So, we are off. After 2 months of exhausting preparations for our trip south, we finally left New York. Two months turned out not to be not very much time after all. We've rented the house to a lovely couple, Jill White and Dennis Haber, lawyers from Florida who assure us they will keep the place in good shape. Thanks to our neighbors, Sue and Ed Boni, we were treated to a bon voyage dinner replete with lobsters, shrimp and cheese cake as well as a tour of their sumptious, lush garden overlooking the Hudson which Ed tends with loving and skilled care.
Cliff Hillman, our dear friend, drove us to the boat club where our boat was docked, helping us load the last of our belongings, taking pictures and waving to us from the dock. It was a great send off.
The trip down the Hudson was calm and beautiful. Despite the bright sun, the new dodger and bimini Snow made for us works great. Lou had gotten the auto pilot working the day before and we used it as we traveled south to meet Tony around the Battery. Lou and I spelled each other continuing to work on the boat. I put away all of the stuff we had loaded in the last two days, and Lou was still finishing carpentry projects for additional storage and boat necessities. My original worries that the boat would be in chaos by the time Tony came on turned out to be unnecessary. Lou was right - it would all take care of itself.
Meeting Tony at a dock just north of the Battery was smooth sailing. He jumped on and away we went to Atlantic Highlands near Sandy Point. Tony and Lou work together like a well oiled machine. They love working and problem solving, and it's a pleasure watching them support each other in their own ways. 
There were tons of small, silver fish floating on the water in the harbor. We were told that they die every fall from deoxygenation - too many fish and not enough oxygen. Does this sound right?
We headed out into the ocean (only about a mile off shore) and I was glad when we came into the Manesquan Inlet since the rocking hadn't been kind to me. However, my big accomplishment while traveling was threading the lines into the fender covers with a safety pin. (There are so many chores on the boat that I would never do at home.) Since there were no anchorages, we put in at a marina. I was happy to be ashore and took a half hour walk around the residential area - cute small, well tended houses - and met the guys for fried calamari and beer. At the marina, Lou recognized Norm LaVallee who he had met at the Haverstraw Marina in Rockland County. Norm is traveling solo to South America to do some tango.
The next day was another day of motoring - lousy wind - so we headed towards Barnegat Bay by way of the Point Pleasant Canal and the New Jersey intracoastal waterway. The canal was narrow with several bridges and Lou had to
call each one to request that they be opened for us. Each time we passed through, he called back to thank them. The houses lining the canal were small with lovely landscaping facing the canal. What a view! The intracoastal requires a great deal of careful navigating from day marker to day marker due to extensive shoals on either side of the route which could cause us to become grounded despite our shallow draft of 4.5".
Next day, Friday, the wind was finally with us and we were off to the ocean and a brisk sail! On the way to Atlantic City, we saw a l
arge school of fish that appeared to be a cloud moving along the surface of the water, and later, a sand shark leaping about 3 feet into the air three times. What excitement!
thanks to Skipper Bob.
There were a lot of contrasts here.
The huge hotels against the summer houses and condos lining the cove, the city skyline across from the fisherma
n on the beach, the SUVs on the end of the beach. I remember crossing the Brigantine Bridge with my sister Lee and Lucy one summer and wondering how to get out to those SUVs on the beach. And here I was!
As dusk set,
the neon lights of the hotels against the night sky made quite a dramatic sight. Harrahs, especially,transfixed me because the curved corner of the building was constantly changing patterns of neon colors and shapes. 
The next morning we prepared for a stiff wind, but ended up having a lovely sail to Cape May. During the 6 hour trip, Tony and I busied ourselves steering, navigating, listening to my iPod. Thanks, Justine. I love it and so does Lou. All those hours uploading CDs was worth it. What great fun sailing along and listening to the Pirates of Penzance singing, "I am a pirate king..."
And what was Lou doing while the boat was rocking back and forth? He was working on creating a shelf area for our new radio so we can broadcast the iPod throughout the boat. That's my honey. Nothing stops him from working on his projects.
We said goodby to Tony this morning until he returns in a few weeks. Today we are taking a break from traveling since we're waiting for a fair tide and have docked at the South Jersey Marina in Cape May. This is a fancy place replete with beautiful landscaping and amenities. We w
ere treated to a bag of fruit and candies and the Sunday Philadelphia Inquirer by the young gas attendant who had an extra order.
Sweet Potato pancakes at Dock Mike's started the day. And speaking of food, our meals have been wonderful. My preparations ahead of time finding simple recipes and shopping for them was well worth it. This week we had chicken sausage with quinoa and sauteed pepper; salmon with hoisin sauce and spinach; Borilla plus pasta with tuna, olives, capers, and parsley (thanks, Justine); couscous salad; polenta with cheese and peppers and onions with little lamb chops; and I even used my oven to make an apple crisp! Today we are going shopping to replenish the larder to keep the meals interesting. It's Monday, October 1st and we are headed towards the Chesapeake via Delaware Bay and the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. In order to catch the tide, we left at 6:30 a.m., so for those of you still waking up early, I haven't forgotten.
