We Take Refuge in Barnegat Bay; A Dangerous Run Through the Fog; A Day Off in Atlantic City

The East Coast Cruising Guide warned us that going into Barnegat Bay would be treacherous but just inside the entrance there was a small anchorage with good holding in fair weather. We had been aiming for Atlantic City, but after a day of bashing into increasing headwinds, we had had enough--after watching another sailboat head into the inlet, we decided to risk it. Good for us. We found the anchorage, sank the hook into slimy, black mud in 10 feet of water and stayed for the night. The next morning broke fair and we were getting ready to go when the fog rolled in.

After an hour or so, it seemed to be lifting, so we hauled up the anchor and motored back out to sea--where we met this. Then it was pea soup fog all day--7 hours of it. Hairy stuff when your sailing blind without radar. We had our fog horn, though, an ear-splitting device that we blasted at regular intervals. We also had our radar reflector hanging high in the rigging and that, in the end, is was saved us. After we made the turn at the Atlantic City channel markers and were motoring in with a big swell behind us sending us corkscrewing down there fronts, we heard the blast of a warning horn and looked up to see an 80-foot trawler with his outriggers spread wide, coming straight at us. His radar must have picked us up, because he veered off course saved these sailor's bacon.

So, we made it to Atlantic City and into the Trump Marina. A nice place. As you can see, plenty of room for us little guys. Showers, laundry, etc. all impeccably clean and its attached to the marina casino. But while we might gamble our lives we'd never gamble with our money, not much, anyway--heaven forbid. We do plan on taking the free shuttle to the Trump Palace and dropping in a few dollars to support The Donald Fund.

My navigator just informed that it's just 33 miles to Cape May and the weather forecast for tomorrow calls for sunny skies and winds from the North. How nice will it be to sail with fair winds and following seas? When we get to Cape May, we'll be joined by Bill Brenneman, a man who has sailed the Delaware for 30 years in an Alberg 30 like ours. He'll help us get half-way up Delaware Bay and then we'll be on our own for the last run to the entrance to the Chesapeake-Delaware Canal and into the Chesapeake Bay.