Delaware City to NYC

At anchor in Back Creek

Our last night on Chesapeake Bay was spent at anchor in Back Creek on the Sassafras River.  We discovered Pat and Ken from 20 Bucks there which of course called for cocktails on the boat that night.  Another looper couple, Bill and Joyce, also joined us.  They were just starting their loop.  On Monday morning we left with 20 Bucks and headed for Delaware City.  The marina was in a canal and we had read to be cautious of the current, but we were pleasantly surprised to find very little current and more loopers!  There we met Skip and Barb aboard Moor $tuff and Carl and Ricki aboard Quest.  Brandy IV, Canadians John and Rita, were also there.  We had not seen them since Carrabelle, FL.

Tom, Linda, Ken, Pat, John and Rita
at dinner in Delaware City

Carl, Ricki, Barb and Skip
"happy birthday"?????

The run down Delaware Bay on Tuesday was a delight.  Smooth water and blue skies.  We followed 20 Bucks and stayed the night in Cape May, NJ, at the gas dock in Miss Chris Marina.

Pat and Ken aboard 20 Bucks
Just who is driving this boat?

Entering Cape May canal

Oh what a difference a day can make! We awoke on Wednesday to dense fog.  We were sure it would lift, as predicted, so off we headed up the New Jersey Atlantic shore to Manasquan.

Picture taken by Pat on 20 Bucks
Raydiance is going under the bridge.

Pea soup!

Thank heavens for radar.  We ran at speed,but kept a very close eye on the radar.  At one point, 20 Bucks (ahead of us at that time) radioed to get our camera ready because we were about to come upon a spaceship.  We were thinking they had been in the fog too long, when suddenly this appeared!

Spaceship 3 miles off the coast

Still not sure what this was, but I didn't see any aliens aboard.  At one point around Atlantic City the fog cleared enough that we could see the shoreline, but then it closed in tighter than ever just a few miles north.  We entered the dreaded Manasquan Inlet still in 1/4 mile visibility.  The inlet was choppy with 3 to 4 foot swells, so we were very thankful when we  were safely inside and the fog cleared about a hundred yards in. We tied up behind 20 Bucks at Hoffman's East Marina and went out to dinner to celebrate a safe arrival.

Ken, Pat, Linda and Tom
"Whew! We made it" dinner.

Statue at Manasquan Inlet in memory
of those lost at sea.

Pat and Ken left Friday for NYC and we moved to the other side of the railroad bridge to Hoffman's West where Raydiance stayed while we visited John and Amanda Cali at their beautiful beach home in Point Pleasant.  We had a wonderful time and the Cali's were incredibly gracious and generous.  I'll let the pictures tell the rest.

We celebrated Tom's medicare birthday with Amanda and John.

gorgeous gardens and houses to match

Amanda enjoying the view from the
second story.

John and Amanda's beach home

Beautiful beach that goes on forever!

Amanda had to give me "how to play
in ocean waves" lessons.  What fun
once I got the hang of it and kept my
suit on!  There's more to that story!

Yoga on the beach.

Bicycle house and garden tour with John and Amanda.

Crazy crowded boardwalk on Memorial  Day week-end.

Really great house with slate roof
and gull cut-outs in the shutters.

On Monday, Missy and Bobby Ray joined us at the beach.  They had flown in from St. Louis on Saturday and spent the week-end with daughter, Haley, in NYC where she lives and works.  Amanda and I took Missy on the house/garden bike tour Tuesday morning and then Amanda left to go back home, Mountain Home, NJ.  Later Tom, Bobby, Missy and I played a hard fought mini-golf game at the boardwalk.  Below Missy is bragging about her hole in one.  We won't mention who came in last.

Oprah's producer's beach house

Missy gloating!

Rich (Tom's brother) was supposed to join us at the beach house on Tuesday evening, but his plane was delayed for five hours and then the flight was cancelled due to weather.  So he flew out of St. Louis on Wednesday and watched from Battery Park as we pulled in to New York Harbor. A bummer but he was a good sport and enjoyed his view of the arrival of Raydiance.  Next blog.. NYC here we come!