Rough Seas to Cape May, NJ

10/28/2017
Depart: Barnegat Inlet c. 0800 hrs.
Arrive: Cape May, NJ Utch's Marina c. 1530 hours
~ 65 NM

We anchored just inside Barnegat Inlet to get an early start in the morning for our long trip down the Jersey coastline. Generally speaking, we are not early risers, so the fact that Clark had the anchor coming up by 7:45 attested to his commitment to be underway early. While raising the anchor, Clark took advantage of our saltwater wash-down system that allows us to use the readily-available saltwater to clean the anchor instead of using our fresh, drinking water for that dirty job. The process of raising then cleaning then raising then cleaning ... took a full fifteen minutes or more. We eventually headed out of the anchorage at 8:00.

Throughout the summer Clark worked on improving the saltwater wash-down system. He swapped out various parts and even redesigned the layout and purchased a new, relatively expensive pressure switch. Everything seemed fine with it when he was done. Then, after the haul out in September, he thought he should check it to be sure it still functioned properly, i.e. had not lost its prime. Sadly, it had developed a new malfunction. After several hours "playing with it". He decided that the only way to use it is to turn it on and keep the water flowing until the job is done, so that is what he did at the anchorage.

As soon as I saw from the upper helm that he planned to use the saltwater wash down, I ran down and turned on the circuit breaker. As he washed down the anchor, he kept the hose going until he was done and then told me to turn off the breaker. It worked but is certainly not as convenient as having the pressure switch regulate the flow of water as needed on demand.

To reduce our getaway time, neither of us ate breakfast before leaving the inlet. Clark had trouble seeing markers through the glare of the sun from the west upon our approach to the anchorage, so I thought he might need assistance seeing markers heading east into the sun in the morning. With that in mind, I postponed my breakfast until after I helped him navigate out of the inlet. Since the waters change frequently in this inlet, the markers move around accordingly so visual siting is required.

As we exited the inlet, I noted the breakwater as Sunset Delight climbed over a number of impressive waves on our way out into the ocean. My thoughts as we proceeded to marker "BI" included thanks that we would be turning southward shortly, and the stabilizers would kick in to help control the boats rolling. I guess you could say that was wishful thinking because for some reason the waves seemed to turn with us causing us to have continuous tossing over three-to-four foot seas. Rogue waves, that certainly well-surpassed the four-foot mark, appeared randomly generating spectacular splashes as the boat fought the waves.

At each of several waypoints, Clark said that we would be turning more westward away from the waves, and every time we turned the waves changed approach to continue to torment us. I have noted in the past that Sunset Delight does not seem to have as many readily-available handholds as Sea Moss did. Since it is a longer and wider vessel, things are naturally further apart. A longer reach is required to grab the next handhold, if one can be found nearby. Add to that my injured right arm and moving about the boat proved to be a definite challenge.

Mostly I tried to stay in one place until it became imperative that I move, e.g. get food, use head, etc.! The rogue waves caused the most concern. One such wave hit us just as I prepared to stand up from using the head. Thankfully I had hesitated while considering my best approach for standing up (every time is a challenge with my injured arm). As Sunset Delight took the wave, the toilet and I parted ways and came back together again with a bit of a thump. I was glad I was not standing, or trying to stand, at that point especially with my pants down around my ankles!

Salt spray washed over the boat all day long. Clark tried to capture the action of our bell, named "Wilhelmina" by the prior boat owners, ringing out in protest along with spray over the bow. In the video below, he could get one or the other but not both together. Sitting on the upper helm, we are 17 feet or so in the air. Even so, we experienced a continual mist in our faces from the salt spray. Occasionally, when a rogue wave came along, we would get doused with salt water as the spray went well over the top of the boat.

Climate control on the upper helm was problematic today as well. With the cold air and sea spray, we decided to try closing the front panel of the full enclosure to warm up. That done, the upper helm quickly turned into a "green house". Clark stripped off his coat pretty quickly. Since it would be painful for me to remove my coat and painful again for me to put it back on, I decided to just unzip it. By the time I mentioned to Clark that I was ready to boil over, he had already decided we should reopen the front panel to let in the cooler air and increase our visibility. Seeing through the salt-splashed plastic proved nearly impossible after a while.

Sitting for hours watching the waves go up and down gets pretty monotonous and readily causes drowsiness. I found myself nodding off to sleep more than once. On one occasion where I shook myself awake, I saw us headed straight towards a fish trap. That woke me up in a hurry.

The darn thing was just two small floats ridiculously hard to see on ocean waves -- one dark blue and the other maroon or brown in color. Many traps on the ocean have long poles in the air with flags on top. No such luck with this one! Clark had clearly not seen it as he was studying the chart. I yelled, "Fish trap dead ahead." Clark took the boat off autopilot and said, "Where do I go?" He could not spot the fish trap. I said, "Pick port or starboard! Doesn't matter! It's dead ahead!"

He swerved starboard in time to avoid it. Two more times I spotted crab traps. Again they were positioned "dead ahead" of us. Each time Clark failed to see them in the water (due to glare from the sun he said) but steered port or starboard per my instructions, and we missed them all. I had no more trouble staying awake after that. Funny how an adrenaline rush counteracts weariness.

By the time we had spent seven hours on the ocean fighting the wave action, my right arm ached severely, and I was more than ready to find our slip at Utch's Marina for the night. Since the forecast warned of rainy days ahead, I suggested that we eat out for dinner since I knew we'd be eating in during the rainfall. After docking, we spent time adjusting lines and washing salt off the boat. I thought we might be able to eat an early dinner, but by the time we set off in search of a place to eat, my watch read 6:15.

I had forgotten it was a Saturday! When we reached the Lobster House to read their menu, we found a 40-minute wait for a table. Deciding to try elsewhere, we walked to "Lucky Bones Backwater Grille" to see what they offered. Unfortunately they too offered a 30 to 45-minute wait but with reduced pricing on food items, so we put our name on their list. The place was packed to overflowing!

As we came upon the grill, we noted a pizza place a few steps away, so while we waited for our name to be called we strolled there to see what they might offer as a quicker dinner.  Clark pointed out that the lack of patrons did not bode well. Two people sat at a table looking at a menu when we peaked in the window. He figured that the grill was packed and the pizza joint empty for a reason. We went back to the grill to wait for our number to be called!

We enjoyed dinner though Clark struggled to find something he really wanted on the menu. I had a crab and shrimp cake that was heavenly. He had crab imperial that I found a little too "rich" for my taste. I got more food than I could eat, so Clark finished off my broccoli and fries after I declared myself to be done eating.

I thought given we had risen early and needed to catch up on sleep that we would call it a night early. However, I got working on a blog entry and Clark got involved in whatever he found fascinating, and the next thing I knew midnight approached. Fortunately, I figured we could sleep in come morning. We plan to stay at this marina for three nights due to lousy weather forecast for the next two days - rain all day Sunday and gale-force winds on Monday. I don't mind hanging out in Cape May for a few days. I'm hoping it will allow my arm time to heal more before being jostled by more wave action!