Brian’s travel plans had us leaving just after 8:00 am and again sprinting toward Atlantic City to get through the channels before low tide. He also included time for “No Wake” areas and going slow in areas where shoaling was reported. Comments left in Active Captain this year reported shoaling and boats being grounded on those shoals. One comment said a TowBoatUs operator recommended
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Homes in the Borough of Beach
Haven, Long Beach Island |
hugging the green markers. We did what was recommended in those areas and had over 2 feet under our keel. In route, we passed under the only causeway linking Long Beach Island to the mainland. From there we could see the skyscrapers of Atlantic City. Then the channel took us in close to the northern part of the island. The homes had docks right on the channel. Others homes were congregated around man-made canals like what is found in North Carolina and Florida. Passing from the populated apart of the island into the tidal flats we were invited by New Jersey’s unofficial state biting bug; the Greenhead Fly. They are attracted to dark objects like our canopy on the flybridge. There were hundreds of them inside the canopy with at least 10 to 20 of them
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| Atlantic City seen from the causeway. |
buzzing around our heads and biting our legs. We couldn’t go fast due to the areas of shoaling we needed to avoid. We arrived in Abescon Bay inside of the Abescon Inlet well before low tide. As soon as left the channel we opened up the throttles, and with a flyswatter, shooed or killed the flies. Arriving at Farley State Marina we took on fuel before docking in our assigned slip. We immediately checked in and went to the outside bar for lunch. After lunch, Linda cleaned the flybridge and lanai of fly carcasses, and inside of Splash Down while Brian washed down the boat. Too tired to cook dinner, we had dinner at Vic & Anthony’s Steakhouse.
