Up the New Jersey Coast - Cape May to Sandy Hook

The wake produced by the parade sport fishing boats leaving Cape May harbor at BMNT (Beginning Morning Nautical Twilight) woke us in time to hoist anchor and join Trinity as she passed our anchorage at 0600. The winds were still in the mid-teens and waves were up to 4 feet; however, we were able to rollout the genoa sail to help punch through the waves as we headed north along the New Jersey coast.

The Parade Begins - Leaving Cape May

The forecast called for the winds and waves to subside as the day went on. So, we pressed on thinking our ride would get better in a matter of hours.  Unfortunately, the wind and waves increased rather than decreased causing us to further reef the genoa.  Eventually, Foreign Affair's genoa blew out a few hours into our passage. We quickly rolled it in to minimize the damage. Without the genny, we lost our ability to punch through the waves with some power and Trinity soon outran us. Eventually, the winds and waves moderated and by nightfall the wind and waves were astern and pushing us toward Sandy Hook. The ocean was very calm by the time we reached the Manasquan Inlet.

Atlantic City

We did not encounter any significant commercial shipping until we got close to Sandy Hook.  A few towed barges were sighted. The bright lights of a fleet of commercial fishing vessels approaching was like something from a sci-fi movie. Fortunately, we did not encounter any traffic in the shipping channel rounding Sandy Hook. The anchorage was well lit by a tug and crew working on a barge. We dropped anchor off Fort Hancock on Sandy Hook at midnight. Overall, it was a good run and we were very pleased to be safely at anchor only 18 hours after departing Cape May.