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| Sea Bright, New Jersey |
18 - 24 July 2026
The Idaho clan left us on the 10th, and we quickly turned to taking care of tasks on our agendas for the summer. Evelyn needed to get work done on her teeth. The dentist said she needed a crown for a tooth that showed signs of too much use over the years. It showed cracks in the enamel.
While Ev got the tooth-fixing process underway, Clark starting tackling boat projects. After all, isn't that what the summer is for? To work on the boat ready for our trip south in the fall??
We have had Starlink for internet service for a couple of years now, but it was not "properly" installed. When we installed new instruments a while back, Clark had the guys doing the work put in a cable for Starlink ready for the day he decided to buy the product.
Unfortunately, the cable that he had them install was oversized for the one he needed for the Starlink version he eventually purchased. So, instead of being installed, we had the connecting cable running across the floor of the upper helm as a temporary setup. He finally, this summer, ordered the mount required for our unit (after returning the first / wrong-sized mount he bought in error). When he read the mounting instructions and checked the box, he found 4 screws missing that were supposed to be included. After waiting for and receiving them, he was / (we were) finally in a position to do the install.
For anyone who has done it, they know that running cables / wires through a boat is not a fun process. Besides having to crawl into "cozy" spaces, the passages behind the walls are already full of wires making it difficult to add more. Clark decided that to begin, we had to remove the big, fat Starlink cable that was designed for a high performance unit. This would make some room for the thinner cable we actually needed.
We started by removing the old cable from the mast and worked our way through the boat from there. The two of us work together on these types of jobs - one to push the wire and one to pull. I leave Clark to crawl into the small spaces since he is thinner and stronger. Some of the spots can be difficult to get out of, so I stand by to lend a hand if he gets stuck.
Once Clark gets into the storage locker (shown below) that resides under a seat in the upper helm, he worries that he will not be able to extricate himself. I have helped guide him out of here a few times.
Although he can get claustrophobic in the chamber shown above, it is somewhat more comfortable than the chamber next door to it. This unit is where the propane tanks are installed leaving little room for Clark to maneuver. After removing the tanks and other paraphernalia from the storage area, he put as much of himself into the space as space allowed.
This looked like torture as he balanced himself with no place to rest his head as he guided the cable from one end to the other -- removing old cable ties, passing the cable along, and re-securing the cable once in place.
From the upper helm, we passed the cable down through a narrow opening in the wall of the lower helm and across the ceiling to the lower-helm station. The piece parts of the Starlink assembly that were free-standing in the upper helm for the past couple of years are now residing in the lower helm. Progress!
After a lot of mumbling and grunting, we finished running the new cable through the boat. When we done, Clark said, "We should have just used the cable that was there and changed the connectors on the end!"
Finally, it was time to mount the Starlink on the mast. Here again we have cramped space requiring care because solar panels take up the entire top of the hard top on the boat where one might want to place their feet. Nothing is easy on a boat!
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| Clark getting ready to install the Starlink mount |
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| Mount waiting to be installed on mast |
I could not do what Clark had to do to mount the Starlink. I have a fear of falling from heights. In the picture below, he is standing on the hardtop of the boat which is 17+' above the water. "Look ma, no hands!!" My job is to stand nearby as the "go-for" person.
Starlink is now successfully installed on the boat and ready to be used, so of course, Clark put it in "standby" mode for the summer. It will be turned back to normal usage mode in the fall when we once again start to live on the boat.
As we removed the Starlink receiver from its hiding place in the dinghy, we noticed a significant amount of oil / lubricant on the floor around the crane to lift the dinghy. Ah! A new job has identified itself! Every time we cross off a work item from our list, a new one adds itself to the bottom. It is never-ending!
Clark decided we needed to dive into the crane problem right away because we can't get our dinghy down without a working crane. He identified the hydraulic cylinder that works the crane angle up and down as an item that needed a new seal. In the process of removing that unit, he decided we must also replace the cables controlling the angle, the hook up, down, and the rotation of the crane. Oh what a "fun" exercise that one will be.
For now, the plan was to pull one hose as a reference for replacement of the others. Clark removed all the clutter in our lazarette (port side), so he could climb into that "black hole". He finds lots of "cozy" spots to check out in the boat! I on the other hand had the job of lying under the crane to pull a hose while he pushed.
