Day 236, "on the loop", 6/2/2023

*Jonathan arrives, Friday, June 2, in order to spend as much time as I can, the next blog will be in 2 weeks*

Friday, May 26 - Met several loopers at Delaware City, had a weather meeting and dinner with several loopers. (From left to Right: Escape / Yachts of Fun / Arabella / Summer Place & Love on the Locks). Side note: I took the picture :-)

Weather meeting: The dock master holds a daily meeting at 4pm to discuss winds, currents, boat traffic, etc. All Loopers attend the daily meetings. Based on the meeting, Captain's will make a decision on the best timing to make the run to New Jersey.

Saturday, May 27 - We spent the day in Delaware City, DE. The guys (Capel, Dan, and Joel) toured Fort Delaware. While us ladies (Chris, Karen and I) walked around the town, peaked in a few shops and met a nice blacksmith.

Fort Delaware is a former harbor defense facility, designed by chief engineer Joseph Gilbert Totten and located on Pea Patch Island in the Delaware River. During the American Civil War, the Union used Fort Delaware as a prison for the Confederate prisoners of war, political prisoners, federal convicts, and privateer officers. The fort and the island currently belong to the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC) and encompass a living history museum, located in Fort Delaware State Park.

Blacksmith:

We stopped by a blacksmith shop, a guy was super cool about having a group of ladies stop in. He showed us around, shared some of his work and explained some of the past work.

We attended the weather meeting, conducted by the head dock master Keith. As stated above, Keith meets with all loopers on a daily basis and shares weather and information as it relates to travel from Delaware City to Cape May.

Note: There are so many weather factors; current, winds, and tides. He advises on best time to leave which makes a great arrival on the other side. The weather in this part of the country can change rather quickly.

Pic 1: Blacksmith bldg / Pic 2: Tools in the shop / Pic 3: Fence, all metal (Blacksmith made for a local client)

Some Random pictures of the downtown, historical area of Delaware City, DE.

Joel thought this was a funny pic... and we both knew not to sit in either of the chairs! Talking politics never ends well - lol

Sunday, May 28

Map of Trip: Delaware City Marina (Delaware City, DE ) to Canyon Club (Cape May, NJ)

The ride was a bit rolly, a rough ride especially exiting and entering channels.

We arrived mid afternoon (Cape May), this was by far the worst marina to enter. The boat traffic leading into the entrance was extremely busy. There were boats everywhere (large fishing boats, jet skis, pleasure crafts, etc.). The entrance to the marina was a small inlet, we had to wait for the dock master to call us in.

We finally had our assignment (slip 44), as we pulled in we realized the slip was taken. The dock master corrected our slip assignment to slip 42 and typically this wouldn't be a problem - BUT... now, we had to turn around in a very tight space while other boats are trying to come in. Thank Goodness for Looper: Sea No Evil (Todd & Maria), they assisted us with our lines when we pulled into our slip.

Beachside: Tom & Diane hosted docktails, they really know how to host!

Diane had trash buckets, Sea No Evil brought tray tables. Diane gave me a tour of their boat (She and I are not pictured).

Diane & Tom have a power catamaran, they have tons of room on their boat. A walk in closet and a lot of pantry space.

We took an Uber across the bridge to a nice Seafood place, called The Lobster House. This place was highly recommended in the looper forum and blogs. It didn't disappoint.

From left: Knot Dreamin' / Arabella / Summer Place

We didn't spend much time in Cape May; but, the marina was super nice with a swimming pool. We had pool access; but, it was too cold to swim! Pictures below are some water front properties, and pictures near Cape May.

Pic 1 - the pool / Pic 2 -8 - pics from the inter-coastal as were being to enter Cape May.

Monday, May 29 - Happy Birthday, Julie Boisselle. We hope you had an amazing birthday and that you were spoiled!

Map of Trip: Canyon Club Resort Marina (Cape May, NJ) to Golden Nugget, Farley State Marina (Atlantic City, NJ)

Well, today didn't start as we had planned, another accident, I broke my pinky finger! I wish I had a better story; but, the short story is.... I broke it making the bed.

We went to bed Sunday night with a plan! The plan was we (Summer Place) would leave Cape May, NJ at 10am on the inside waterway (which means we would travel the inter-coastal vs. Outside, in the big water, ocean). Arabella and LG2 would stay behind and wait for a better weather window (and go on the outside) later in the week.

Inside: you ride along the coast, there are some issues with shallow water and in many cases people run a ground if the tides are too low. This route would be an 8 hour day.

