Second Wind on the Great Loop and Beyond

Friday, June 08. Our passage “outside” in the Atlantic yesterday was a piece of cake. We were mighty happy to know that Seaquel was right behind us the whole way, and that Sea Life was just a mile further out from us. We saw several large ships a safe distance away, but the ocean and small boat traffic treated us kindly. Having water depths of 30 and 40 feet was a welcome change from our passage “inside” on Wednesday.

As we cruised we realized all at once that the shapes we were looking at on the northern horizon . . . was the New York City skyline. Whoa! As we neared our stop for the night, Atlantic Highlands, NJ, we looked west toward a shoreline that featured stately large houses on a high hillside. The hillside gradually sloped down to a long spit of sand, appropriately named "Sandy Hook." To the north, we could clearly see the bridge leading to Coney Island. We were tucked into our marina by 2:00 p.m., knowing that our most dreaded passage up the Jersey coast was finished. Of course, dinner with Loopers at Giana's, an Italian restaurant, was the appropriate way to celebrate. This morning (Friday), excited and a little apprehensive, we look forward to finding our way through New York Harbor! More later. . . with photos.