0530 June 6, 2011; we got up to the most beautiful morning with very calm seas
around us. I packed up and headed out at 0600. It was low tide and my first turn
into the channel I hit the bottom. Wow, that came up fast and reminded me to
stay between the sticks and in the middle of the channel.
Unless you were there, you cannot imagine how beautiful and calm the waters
were through the marsh lands heading north from Atlantic City. I was like in a
dream the water was so calm the air smelled so clean and the sun shine was
so brilliant. I came to a place on the ICW where the sticks were gone and once
again if it wasn’t for my GPS I couldn’t have found the pass.
About an hour up the canal I came to a place that was a spitting image of Cape
Coral, called Manahawkin Bay, but the homes were a bit more expensive than
on the Cape. I next came to Barnegat Bay and it’s HUGE but the waters still
remained calm. However the ICW markers were over a mile apart and I had to
set Way Points on the GPS to stay in the track. All the way across the waters
remained extremely calm.
In the last part of the ICW in Northern NJ you cross through the Pleasant Canal
that takes you further up the intercostals before you enter the Atlantic. The canal
was far from pleasant for the river draining out was hitting the incoming tide and
the canal was churning. I came out of the churning canal and headed for the
Atlantic. Before going out I topped off my tanks and asked the attendant how the
water was on the Atlantic. I don’t know, just go out and find out and then hit the
gas.
Well, I entered the Atlantic at 1200 and it was almost dead calm with a little roll
from the south. I took the gas attendant’s advice and hit the throttle and headed
north for 30 miles of open Atlantic Sea. I stayed 200-300 yards off shore and
beat feet. I felt like I was traveling up a lake coast line with mucho beautiful
homes and hotels along the way. I made Sandy Hook in two hours and what an
awesome sight to see the Verrazano Bridge and the NYC Skyline ahead of me.
I crossed the bay between Sandy Hook and the V Bridge in 45 minutes and
headed up the Hudson River past the Statute of Liberty and downtown New
York. The worst wave conditions were in the NYC harbor from all the Ferry
traffic coming passed me in every direction. Once past the Navy Air Museum
and the Intrepid Air Craft Carrier I had very good waters all the way up to the
George Washington and the Tappan Zee Bridge. I was on the water 12 exciting,
beautiful, exuberating and exhausting hours today and I wouldn’t have had it any
other way. Oh yes, the Creator, Mother Nature and all the Guardian Angles were
with me to make this journey as remarkable as it was.
As I passed under the Tappan Zee Bridge, two Sherriff’s pulled up to me and
we had a nice chat about the boat and my adventure. They couldn’t believe I
have come so far in a pontoon boat. They advised me where the Half Moon Bay
Marina was located and I headed up river another 10 miles.
The Half Moon Bay Marina is a private club that takes transients but they don’t
like dogs. Of course Chase, being Chase, went right up the ramp and took a
beautiful dump to the astonishment of the neighbors! After a long day, I was in
the rack by 2030 hrs.
around us. I packed up and headed out at 0600. It was low tide and my first turn
into the channel I hit the bottom. Wow, that came up fast and reminded me to
stay between the sticks and in the middle of the channel.
Unless you were there, you cannot imagine how beautiful and calm the waters
were through the marsh lands heading north from Atlantic City. I was like in a
dream the water was so calm the air smelled so clean and the sun shine was
so brilliant. I came to a place on the ICW where the sticks were gone and once
again if it wasn’t for my GPS I couldn’t have found the pass.
About an hour up the canal I came to a place that was a spitting image of Cape
Coral, called Manahawkin Bay, but the homes were a bit more expensive than
on the Cape. I next came to Barnegat Bay and it’s HUGE but the waters still
remained calm. However the ICW markers were over a mile apart and I had to
set Way Points on the GPS to stay in the track. All the way across the waters
remained extremely calm.
In the last part of the ICW in Northern NJ you cross through the Pleasant Canal
that takes you further up the intercostals before you enter the Atlantic. The canal
was far from pleasant for the river draining out was hitting the incoming tide and
the canal was churning. I came out of the churning canal and headed for the
Atlantic. Before going out I topped off my tanks and asked the attendant how the
water was on the Atlantic. I don’t know, just go out and find out and then hit the
gas.
Well, I entered the Atlantic at 1200 and it was almost dead calm with a little roll
from the south. I took the gas attendant’s advice and hit the throttle and headed
north for 30 miles of open Atlantic Sea. I stayed 200-300 yards off shore and
beat feet. I felt like I was traveling up a lake coast line with mucho beautiful
homes and hotels along the way. I made Sandy Hook in two hours and what an
awesome sight to see the Verrazano Bridge and the NYC Skyline ahead of me.
I crossed the bay between Sandy Hook and the V Bridge in 45 minutes and
headed up the Hudson River past the Statute of Liberty and downtown New
York. The worst wave conditions were in the NYC harbor from all the Ferry
traffic coming passed me in every direction. Once past the Navy Air Museum
and the Intrepid Air Craft Carrier I had very good waters all the way up to the
George Washington and the Tappan Zee Bridge. I was on the water 12 exciting,
beautiful, exuberating and exhausting hours today and I wouldn’t have had it any
other way. Oh yes, the Creator, Mother Nature and all the Guardian Angles were
with me to make this journey as remarkable as it was.
As I passed under the Tappan Zee Bridge, two Sherriff’s pulled up to me and
we had a nice chat about the boat and my adventure. They couldn’t believe I
have come so far in a pontoon boat. They advised me where the Half Moon Bay
Marina was located and I headed up river another 10 miles.
The Half Moon Bay Marina is a private club that takes transients but they don’t
like dogs. Of course Chase, being Chase, went right up the ramp and took a
beautiful dump to the astonishment of the neighbors! After a long day, I was in
the rack by 2030 hrs.
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