Outside: traveling in the ocean, in deeper water, tends to be stronger winds and a rolly ride. This route would be a 4 hour day.

Side Note: We were on a schedule to pic Jonathan up in Jersey, so willing to travel in "doable windows".

NEW PLAN: Joel woke up around 7am, checked the Nebo app and saw approximately 10 boats headed to Atlantic City (they left at 6am). Joel decided we should prepare to leave by 8/8:30 on the outside in big water. Side note: 6am was the ideal time to leave from Cape May, NJ to Atlantic City (because weather changes throughout the day, smoother in the am and rougher as the day goes on). Knowing we had an earlier than expected departure (and needing to prepare), I rushed to make the bed and when I was tucking the comforter between bed and cabinet, my pinky finger was pushed back (and popped). Yes! It was broken. I now tell all my looper friends "housekeeping will kill you" :-), don't do it!

Pictures not in correct order:

Pic 1 - The break

Pic 2 - After Dr. Mazzo looked at it

Pic 3 - Joel took an old pair of sunglasses, cut the arm and used as a splint. Then taped it up.

Dr. Mazzo (Looper: R and R) checked it and since there was no bruising or swelling, he stated to tape it and let it heal. 4 - 8 weeks, it should be healed; however, I feel by the time we return from the loop... I am going to look like an ole sea hag! Side note: Everything I google indicated there is not much to be done for fingers (other than putting the finger in a splint).

Atlantic City, NJ was extremely windy, a bit chilly and rainy. Joel and I took an Uber to Walgreen's to pick up a few items for my pinky (splints and tape).

Uber to and from the marina, wasn't too expensive; however, we were a little caught off guard when we notice a security guard in Walgreen's walking the store in full security gear (including gun).

After the long cruise , getting docked, making the Walgreen's run and seeing Dr. Mazzo we were exhausted and settled in early for the evening. Pictures below: the area near Walgreen's.

Tuesday, May 30 - After a great night of rest, we got up early and had breakfast. I made brownies for Dr. Mazzo's as a thank you for taking time to look at my pinky. fyi... He is a retired doctor doing the loop!

Later, we took an Uber to the Atlantic City Board Walk. It was a great board walk! We had jersey pizza, it was yummy!

Met up with Odyssey (Bill & Dianne) for drinks on the boardwalk. The bartender was super nice and made special drinks for us.

Docktails was a huge hit with one minor fail! We had requested an area to meet up and the dockhands stated we could use an enclosed room, located across from the marina check in point. Well, about 15 minutes into our docktails, the Gold Nugget hotel manager, told us we didn't have the authority to use the room and kicked us out! Getting kicked out, didn't stop us from connecting. We just met on the adjacent patio.

Wednesday, May 31 - Happy Birthday, Samantha Carver! Hope you celebrated BIG. Today was a bit of a clean day / lazy day. Joel cleaned the upper deck and I did as much as I could with a bad hand :-). Seriously, my hand is not that bad. I am able to vacuum, wash dishes, etc. Not sure how I will do when it comes time to clean the "heads" (bathrooms), that may be a job for the Captain - haha.

Some pictures of the Golden Nugget hotel and casino. It was just a hop, skip and jump away from the marina. Did I mention that Joel won $185, he used the money to buy dinner for us (and Arabella too).

View from top of Golden Nugget Hotel:

Thursday, June 1

The dockhands at Atlantic City (Gold Nugget Marina) were the worst thus far. We needed fuel before we could leave Atlantic City for Brielle. We were told someone would be at fuel dock by 8am. After calling fuel dock at 8am, were told it would be 15/20 minutes. 30 minutes later someone showed up. Guess they operate on Island time!

We pulled in for fuel, I had to ask for the dockhand to catch the line(s). Another large boat pulled up shortly after we did. Joel and I caught their lines. They were from Jersey and not pleased with the service of the dockhand. I felt this was a safety issue, in this case there were no pilings to tie off to and the cleats on the dock were too low for me to get a line wrapped to hold the boat. I wanted to submit a complaint; but, Joel said not to waste the time. Besides something tells me those Jersey boys that pulled in beside us (on the fishing boat) gave the dock hand a few words!

Map of Trip: Golden Nugget, Farley State Marina (Atlantic City, NJ) to Brielle Yacht Club (Manasquan, NJ)

The dockhands at Brielle marina were great! He jumped on our boat and had both bow lines and mid-shift lines tied before I could throw the stern lines. I was happy they were so helpful (the bow lines are always the hardest for me).

