There were many times Capt. Mark probably wanted to toss me overboard on the 2015 cruise. This was surely one of them.
Boaters depend on weather reports. There are many safety issues to consider, so national reports as well as local ones are consulted before getting underway. In our case, my poor spouse had a wife who freaked out if the wind was over 15 knots. Our “deal” for that Loop trip was if it’s over 15 we stay put.
When we entered Delaware Bay, the weather was perfect. A bit of a breeze had been predicted, but not the small craft advisory we encountered later. That came with a quick buildup of the wind, a heavy chop that tossed us around like a cork, and Mark fighting to stay in control.
It didn’t help to have me cowering in my corner, being a drama queen, muttering, “we’re going to die, we’re going to die”. When he couldn’t fight the wind and chop anymore I checked the chart for rivers we could sneak into and found one on the New Jersey side. The depth was okay in the Cohansey River which would around like a snake and brought us to fully occupied docks in front of a restaurant. We continued on, keeping an eye on the fathometer, and finally came to a small marina that was empty and stopped there.
If we hadn’t been so tired we might have wondered why these docks with electrical power and an easy ramp to the main building were empty. It wasn’t closed, the advertised nightly fee was fair, and there was calm water all around. On closer notice we saw that the restaurant was closed. Okay, we had food on board. So what was the problem?
First, it was cash only. No, we didn’t have that much cash on hand and even after checking pockets, my purse, and crevices for change, we couldn’t come up with the fee. Mark had to borrow the marina’s golf cart and drive it into the nearest town to an ATM machine.
Next, the showers were cold water only and moldy. I took one look and hightailed it back to the boat. Mark, a braver soul, remained.
After a good night’s sleep, we went outside and encountered clouds of no-see-ums, those pesky critters who like my blood. I quickly closed all doors, hatches, whatever was open, and we left, even though the wind was still howling. No, it hadn’t died and once on the Bay we got to rock and roll all the way to Cape May. Thankfully, we made it just before the sun set.
More about our Cape May adventure next week. And yes, an adult beverage or two were consumed.
Wow, what an experience! But you both survived, Thankfully!
LOVE you , cousin, Janelle