After
family and friends left us we had one last day in Annapolis. We had an enjoyable lunch at the very old Reynolds
Tavern dating from the 1700s and toured the town some more. In the early evening we went for a last drink
at AYC and started talking with the man next to us. It turns out he was Rear Admiral Tom Lynch
(ret.). He was captain of the Naval Academy football team, headed the Eisenhower Battle
Group during Desert Storm and was later Superintendent of the Naval Academy. While in the Med on the Eisenhower he had the
occasion to meet Margaret Thatcher’s son who subsequently moved to the US. He invited the son to visit him when he was
at the Academy. The son asked if he
could bring his boss and Tom said sure. Turns
out his “boss” was his mother, Maggie Thatcher.
He was very proud that he got to give the former Prime Minister a
personal tour.
When Tom left another gentleman took his seat.
He too had interesting tales to tell as a former DEA and CIA agent. Although long retired he showed his old ID
card which said he was agent 007!
On
July 1 we left for the 2 day journey to Cape May, NJ. It was a pleasant trip up the Chesapeake Bay
to the C&D Canal which joins Chesapeake Bay with Delaware Bay. We overnighted in Chesapeake City on the
canal then proceeded down Delaware Bay for the long ride to Cape May. The ride started out OK, but by mid afternoon
it got a bit bumpy.
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| Chesapeake Bay Bridge |
The
3rd and 4th of July were spent touring the seaside resort
of Cape May. It is picturesque with many
restored Victorian homes, most now converted to B&Bs. It is a real tourist town. We had lunch at the impressive Inn of Cape
May on the boardwalk. You could just
picture Nucky Thompson (from Boardwalk Empire) coming down from Atlantic City for
vacation. Fireworks were on display both
on the 3rd and 4th, but we were not impressed. It was interesting to note that the city
charges $6/person/day for access to the beach. If Miami/Ft. Lauderdale did this we could
eliminate the sales tax!
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| Magnificent Victorian Private Home |
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| Inn at Cape May |
The
ICW in lower NJ is almost impassable necessitating an open ocean run. Although the day was pleasant enough, the 2-4’
swells coming on the stern quarter made for an uncomfortable ride. Debby was queasy all day spending most of it
in the prone position. By late afternoon
an east wind had picked up which coupled with an outgoing tide made for a “sporty”
entry at Barnegat Inlet.
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| "Sporty" Barnegat Inlet |
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| Barnegat Light 165' Second tallest in USA Built in 1859 |
We spent the
night in a very pleasant small marina called Spencer’s in Waretown. Then on the 6th we came up
Barnegat Bay on the inside to Manasquan Inlet where we went out to the open
ocean for the final 30 mile run to Staten Island. For the next 4 days we will be at Great Kills
Yacht Club, a very friendly member run place in a well protected harbor.
