Cape May to the Manasquan Inlet

Shelduck
Neil Hegarty
Wed 27 May 2015 14:59

Cape May to the Manasquan Inlet. Wednesday 27th May.
40:06.375N 74:03.119W
Distance sailed 91 miles.

Shelduck has come to Manasquan Inlet at the invitation of two lovely people
Linda and Joe Foster. Anne and I met them last year on Long Island Bahamas
where they invited us to call on them when in New Jersey. Linda made it easy
for us to contact them by following up the verbal invitation with an email. 
Shelduck was back in the Atlantic as she left Cape May on Monday for a 38
mile passage to Atlantic City. A beautiful sunny day with a 4 to 6 knot
Southerly so we motor sailed along the coast. Quite like the the Southern
Atlantic Coast of Spain and Portugal, continuous beach and many high rises.
In Atlantic City Anne and I decided we were due a meal off Shelduck so went
to a restaurant in a Casino nearby. Very good but also very expensive. Next
day the 50 mile passage to Masnquan Inlet was a great sail, dead downwind
with full main and a 10-15 knot Southerly the whole way. The inlet is on the
New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway which Shelduck could not use from Cape May
because it is too shallow for her. As we entered we had to wait for a
railway bridge to open. I went to the fuel dock at Brielle Yacht Club and
found out that this was the only place Shelduck had depth enough to lie
alongside in this inlet. Luckily the fuel dock was long enough and not so
busy so we were allowed to stay there for two days. This inlet is not a
suitable place for keelboats. 
At 16.15 Linda came and drove us to buy propane and provisions. Joe joined
us at 18.15 and they took us to a restaurant nearby for dinner and chat.
Anne and I slept well after a long day.
Wednesday 27th was a day of rest and research. I contacted the West 79th St.
Boat Basin in New York, who don't take bookings, who said I had a good
chance of a berth on Thursday. I phoned Gretta O'Brien, a cousin of my late
wife Angela. We had stayed with Gretta and Joe in New York on our honeymoon
in July 1963. The are joining us for lunch at the Boat Basin Cafe on Friday.
Their son Paul wants to take a photograph of Shelduck sailing through the
Narrows into NY Harbour tomorrow so we will keep in touch by text. We also
cooked pepperonata for four meals with the newly bought vegetables.
Joe and Linda collected us at 17.00 and took us on a tour of the area.
Beautiful Grand houses many of them flying the Irish tricolor below the
American flag. We had all been invited to dinner at Joe's sister Mary's and
her husband Art's house. Lovely food and a very enjoyable evening with lots
of discussion and opinions about what's good and bad about Ireland and the
United States. Joe and Mary's family emigrated from Castleisland Kerry. They
seem very proud of their roots.

 

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