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| hydraulic pump to be removed |
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| Oily cables to be extracted |
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My view of the operation
as cables are removed |
The hydraulic pump and a sample cable had been shipped off to a place in Florida for the work required to repair the crane. Turnaround time for sending it to Florida was faster than a local place said they could do it.
Meanwhile, Clark decided we needed to do yet more work on the boat and took measurements to see about replacing the shades in the salon.
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| Taking down the old shade for sizing |
This item has been on the "to do" list for quite some time. We checked out a couple of places for replacement shades offering estimates up to almost $4000. No wonder it keeps staying on the "to do" list!
Since he was a young child, Clark has had a habit of collecting other people's broken electronic "junk", bringing it home, and turning it into something useful. Our first televisions we got as a couple were donated to us as a friend's junk since the repair shop said that both units were not fixable. Clark brought them home and fixed them both! Fun for him and useful, but I would have loved a new TV! Well ...
We did an oil change on the boat, which needs to be done each time we complete the trip either up or down the coast NJ - FL - NJ. When we took the used oil to the HHW (household hazardous waste) facility, Clark noticed an analog radio shack FET meter sitting on a shelf and mentioned it to the person working there. "Oh, that", she said. "Someone brought it in as garbage." Since Clark knew what it was, she asked, "Would you like it?" Of course, with a big smile on his face, he said, "Yes!!"
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| Multimeter |
(Note his book choices in the background. Yawn!)
It is now repaired and fully operational. From my perspective, it's just more clutter collecting dust, but Clark is thrilled with his "find"!
24 July 2026
To take a break from all the chores we have been doing, we managed to join our friends for a Friday night outing to an Italian dinner at a local restaurant. The food was very good, the company even better. Clark decided to splurge and get the lamb shank dinner special. I made him ask for the price ahead of time. $55! He decided to go for it regardless of the price tag. I tasted it. It was worth the price!
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| Clark, Ev, Diane, and Joe |
25 July 2026
We have not spent the entire time since the grandkids left working on the boat, sometimes we get to enjoy the boat. The weather has been fluctuating from incredibly hot and humid to in the 70s with low humidity. We found a low-humidity day and decided to "exercise" the boat. Usually we come out of our creek, head to Sea Bright, get to the Sea Bright bridge, turn around and come home.
Today, Clark decided to explore the various offshoots from Pleasure Bay! It was nice to meander along and check out places we don't usually visit. It was close to low tide so Clark chose our destinations with care.
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Map of Pleasure Bay and all the
creeks / waterways spidering out from it. |
We started our exploration by heading towards Long Branch, New Jersey.
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| Long Branch Ice Boat & Yacht Club |
This past winter, the temperatures were so cold for so long that the ice boats were brought out and used for the first time in many years. Mostly the Navesink River is known for the ice boats.
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| Patten Point Yacht Club |
When we came to a bridge that did not open without sufficient clearance for us to go under, it was time to turn around!
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| Low bridge - not going under here! |
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| Stash of jet skis at the yacht club near the bridge |
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| Folks fishing from the bridge |
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| View heading back towards Pleasure Bay |
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| USA flags hanging off cranes |
Our travels took us past a marina where our previous-to-this boat now resides. Our Sea Moss is now been renamed to Sea Shanty and now sits at a slip in Oceanport, NJ. As we passed by, we noticed that the current owners, Adam and Alice, were onboard. Clark pulled in close so we could chat over the water.
We could not stay long as they were prepping to leave for a 3:00 appointment on the Navesink to go sailing!
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| Sea Shanty underway to Red Bank, NJ |
We are happy that the boat we loved for 16 years is in loving and capable hands. Adam keeps the boat well-maintained which makes Clark happy.
Continuing our Pleasure Bay tour, we found a bridge we could fit under for more exploration.
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| Clearance 26' - no problem! |
A few folks were out enjoying time on the water.
The pool (shown below) that appeared to be associated with an apartment complex looked mostly deserted today. It was a bit chilly for swimming.
We passed by the marina where we haul our boat out when needed. They need to repaint their signage.
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| Oceanport Landing Marina |
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| Oceanport Landing Marina |
I like lighthouses of any size like the one (shown below) in someone's backyard.
We came upon a boat ramp. I get turned around on the ins and outs of the waterways. I knew this did not look like the one where we launched our dinghy last fall, but I had no idea which one it was.
Low bridge! Time to turn around again!
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| More folks fishing along the waterway |
Passing under the bridge again to leave the area, we spotted folks fishing under the bridge.
