Category: New Jersey

Cape May!

by  on  in Destinations, New Jersey, Passage • 0 Comments

Wow – what an incredible day! The seas were flat, we had 12 knots over the beam, just 40 miles to cover, and blue skies/full sun to keep us warm :). This is what sailing is all about!

Onward to Cape May Video

Unfortunately we won’t be checking out Cape May (proper) because we are anchoring out for a quick departure EARLY tomorrow am.

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We want to try our damndest to get up the Delaware bay to Chesapeake city before some seriously nasty weather hits the coast on Sat/Sun…

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It’s gonna be ugly, so we are getting the hell out of dodge and heading inland. Root for us!

Xo Mark & Caitie

The Atlantic.

by  on  in Destinations, New Jersey, Passage • 2 Comments

We made it! Hot damn we set a few records for ourselves today:
-first sail in the Atlantic Ocean
-first night sail/incredibly early morning departure
-first 20knot breeze sailing on Tara
-longest day ever sailed (90 nautical miles)
-first time to Atlantic City
Annnnnnnd most jersey shore ever seen in one day (literally)

It was really a big one for us. I didn’t sleep a wink last night because I was teetering on the go/no-go decision…but we made the right one- We went, and we went safely. Now we are happily anchored just off of Harrah’s casino.

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Plus! Another bird landed on me and made friends today. I’m hoping this will be a trend :)

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Go time.

by  on  in Destinations, New Jersey, Passage • 0 Comments

Ok, well we have been watching the weather all day and we are feeling good about the forecast. Our plan is to leave at 3:30am and make the trip down to Atlantic city! It is a long trek (almost 90 nautical miles) but we are feeling confident. Here is what NOAA is saying:

TONIGHT
NW WINDS 20 TO 25 KT…DIMINISHING TO 15 TO 20 KT
AFTER MIDNIGHT. SEAS 2 TO 4 FT. MAINLY IN NW SWELL WITH A
DOMINANT PERIOD OF 4 SECONDS.

MON
W WINDS 10 TO 15 KT WITH GUSTS UP TO 25 KT. SEAS 2 TO
3 FT. MAINLY IN E SWELL WITH A DOMINANT PERIOD OF 8 SECONDS.

Wish us luck! :)

Atlantic highlands

by  on  in Destinations, New Jersey • 0 Comments

Sandy Hook bay is beautiful.  We were so happy to wake to blue skies for the first time in a week, and although we were bittersweet about our decision not to transit the NJ coastline today (building weather in the forecast meant we might have ended up in a small craft warning) we quickly adjusted to a day “off” filled with a beer-and-tacos lunch on the dock and a very fruitful provisioning stop in Atlantic Highlands.  We are now proud owners of our very own granny grocery cart!

Back to the watch and wait for weather routine – now with a stocked galley.

If you look hard you may be able to see our dark blue sail cover on Tara, floating on a mooring ball behind me

If you look hard you may be able to see our dark blue sail cover on Tara, floating on a mooring ball behind me

 

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Waiting for a weather window…

by  on  in New Jersey • 0 Comments

Well, we decided not to leave today.  Forecast looks great for the morning but eventually building to a small craft warning in the evening and we don’t want to get “stuck” out there with the wind and seas building to 30 knots/5+ feet…

…and so we wait.

I’m hoping it was the right decision because it looks like unsettled weather for the next 5 days at least… Have to be patient!

In the meantime, here is a video Caitie took last night of our avian friend that I named ” Henri”.  Pay no mind to the state of my hair (I think I’d been pulling it out while anchoring :) )