Manasquan New Jersey – Hoffman’s Marina (Port #101) ; June 28

Well remember the last post ?
Something about doing the Inside ICW route because the Atlantic was too wavy ?
Remember that I had spoken with 3 Gold Loopers and got advice that it should be ok.

Well guess what, it wasn’t exactly OK !

The first hour was fine.

Actually, the entire ride was fine, with very calm waters – but for about 4 hours of the 8 hour day, we dealt with only 4-5 foot water depths, very nerve-racking.

AND, for less than 5 minutes, there was only 2 feet of water – GROUNDED !

All ended well, after thinking about lowering the dinghy to trying to push ourselves off, I reconsidered due to pretty high winds, and called Tow Boat US.
Rick from Tow Boat US arrived in an amazingly fast 30 minutes.

It took about 10-15 minutes of slowly nurturing the boat out of the sand/mud and back into deeper water.

When we took off after The Grounding, I was prepared for the worst –
> Vibrations felt ok, the same as before – at the helm & at the stuffing boxes & rudders.
> Noise sounded similar.
> Steering felt the same.
* Oh-Oh, why is the Instantaneous Fuel Economy so low ?
> Could I have bent the shaft & the cutlass bearing is bound up ?
> Is something wound around the shaft ?

After about 15 minutes of oh crap, I realized that we were almost at the next entrance to the Atlantic & the current was coming in – it was Normal Current Drag on the boat from incoming tide.

After we passed the ocean inlet/outlet, we got the normal boost in speed & fuel economy.
All systems functioning normally, even on the high speed – 20mph/3200rpm run – Yea !!!

You may ask – How did this happen Michael  ?
Well, let me tell you.

When the Tow Boat US guy towed us out, he actually towed us out on a path that was listed as 1 foot of water & over land, on both the Chart plotter & the IPAD.
Here is a shot of where we got stuck & the path we were towed back to deeper water.

The Murph’s lead blessed lives.
About a 1 hour delay, no permanent issues, and we arrived safely at Manasquan.
Recommendation = Get Boat US – Unlimited Gold Towing (We have it , Yea) !

But wait there is more !
Upon arrival at Manasquan, just before we got to the marina, there was more excitement.
> Very High Current – we were doing 10mph at 1000rpm (4-5 mph push) with the current.
> A Lift Bridge with a very narrow opening & high current – 30 ft gap for our 15ft beam.
> The marina is right on the canal, right after the lift bridge, and the current made docking more challenging.

 

Our arrival went very well.
We were safely tucked in about 3pm.

We had dinner at the nearby place called The Waypoint 662 Restaurant.
Ambience was good, food was so-so.

Before heading out to dinner, we met a couple in the boat next to us from Clinton Township Michigan, Doug & Ann Miner.
I noticed the Old English-D on their boat.

They live in Clinton Township but keep their boat at The Detroit Yacht Club.
Joe Tatham – Ever heard of them, they thought your name sounded familiar ?

That’s all from Manasquan, 1 quick night.

Next Stop = Liberty Landing Marina in New York City (actually in Jersey, on the Hudson River, right across from NYC & right next to the Statue of Liberty) – 4 Nights for me and Nellie & Jonell’s brother Adam & 1st mate Patti arriving on Monday !