Atlantic City

Zarafina
Melvyn Brown
Tue 19 Oct 2010 16:10
39: 22.70N 74: 25.52W

We arrived in Atlantic City at just after 5 o'clock this evening, having left Manasquhan (Manasquashan is how you say it, I think) at 7.30am. There was no wind to speak of (hooray says the non-sailor!) which meant motoring, although there was a bit of a breeze later on in the day which had Melv rushing to put up sails in order to get an extra 0.5 knot.

Soon after leaving Melv pointed out that quite large fish were jumping and so he put out a line with a plastic lure shaped like an eel. He was drinking a cup of tea and hadn't noticed he had caught a fish and that most of the line had run out and it took a while to reel it back in. In the absence of a net, I used a plastic flexi-bucket to scoop it up and land the fish. It was longer than the bucket and its head poked out - our eyes met and I decided I couldn't bear to see it killed and that it ought to go back. Melv thought it was probably 20lbs and from the mackerel/tuna family. Anyway he put the line out again and made me promise the next one we would eat. Fortunately the next one was landed and despatched while I was having my While-Away-Some-Time nap. It's poaching in some white wine even as I write. Melv spoke to some fellow sailors who said they think its probably a Tunny fish.

The only marina we could get is attached to a casino and is charging an extortionate $3 per foot per night - even though they have lots of empty berths. We want to stay at least one more night and to walk down the boardwalk (although probably not the entire 4.5 miles). The casino next door has a laser display playing over its 40 stories - changing from clubs, to hearts, to spades, to diamonds etc. We think we probably ought to suss the casino out tomorrow evening - if only to say we have done it. If the next blog entry is entitled "Bermuda" you will know we hit the jackpot.