Woke at 6am to get the small Glimmer Glass bridge out before dead low tide. The pic shows it really is the Tonka size version of the mystic bridge. Me in my big 26'ft boat barely fit thru even though this was a highly recommend anchorage in one of the guide books. The breeze had shifted into the north from the northwest so it blew along the coast and had built up a sizable swell. Making my way out of the inlet I was met by that swell and it was everything my little engine could do to keep me going forward.
I have to say this now so with rock jetties on either side and a2-3 knot current pushing you along and a big swell(atleast for me) hitting you from the side you really have doubts if the boat's going to do it. All I could do was to stare at the buoy outside the harbor and steer. Stare and steer. Don't look to either side. Once I cleared the breakwaters I continued until I got to the outside buoy which was 3/4 of a mile out. I looked back a saw the swells crashing on the beach. If I never have to do that again, but I know I have a few more in store for this part of the trip.
Turning right at the gong I started down the coast, engine going and genoa out. I was doing between 6-7 knots! Man this boat is fast. The breeze had come up so I killed the engine raised the main and sail at not too less a speed.
When I was a kid fishing with my dad we spent countless hours watching the surface of the water waiting for fish to come up. So I got to know what to look for and over to my left the water changed and the top of something had come and gone coming down from sandy hook I saw a lot of blues come up and jump completely clear of the water. But this seemed different. It was! There was a pod of dolphins and they turned toward the boat. Maybe ten, twenty black and not small but not flipper. They were saying hello and then poof they were gone. A good omen.
Coming up on and going thru the Barnegat inlet could take a whole entry, suffice to say it was a lot tougher than going out puny Manasquan. Alan Banister would have loved it. Guys were anchored right next-- and I mean right next-- to rocks with these big rollers crashing right there. I think I bent one of the bimini supports because I was holding on so tight and these guys are out fishing! If I never have to......
I finally get into calm water and look around and it's beautiful. For the first time in three weeks I really feel I somewhere else. The sand is a light grey/ white with islands and no houses on them. I move into a small cove and there are mooring balls. What could be better? I flopped down on the jib bag and didn't move for two hrs. I also forgot to tell about half way to Barneget a little sparrow flew under the dodger and stayed there for about 15 min we had a very nice conversation and then he flew off for the beach which was about a mile away.
So Barneget Bay is N 39•45' W074•07'. The water temp is and is really clean the weather is north and beautiful. Now off to Atlantic city or about half way there
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