I found another small lighthouse!
Because I had asked about the launch ramp where we launched our dinghy, Clark took us there next.
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| Oceanport launch ramp |
As we checked out the launch ramp, we could hear a train whistle in the distance. Clark very nicely hung out in the area so I / we could see the train go by over the bridge. It is the NJ Transit line that takes folks into New York City. Being a little kid at heart, it was fun to watch the train go by!
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| Train! |
We heard someone call on the VHF radio to the Oceanport Bridge looking for an opening, so we went to check out that bridge too. We surprised some kayakers that were not looking where they were going. She was fine but he just kept paddling towards us oblivious to our existence until he finally looked our way far too surprised.
The folks living in the house below made their own "rustic" boat ramp.
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| Row boat at launch ramp? |
We passed a house with a few flags that we did not recognize.
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| USA, ??, and ?? flags |
We found the Oceanport bridge. At 6' of clearance there is not much going under that bridge - someone in a kayak perhaps.
This bridge is a railroad bridge that I forgot existed.
My friend Cathy asked me earlier this summer if I had seen "our" swans yet. Two swans normally come down to our end of the creek for at least part of the summer, but they have stayed away this year. On our waterway exploration, we found one!
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| Swan in Oceanport, NJ |
My understanding is that swans "mate for life", so where is this one's partner I wondered.
Clark asked if I wanted to go explore Polly's Pond before heading home. Having been in and around there a few times, I said I had no real interest in going there. We decided to just swing by for a peek before turning around to go back home.
As we headed towards Polly's Pond, we noticed the Sea Bright bridge was busy doing their on-the-hour opening. Clark called the bridge to advise them that we would not be going through and they should not hold the bridge for us. They appreciated the call.
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| Sea Bright Bridge open |
Summer in New Jersey means we get to see airplanes pulling banners. We saw a couple of them today.
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| Banner from plane above |
As we approached Polly's Pond, a dog came out to check who was coming to visit.
And, I was excited, we found the other swan at the entrance to Polly's Pond. That made the side trip totally worthwhile. I would not have to wonder why we only had one swan, but why were they apart?!
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| The other swan!! |
From where we sat near the entrance to Polly's Pond, we could see Pleasure Bay ahead of us. The only problem being that the water is not deep enough for us to go that way. We have to go back around the island and follow the channel.
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We can see Pleasure Bay but we
can't go that way! |
Having found the swan and checked out most, if not all, of the side creeks Clark felt comfortable exploring, it was time to turn around and go home.
Some sights along the way ...
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| Geese lined up on shallow water |
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| SUP & Kayak by island |
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| Folks getting ready to go out for a ride |
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Jet ski beached on an island in the
Shrewsbury River |
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| Looking back at Sea Bright |
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| Catamaran beached on island |
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| Folks from catamaran with a private camp set up |
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| Three jet skis at island |
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| Sailboat Sandy Dog having fun |
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| House construction underway |
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| Better than a ladder! |
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| Neighbor with several flags on show |
When we are not on the water or fixing the boat, we get to enjoy watching the visitors that come by on a daily basis!
Three fawns came to have lunch at our place. Apparently they are now old enough to come without mom. Our yard must be full of yummy treats because they love to hang around our house. We were watching them out our kitchen window. Two of the three noticed us. One of those decided we were boring and went back to chomping.
The other of the two stood rock solid staring at us waiting to see what we would do. He was mostly "frozen" in place with an occasional twitch of an ear. I decided it was a "he" because of his stance and personality.
31 July 2026
On one of our maintenance runs, we asked our neighbor, Marina, if she would like to go for a short ride. It was spur of the moment, but we enjoyed the company. To reciprocate, Marina invited us to her place for dinner. Marina is a piano teacher. Clark brought his guitar. We had a very nice dinner with music afterwards!
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| Table set for dinner |
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| Orchids in the piano room |
View from Marina's window. The deer like her grass too apparently!
As I watched the fawn shown above, something must have spooked him / her as they took off like someone had shot at them to Marina's backyard and continuing onward. I was amazed at his / her speed!
While enjoying the music, I took some photos of the Clark and Marina ensemble!
Clark had some music that did not have the chords for his guitar, so Marina played the pieces and called out the chords as she played. Clark updated his music and then he could play along as well.
Marina reciprocated by taking a picture of Clark and me together.
What a lovely evening we had! I think we kept Marina up past her usual bedtime however.
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