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Memorial Day Weekend
on Barnegat Bay Page 4 |
|
Memorial Day Weekend
on Barnegat Bay Page 4 |
| 5/27 - Up early - 5:15 - put water on to boil for coffee
while I stowed my sleeping gear and got the boat ready to sail. As
I stood up in the center hatch to roll up my sleeping bag a rustling in
the branches of a nearby tree caused me to reach for my binocs for a closer
look - a Yellow Crowned Night Heron had roosted alongside Shorebird for
the night.
Underway at 6:45 - I rowed out to clear water before setting sail to avoid the sea cabbage patch behind the island. The white sand beaches and bright green grasses of the sedge islands were beautifully lit by the rising sun, as was Barnegat Lighthouse just to the south of us. |
| We sailed out past the sedges to the open bay so we could put our rudders all the way down. Sailing all day yesterday in high winds with the rudder raised in the shallows was much like arm wrestling a gorilla for 3 hours! Sailing about a mile off IBSP in 2-5 ft of water we enjoyed the breeze and made good progress against the out going tide. I even spotted a Loon swimming along. Later as the wind died down to a slick calm we resorted to the iron wind to get back to Trixie's before the rains came. Mike and Tammy motored all the way back while I set sail again at the sign of some wind - I had a nice sail but wound up getting caught in a steady drizzle and another calm. Rolled up the sail and motored the rest of the way in to Trixie's ramp. Mike already had Egret hauled and was getting ready for the road while I hauled out and joined them. |
| Shorebird and Egret were two well named boats to venture through these islands during the spring migration. I look forward to getting back to the sedges soon enough to view more of these temporary visitors of Barnegat Bay. |
