What A Difference! ! ! !

SHIP'S LOG:

Current Location: Rum Point Cove, Atlantic City: 39'23.268N/ 074'24.611W

Up at that crack of dawn, I had to handle a few things before I could go anywhere. Figuring that a dinghy with one oar(again) was pretty much useless for my needs, I hauled it up onto the sock and deflated it. I rolled it up in a nice neat package and then stored it on deck . . . right where it was after it got puncture ion the way down. A nice touch, going in just like it was going out. And yes, I carefully stored the one remaining oar down below in the forepeak.

It took an hour or so to get the davit system to a place where it could no further damage to itself. Lots of unbolting and re-bolting but nothing that was anything more than boring. Even that early in the morning, it was already hot and humid and the toughest thing was not loosing tools overboard due to sweaty hands.

Eventually all was done and ABAISHAG was made ready to" go to sea" for indeed she was. The wonderfully accurate boys and girls at NOAA "promised" clear skies and 10-15 knots out of the Southwest. well, it was hazy but the skies were basically clear( I had the radar on just the same). The winds were not from the Southwest but from the Southeast. (I check several times and they kept saying "Southwest") They were not 10-15 but more like 5 to 10 and inconsistent. But hey, I'll take it and it was a great day to sail!

Compared to the Delaware Bay, the Atlantic Ocean was a mill pond. A nice rolling sea but no real waves. IT was just a great sailing day and that's why it surprised me how few people, and I mean "few", were out on the water. It was fine with me, fewer boats to "run into," but a bit strange nonetheless for the "beginning of summer!" Even the beaches that I could see along the shore were thinly populated and the temp ashore had to be in the 90's.

The most "exciting" part of the whole day was the run into the Abescon Channel at Atlantic City. The incoming tide jacked the speed of the flow to 8knots and the waters swirled around between the breakwaters. Atlantic city is, sadly, a profoundly ugly city. It had a striking skyline but it looks garish and tacky. It looks ugly at least from the sea.

I pulled into Rum Point Cove/Pond/ Lagoon or whatever they call this little spot inside of Rum Point. We stopped here on the way down after having been battered by the storm. All of us were so tired that we crash for the night foregoing food in favor of sleep. ( Then again, I am not sure Bob and/or Fred could have managed to eat anyhow.) It was sort of over run with people on PWC and speed boats doing their thing and the shores were line with grills and beached boats. It was a real party - in -progress. I had no problem finding a spot and dropping the hook. Then I took a nap . . evidently the results of yesterday's bash and not enough sleep last night. In any event, it is up the Jersey Coast to some place closer to home.