New York Harbor

Our skin tingled when we spotted the Statue of Liberty as we cruised under the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, the Empire State Building standing tall over the Manhattan skyline! What a sight!

It is Fleet Week so we continued up the Hudson River to see the aircraft carriers and cruise ships. The lower river and harbor were filled with boats enjoying the beautiful day. We snapped so many pictures that we were glad our cameras are digital.

We stayed at Liberty Landing Marina which is within the boundaries of Liberty State Park and just across the Hudson from lower Manhattan. Judi’s college friend, Susan, and her husband Barry Gross live nearby and invited us to their beautiful condo for a drink and view of the city from their rooftop patio, followed by a wonderful dinner at nearby LightHorse Tavern. So great to spend time with Sue and Barry!

Atlantic Highlands at Sandy Hook Bay, NJ

It is necessary to make the110-mile run from Cape May to Sandy Hook Bay “outside”, in the Atlantic Ocean, so when the forecast predicted a day with calm winds, we took off north. The seas were smooth but had 5-7 ft swells from a low pressure off the coast of NC. The swells were in a favorable direction and the boat handled them well.

Atlantic Highlands is a bedroom community of NYC. It is a nice town with homes both at sea level and up on the bluff overlooking the bay and ocean. The SeaStreak ferry runs back and forth to Manhattan several times each day. Jon and Margaret took the 50 minute ride to visit her nephew, Scott, who is a chef at the restaurant Craft Bar, a Tom Colicchio restaurant.. The food there was delicious and very interesting. Judi and Terry lowered the tender and cruised around the area to see what the neighboring communities looked like. Judi had her first tender-driving experience and it was not a pretty sight. Lessons are definitely over-due.

Cape May pictures

More Cape May pictures

Cape May, NJ

Unlike the deep Chesapeake Bay, the Delaware Bay is shallow with very few harbors. The water can be confused and rough if tide and wind oppose. We were fortunate to catch it on a good day and made it all the way to Cape May without incident.

While in Cape May awaiting a weather window to make the passage north to Sandy Hook, we rented a car and drove around the area. Cape May is the southernmost point of New Jersey and the beginning of the Jersey Shore. It has lots of well-kept Victorian homes, many of which are now bed and breakfasts, in addition to a wooden hotel from the Victorian era, the Cape May Inn. The beaches are wide and pretty. Near Cape May lighthouse, we saw the remains of a WW-II gun emplacement. When it was built in 1941, it was 900 ft from the shore. Now it is being washed by the waves.

The shore towns are quiet this week; the ferris wheels and roller coasters are still, the arcades are boarded up, the boardwalks are nearly deserted, but come this weekend, Memorial Day weekend, the action begins, or so the locals tell us!

Southern New Jersey is home to several wineries. When we checked in at Utsch’s (pronounced like HUTCHes, without the “H”) Marina, we received a goody bag which contained, amount other things, a bottle of blueberry wine made in South Jersey. We used it to make a blueberry sauce for peach shortcake. The sauce was tasty but we don’t think we will ever drink the wine.

Baltimore to The Chesapeake & Delaware Canal

Following a wonderful stay in bustling Baltimore, we continued up the Chesapeake Bay to the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal. The fog was pretty thick in some places so for the first time on this trip, we used our radar to help us “see”. The radar spotted other boats, navigational buoys and even birds. The C & D Canal originally opened on July 4, 1829 and has been modified three times since to improve and expand its capability. Originally, there were locks at either end to control water flow. Since it is now at sea level, locks are unnecessary. The canal is 400 ft wide, 40 feet deep and 14 miles long. Huge sea-going vessels traverse the canal. There are traffic lights at either end to tell you when it is unsafe to enter because of a big ship headed your way. We passed such a ship right at the entrance on the Chesapeake side and believe me, it is intimidating to be so close! We spent the night at Summit North Marina in Bear, Delaware, situated near the middle of the canal, in preparation for the trip south on the Delaware Bay to Cape May, NJ. We were treated to a beautiful sunset!

Busy Baltimore

Once a busy light-freight and passenger port, Baltimore’s Inner Harbor has been redeveloped in recent decades into a thriving tourist, commercial/retail and residential center that teems with activity day and night. From our berth in the secure Inner Harbor Marina Center, the panorama included the National Aquarium, Maryland Science Museum, Visitor Center, USS Constitution, SS Torsk submarine, dozens of restaurants, retail shops and a mall, street performers, paddle boats, water taxis, Ritz Carlton Residences and other condos built on the site of former working piers – and some awesome people-watching.

A morning trolley tour gave us a whirlwind overview of Baltimore’s neighborhoods (Polish, Irish, Italian, etc.), architecture and history, including the site of Edgar Allen Poe’s grave. We toured the SS Torsk, the last sub to sink a Japanese warship in WWII, and marveled that the crew could exist in that narrow tube – often underwater – for months at a time. We visited Fort McHenry, where Francis Scott Key was inspired to write “The Star Spangled Banner” during a battle with the British Navy during the War of 1812. Attempts to visit the National Aquarium were thwarted by long lines and long wait times, a la Disney World, and we’re just too old for that! Margaret and Jon did enjoy a morning’s visit to the Baltimore Museum of Art for an excellent Cezanne exhibit.

Denise and Kevin Donohue, Judi's sister and brother-in-law, took us to Dalesio in Little Italy (phenomenal warm gorgonzola salad dressing!) and Ryleigh’s Irish pub (warm crab pretzels, a local specialty) for fine neighborhood dining.

Heads spinning from sights, sounds, walking, history, retail therapy and the constant motion of the Inner Harbor promenade, we departed Sunday morning eager for a quieter locale.