May 18 - 19, 2012 - Ventnor & Atlantic City, NJ

The weather is not cooperating with us for an offshore passage to Atlantic Highlands and New York City, with high winds predicted for a week! We don’t want to be in the North Atlantic in 6-7 footers. So after checking with recent cruisers on an inside passage, the New Jersey Intracoastal Waterway, we decided to give it a try. We departed Cape May at 1300 hours, to catch the rising tide.

Seafood is a big commercial industry in Cape May, as this sizeable fishing fleets attests. Offshore waters are home to tuna, marlin, lobster and other delicacies.

We have always traveled offshore north from Cape May, as the New Jersey ICW is notorious for shoaling. It lived up to its reputation, with less than ½ foot under our keel near this dry area. Later, we had a “soft grounding” – no damage, but had to power off the sand bar.

New Jersey-ites like their waterfront, with cottages lining the banks.

The houses are packed tightly along the ICW in Sea Isle City.

For the night’s anchorage, we found this nice protected basin at Ventnor, New Jersey, just south of Atlantic City. Right on the seashore, the town’s motto (every town needs one) is “Shore-ly the best!”

The next afternoon, after doing some navigational research, we discovered that a few bridges we needed to have opened for Monarch, wouldn’t be operating until after 0700 the following morning. We needed to be underway well before then to make maximum use of a rising tide. So we decided to pull anchor, do the bridges now and select an anchorage just north of Atlantic City. We passed first through the narrow Dorset Avenue Bridge.

We knew we were in Atlantic City by this scow serving as a planter,

and by numerous casinos along the horizon. This is Harrah’s Resort and Casino, the tallest hotel in Atlantic City, with a150,000 square-foot casino and more than 2,800 slot machines.

The Water Club Hotel is reflected in the mirrored surface of its companion, the Borgata Casino.

It was hard to find an angle of the city where a casino wasn’t front and center. This may be one!

We anchored in Broad Creek, within sight of the casinos. Harrah’s hotel building, at least 65 stories tall, served as a nighttime animated billboard, advertising the performance of magicians Penn & Teller……

…….and to “Jessica – will you marry me?”

The casinos are active 24-7. We’re not, so we were off to bed to be up at 0530 tomorrow.