NJ Vacation

Audrey II

Audrey II

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Looks like my trip to the locks is off and now I need to make other plans for next month. I will be taking a week at the beginning of the month and I'm looking for ideas of marinas to visit. I'm hoping to get into Channel Club but not sure they have room. I would like to go to three different places just to break things up a bit so I'm looking for ideas. Being I'm not familiar with the areas I what like places that won't be hard to navigate do to shallow water Channel Club is bad enough. I know Rommer likes Belmar but what marina and where else should I be looking?

Thanks for any input.
 
Atlantic City, WIldwood, Cape May. All are good stops but much further down the coast.
 
Beach Haven Yacht Club is a nice spot. You might want to consider Schooner Island as well.
 
I'll seconf Schooner Island Marina in Wildwood.

Just went to Farley Marina in AC. Still a great place and easy in and out.

Heard good things about Beach Haven but I've always been afraid of the inlets.
 
All good suggestions above. But it's important to know how far you want to travel and what ameneties you want/need (beach,restaruants,pool,etc)?
 
I'm looking for more Northern area marinas however AC sounds good just a little far for a one week trip. Pool, beach and restaurant all big pluses.

Thanks again.
 
Have you considered a night or two on the hook? There are a few nice spots, especially mid week, in the Barnegat Bay where you can drop the hook and walk to the Ocean Beaches (Tices Shoal) or dinghy into a restaurant (The Toms River). A night or two on the hook could offset some of the fuel expense. There are also some quaint marinas up the Forked River that offer pool and restaurant (no Ocean Beach).
 
Dave, four hours from the VZ Bridge to AC. Really not a bad run at all.

Dominic, what's your assessment of the inlets? I met several boaters who use Barnegate and Little Egg in AC and while they had big boats, they indicated that the inlets can be tricky.
 
I've been up and down the Jersey coast many times over the years. I generally use 6 inlets, North to South: Shark River Inlet, Manasquan Inlet, Barnegat Inlet, Little Egg Inlet and Absecon Inlet and Cape May Inlet. They all have their own set of issues and concerns and any inlet should be approached with caution. I try to time inlets at slack tides, preferably High and avoid a tide running against a wind.

The Two inlets that I use most often are LEI and BI.

LEI is marked well, but the buoys have been known to shift after storms. The area around that inlet can be VERY intimidating with all the breakers visible and JUST out of the channel. Beach Haven Inlet, just north of LEI, is now closed to navigation, but I think some small local guys may still use it. We have an old Coastie here on BE, Starfishkiller (Eric), who used to be stationed there...I'm sure he has some stories. This inlet can get nasty, but is very navigable.

BI has a reputation for being nasty. That has mostly been fixed since the new north and south jettys. There is some shoaling in the inside, but the depth outside is fine. At high tide, the easterly end of the north jetty will be submerged, so don't try to cut an corners. The rollers seem to be larger at BI than the others, but nothing too bad.

SRI has the bridges to deal with. MI, AI and SRI are moderate to navigate and IMHO, CMI is always the most calm of the bunch.
 
quote:
Originally posted by mintregila

Dave, four hours from the VZ Bridge to AC. Really not a bad run at all.

Dominic, what's your assessment of the inlets? I met several boaters who use Barnegate and Little Egg in AC and while they had big boats, they indicated that the inlets can be tricky.

Click to expand...

4 hours is about 100 gallons each way that's $1000 in fuel. I think I will stay a bit closer this year, business is not what it used to be.
 
Dave: BHYC diesel was $3.55 last weekend. Other local Diesel fuel stops in tha Barnegat area are about $3.70-3.80. That'll save a few Hundred right there....
 
This is true but I'm still thinking of staying closer to home. We called Channel club and they said I could come either weekend of my trip so I'm good for one stop but I'm looking for two more.
 
I don't have a lot of experience staying at marinas. I have only stayed at Beach Haven Yacht Club a couple of nights last summer. There is not a pool there, but you can walk to the ocean beach. There are also plenty of restaurants, and entertainment within walking distance from the marina. If you have bicycles they are nice to have in Beach Haven.

I do anchor out alot. I would reiterate what Dominic said about staying a night or two anchored out.

There is a really nice spot up the Manasquan river next to Osborne Island. Anchor on the west side of the island. You can wade, or dingy, over to the island and sit on the sandy beach. The island is wooded, and there are trails going all over it.

If you want to go further south, you could go through the Point Pleasant Canal, and go to the back side of Silver Bay. There is a small cove behind Cattus Island Park called Mosquito cove. Don't be intimidated by the name. I have never had a bug problem when stopping there.

As Dominic pointed out, Tices Shoal is also a very popular anchoring spot. On a weekday it would not be very crowded. There is access to the ocean beach via a wooden walkway that goes from the bayside over to the ocean.

If you wanted to go further south there is a nice anchorage inside of Barnegat Inlet called Myers Hole. There is access to a sandy beach there, but it isn't the ocean beach. You can also dingy over to Long Beach Island, to go to eat, get supplies, etc.

My recent experience with the inlets in the area is limited to Manasquan and Barnegat. In my opinion either inlet is fine. As Dominic stated, just be aware of wind against the tide situations, and try to avoid those times for transit.

It is true, I was in the CG stationed in Beach Haven, but that was over 25 years ago. I believe there is an R.O., BillyIII, who is local to Little Egg Harbor, and has alot more experience with Little Egg/Beach Haven inlet than I have.

Eric
 
quote:
Originally posted by starfishkiller

........ I was in the CG stationed in Beach Haven, but that was over 25 years ago. ......
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Damn!!!! We 'are' getting old? Aren't you!!!??!!!
 
how do you get into myers hole? is there enough depth for a 30ft. twin i/o boat? Do boats beach or anchor? I would guess there are strong currents in the area?
 
Coming from Beach Haven, I would go up the ICW to the BI marker. Turn to the right and follow the bouys through Oyster Creek Channel. The channel makes its way through the sedges to the back side of Barnegat Light on LBI. There is a junction bouy near the gas dock in front of the coast guard station. Turn right at the junction. Myers hole is right there. You will see some boats anchored on mooring balls. The water is deep in the hole. On the order of 15 feet. I go in there with a 33' twin inboard with no issues. You can go closer to the beach area to the west of the hole, and the water gets shallower, but is still plenty for a twin engine cruiser. I have seen much larger boats, including fixed keel sailboats. Most of these boats look like they are on long cruises, and are using Myers Hole as a stopping spot along the way.

As for the current, it is present due to tidal changes, but I would not call it strong. Myers Hole is seperated from Oyster Creek channel, as well as the inlet, by a sandbar. The strong current is outside the sandbar.

Eric
 
I heard the is low water in some of these inlets and this scares me a bit even Billy run aground if I recall and he has intimate knowledge of the area.
 
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