Before we rounded the point earlier at
Sandy Hook, there were a lot of boats anchored there. Queuing up to
head down the New Jersey coast the next day. I assume a lot of boats
were held up like us waiting for good weather to move south.
Surprisingly, we did not see or hear any other cruising boats heading
down the coast overnight. Last time we did this two years ago there
were quite a few boats doing an overnight run to Cape May. There
were a lot of tug boats towing barrages going south and north all
night. We stayed a little further in shore from them, especially
since they were maintaining similar speeds to us. Atlantic City seems
like it takes for ever to pass because the tall well lit Casino's can
be seen at quite a distance. Once we approach AC the winds pick up
from the west and we motor sail on the jib all the way to Cape May.
We still have swells, but having a sail up steadies the boat for a
smoother ride south.
Even though the temperature is 60
degrees the wind and dampness makes it feel much colder. We are
wearing full foul weather gear, hats and gloves to stay warm. I have
a full night of podcasts on an iPad (60 minutes, Fareed Zakaria and
other shows) to play over the radio.. Linda and I take turns taking a
couple one hour naps.
Sunrise
Just after sunrise I notice we have a
hitch hiker on the leeward side of our mast, attached to our sail
cover, trying to rest out of the wind.
Around 9:15 AM we drop anchor in front
of the Coast Guard Station in Cape May. Two boats leave and we are
the only boat anchored there. Strange, usually there are a lot of
boats anchoring here early in the morning after coming down the
Jersey coast. With in an hour a couple more boats come in, by evening
there are 15 boats anchored. We have breakfast and go to bed for about
4 hours. A few hundred yards away the Coast Guard bucket loaders are
building a seawall, the noise did not disturb us a bit. We wake to a
nice sunny warm afternoon around 75 degrees. It has been a while
since we have had such a sunny warm afternoon.
Late afternoon we motor over in the
dinghy to the Lobster House for dinner. Half way there the outboard
stops and will not start. In the 6 years that we have had this 6hp
Tohatsu outboard it has always started. So now, I have a long row
back to the mother ship. After thinking it over, I am pretty sure I
know what the problem is. I always use non-ethanol gas in Vermont
and before we left Atlantic Highlands I filled up the outboard motor
fuel tank. Apparently you can't get non-ethanol gas in NJ. Anyways,
the distance we went before the engine died would of used the
non-ethanol gas that was still in the carburetor bowl. The engine
died when the new gas started running through the system. Ethanol is
a solvent and probably loosened up deposits in the carburetor and
clogged the fuel jets. When I get the chance I will have to take off,
strip down and clean the carburetor.
Sunset at Cape May
No comments:
Post a Comment