Atlantic Highlands

The shakedown cruise highlighted a few faults causing me to turn Distant Horizon around. We went to Atlantic Highlands and rented a mooring from the Yacht Club. It was pretty cool. After attaching the boat to the mooring ball, I thought I would have to launch my tender to get to land.  Instead, all I had to do was call on the radio and they sent a launch boat out to pick me up. The launch hours were pretty flexible. Although in mid-week they start at 10am, the end of the week start times were 8am.

When I first arrived, I was in pretty bad shape; after hand-steering for 30 hours. The launch captain, Rush, was very understanding and very helpful. He got me on a mooring as quickly as possible; came by to check that we were secure; then told me to get some rest... we could finish the paperwork later... and we did.

Distant Horizon on a mooring in Atlantic Highlands

I found out the next day from another launch captain, Bob... coincidentally, Rush's dad... Rush first thought I was on drugs: shaking hands; moving in slow motion and unsteady; pupils dilated; then acting like an energizer bunny... until he figured out it was sleep deprivation. That's why he just wanted to get me tucked away for a bit. Rush is also a State Trooper!

The next morning, I took care of a few of the smaller tasks since the launch wasn't available for a few hours. Then, I went to town to get oriented... Find the hardware store and have some breakfast. By lunch time, I was surprised how much I had accomplished. Good thing too. I was asleep by 4pm and didn't wake for another 4 hours. Then, I just made dinner and went back to sleep.

With all the smaller tasks completed, I started to drain the bad water tank; open the water tank and clean it out. It had a lot of sediment in the bottom of the tank. The water was still very brown after sitting still for a couple of days to settle. Even so, a large amount of suspended sediment was still there in the water itself. Once the tank was drained, I sponged out the remaining water and wiped up the sediment from the bottom of the tank to allow the tank to air-dry before vacuuming up any remaining sediment. The sponge, which was new, came out filthy with  dark black splotches of charcoal. From this, I surmised that the filter used when filling the tank had broken; allowing all the trapped sediment and bits of the filter into the tank. It probably just sat at the bottom of the tank until the heavy rolling stirred it up.

Once the tank was perfectly clean, I replaced the filter.

On Thursday, the harbour area started getting real busy. I called the launch. I was going to walk to West Marine to get some parts. I just needed directions. Bob gave me great directions while showing me a map. I asked, "wouldn't it be shorter to walk this way? He had a surprised look and asked if I was planning to walk there. I said yes. He reached in his pocket and  said "take my car," as he handed me the keys. "Go the way I showed you. The other way is shorter, only if you don't get lost".

I picked up the parts I needed, along with some spare parts. I also renewed my Tow Boat US membership; just in case the transmission failed completely. I figured that was cheap insurance compared to just a single tow.

On the ride back to the harbour, I stopped at the grocery store to replenish some of my fresh fruits and vegetables. That's when I realized how far the west marine was from the harbour area. It would have been a good 4-5 mile walk... each way.

That night, people started to gather at their boats. Soon after sunset, I realized this was Atlantic Highlands' July fourth celebration day... and I had a front row seat!

Atlantic Highlands July 4th celebration

With the boat ready, I just needed a good weather window to get me south. I was going to Annapolis to have the transmission taken care of. I wanted to sail the maximum distance to alleviate any strain on the transmission.

I spent most of Friday morning going over the weather data. I could do this because of the powered WiFi antenna I had installed on Distant Horizon. One constant at Atlantic Highlands is: everyone will complain about the weak Wifi signal that is only reliable if you sit next to the marina office. I tuned my antenna and had a good signal: 0.41 miles from the office!

It looked like Monday would be the perfect day. So, I settled in and prepared to stay a couple more days. There was no wind forecasted until then. I did a little sightseeing, although there really isn't much to see... at least on foot.

Saturday was quite warm, sunny, and muggy. There was no air movement anywhere.

On Sunday, we started with a little fog that cleared around 9am. A slight breeze crossed the back of my neck as I ate breakfast in the cockpit. A ripple showed up, traveling slowly between the moored boats.

This was it... I knew it! We would have wind today. If nothing else, there may be a sea breeze along the shore. I quickly prepared the boat for departure. When she was ready, I motored to the yacht club dock and filled the water tank. I was leaving a day early; knowing that I may drift through the night with no wind, but happy knowing the forecasted winds would soon follow.

I was the fourth sailboat to exit the harbour.