From Ocean City, MD to Cape May, NJ

Our journey on Sunday takes us approximately 45 miles up the Atlantic Coast into Cape May. The ocean was not as calm as the day before (3 ft. following sea), but we managed fine. Goal was to beat the weather system that is headed our way on Monday, which will definitely stir up those white caps.

As we get closer to Cape May, a cool sea fog sets in and it becomes difficult to make out the inlet or even the coast anymore. Relying on radar, we find the small narrow Cape May Inlet. Luckily the fog lifts over the inlet and we now see exactly where we are going.

The channel into the Cape May Marina, our home for at least two nights, is very narrow with marshes and muck. Of course, the precise planners that we are, we come at low tide and experience the channel at its narrowest and shallowest. The tide here is approximately 3 feet. We arrive with about a foot clearance.

We head to the fuel dock first and fill up with diesel fuel at $5.99 a gallon. 💲💲💲 Our slip will be the T-head right across from the fuel dock, so a few thrusts from the fuel dock and we are home for the night.

We spend the next two days exploring Cape May. It is quaint NJ coastal town with a few quirks. One, many restaurants are BYOB, which is fine if you know this before going out to dinner. Apparently liquor licenses are few and far between, so those restaurants not grandfathered in, allow BYOB. They are allowed to sell bottles of NJ made wine only, but if you want a beer or a different wine you need to bring it with you. No hard liquor allowed though. Restaurants will provide the proper glasses and do not charge a corkage fee, which is nice. Also, there are no sales of any type of alcohol in any grocery store, convenient store or gas station. Second quirk is the fact that you must pay to go on the beach. This is a new one for us. It is not just Cape May, but applies to most of the beaches in New Jersey. The money you pay for your beach tag goes directly to the salaries of the beach employees and the maintenance of the beach.

We spend the day exploring Cape May, having lunch, and doing Tom’s favorite activity…shopping in boutiques.

As we head back to the marina on this hot Sunday, a dip in their pool would be most welcome. However on this Sunday, there must be at least 40 people in this small pool, each with a drink in their hand. We decide to skip and chill in the air. Another side note, the pool is not really the marinas but belongs to the paddle club, which I suppose is like a neighborhood association. You must join the club to use the pool, but as we are paying a resort fee, we have access to the pool. The pool also has a cute tiki hut bar with a bartender, but you need to bring your own alcohol and he pours it. All sounds crazy. 🤪

Our last day in Cape May is dreary and rainy.

While it’s a rainy day, the front passed through diminishing the wind and surf. Tomorrow is a go to Atlantic City. Lets hope Lady Luck joins us! 🎲🎰