great time to leave which I'm thrilled about...we can get on our bikes & dingy and go out to enjoy this darling town...including the trolley tour for the history component!!! Here's our latest photos that we took...
Moondance in her slip
The Walking Street in Cape May
By the Cape May Lighthouse Park
The Viewing Area for Bird Watching
Cape May Lighthouse
The Charming Little Cape May Post Office
The Cape May General Store
A sunken concrete boat by the Cape May Beach
So many charming Victorian Homes
Love the romance of horse drawn buggies
Funny story of an Art Dealer Opening a Restaurant and Small Hotel who made a success of it in the late 1970's
Matt, our charming bartender
Along with Kyle, the grandson of the owner
Trish & Dave with Mike and I at the Mad Batter
Looking down to the sea
So many charming houses
Some days just don’t work out as planned, but if it means mom and dad hang out with me, I’m all for that! The good news after not really getting out and doing much yesterday, dad invited 2 other looper boats to join us for “Docktails.” I loved having all that attention! “Changing Latitudes,” an Express Motor Yacht had 2 couples on board, John & Priscilla Simons, Dale & Andy Arnold from Chicago…they have been traveling 271 days so they are about half way. Steve Hidalgo & Kevin Flanagan (wife) are on Lone Star, a beautiful new 39 Nordic Tug. They are originally from TX, (two CPA's who have lived around the US), but I can’t remember where they live now?
Fun hearing everyone’s stories, good & bad…the bad usually have to do with trying to learn our boats systems or what has gone wrong with them…
Us with our cheezy grins...sitting on the flybridge
John and Priscilla Simons
Steve Hidalgo & Kevin Flanagan
Kevin's showing off her fun T-shirt and her cool bag for her boxed wine
Dale & Andy Arnold
Forgot to show this darling Victorian Firehouse that is now a museum
Today, Priscilla and John are going with us to the store…if there is time, we want to visit the Cape May Historical Village before going to dinner at Trish and Dave’s in Sea Isle this evening…If all goes as planned, we leave tomorrow at sunrise, cruising at 10 knots to try to make it all the way to Sandy Hook…It will be a long day 12-14 hours in the ocean, but less of a hassle than going to Atlantic City or another place along the way…
No comments:
Post a Comment