It was a long day of travel and the water was a bit choppy. We were exhausted, had dinner and went to bed early!

Pictures of nearby Brielle, NJ.

Pic 1 - 2: Entrance to channel for Brielle marina

Pic 3: Street in Brielle (taken from waterway)

Pic 4: Fun chair

Pic 5: Bridge near Brielle marina

Pic 6: Brielle Marina sign

Pic 7: Pier near where Summer Place was docked

Friday, June 2 -

Map of Trip: Brielle Yacht Club (Manasquan, NJ) to Liberty Landing Marina (Jersey City, NJ)

Jonathan arrived and will be with us until June 10th. He flew into Newark, NJ, took an Uber to Liberty Landing Marina. We are beyond thrilled to spend some time with him. Our goal is to have him in Syracuse by June 10th (crossing fingers that we don't run into weather that slows us down).

Jonathan arrived, we had lunch, toured the 9/11 memorial and looked for the New York Stock Exchange bull. We only had a half day at Liberty Landing and wanted to see as much as possible. Note: We did not find the bull (it has been moved from it's previous location).

Below are a few pictures of our visit to NYC, I will post more in my next blog; including pictures of our boat in front of the Statue of Liberty.

Arabella in front of Lady Liberty! Pretty cool, huh?

Below: Summer Place (in front of Lady Liberty), Welcome to New York!

Due to spending as much time as possible with Jonathan, I am taking some time off from blogging, the next blog will be June 16th. Side note: We made new looper friends: Carrusin' and General Fun (more on them in the next blog).

I will continue to post in Facebook, when departing ports (this will help me remember what to blog about :-).

Thank you for following our fun adventure! Until next time.... Be happy and safe travels!

Random Information & Other Stuff

Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) (sometimes erroneously called Aberdeen Proving Grounds) is a U.S. Army facility located adjacent to Aberdeen, Harford County, Maryland, United States. More than 7,500 civilians and 5,000 military personnel work at APG. There are 11 major commands among the tenant units.

APG is the U.S. Army's oldest active proving ground, established on 20 October 1917, six months after the U.S. entered World War I. Its location allowed design and testing of ordnance materiel to take place near contemporary industrial and shipping centers. The proving ground was created as a successor to the Sandy Hook Proving Ground, which was too small for some of the larger weapons being tested. At the peak of World War II, APG had billeting space for 2,348 officers and 24,189 enlisted personnel.

I can confirm the site is still operational today, we heard the loud boom sounds! Some type of testing was happening, we could also see smoke as we passed by. Side note: The Coast guard or military personnel protect the entrance of Aberdeen. If it were dangerous, the guards would have hailed us on the radio and / or approached our boat with directions to bypass this area.

Miss America Beauty Pageant:

Miss America is a beauty pageant that has been around since 1921. It started out as a bathing suit contest designed to attract tourists to Atlantic City, New Jersey. In the almost 100 years since, it has grown into a huge organization that provides scholarships to women and encourages female empowerment.

Notable Miss America winners include actress Lee Meriwether, broadcaster and entrepreneur Phyllis George, singer and actress Vanessa Williams (the first African American winner), and television journalist Gretchen Carlson.

The states producing the most winners are California (6), Ohio (6, with one winning twice), and Pennsylvania (5), but the places producing the most winners relative to their resident populations are the District of Columbia (2), Hawaii (2), and Mississippi (4).

Two Miss New Jersey winners have gone on to hold the title of Miss America: Bette Cooper who won in 1937 and Suzette Charles who did not win, but took over the title for the last 7 weeks of Vanessa Williams's reign in 1984. They also have one unofficial Miss America: Dorothy Hann (1932).

Vanessa Williams became the first Black woman to win the crown in 1983 but when Penthouse Magazine published unauthorized nude photos of her, she was forced to resign her title.

Bull of Wall Street:

Charging Bull, sometimes referred to as the Bull of Wall Street or the Bowling Green Bull, is a bronze sculpture that stands on Broadway just north of Bowling Green in the Financial District of Manhattan in New York City. The 7,100-pound bronze sculpture, standing 11 ft tall and measuring 16 ft long, depicts a bull, the symbol of financial optimism and prosperity. This is huge tourist attraction.

In addition to tourist having their pictures taken at the front end of the bull, many tourists pose at the back of the bull, near the large testicles "for snapshots under an unmistakable symbol of its virility". According to a 2002 article in The Washington Post, "People on The Street say you've got to rub the nose, horns and testicles of the bull for good luck".