daxs
Active member
You would think it was July with the weather we have had in Cape May this weekend. Jim and I got a loter start than we thought be were still on the water about 945. The wind was minimal the water cold and the sun was out bright and sunny. It was very warm, even at 10. We paddle in shorts and tee shirts. I took my shortie wet suit and spray skirt along and they never made it out of the hatch. We launched into Delaware Bay by the ferry boat terminal and headed toward the ocean. Minimal swells; about 1 foot. Dolphins were out and were surfacing right by our boats. We paddled past Sunset beach and checked out the concrete boat that has been sunk there since WWII. Its amazing how much of the boat is still there. Story goes it sank there and despite the best efforts of the time, it was impossible to salvage the boat and it has been stuck in the water off of Cape May since. As we headed toward Cape May Point and the ocean, the swells really picked up; about 4 foot. I felt like I was on a roller coaster but was able to handle the paddle. The paddle back was though was interesting. The tide was going out and the swells were rolling in. I felt like I was making no forward progress and was having some difficulty turing the boat and keeping a straight track even with the skeg down. Jim had it a little easier because he has a rudder. We finally made it to calmer waters and it was a relief. We decided to beach the boats and take a rest when I heard and Jim felt and heard a loud bang. A fish either swam into his boat or was testing to see if it was something edible. That was a first. After a nice lunch and nap on the beach were decided the explore the dunes of Higbee beach. It was like a totally different world; almost a moonscape. small rolling dunes, all types of scrub plants I would not identify. we did not roam far because the plants were chewing our legs apart. We need to go back with long pants. When we finally got back to our launch site, the thermometer was reading 88 degrees! We spent about 4 hours on the water. Our first trip of the year. What a great day. Looking forward to investigating Barnegat Bay on the next trip.
