The Big Row

Greetings, Gentle Reader,

This is my first blog from the road...and it will be necessarily short: I'm pretty bushed, and today was a killer. I left Jersey City this AM and battled headwinds, water taxis, freighters bringing Chinese goods to Wal-Mart, emerging blisters, the shadows of fins, and my own fertile imagination for 9 hours and thirty two minutes to get to Sandy Hook...over a serpentine distance of 30.2 miles. Not a blazing speed, but it was a day that saw waves that blocked a view of the shore.

The boat is performing beautifully, but we were close to the limit today while 6 miles from the nearest shore...and (to my relief, frankly) the Coast Guard will not permit a beach launch from Sandy Hook, so a trip modification is in order. I'll be car-topping the boat 12 miles south to Manasquan Inlet, avoiding water that the locals tell me (and that I saw today) is simply too dangerous: the combination of the full moon (enhances tidal effect) and the recent southerly winds make things rough even for the power boaters who approach to ask if I need rescuing!

So...I will make up the 12 miles by doing circles in the Inner Harbor should I get home...but, tomorrow, "going outside" promises to be beyond my limits...and I hope you will understand.

As of today, I'm at 185 miles in 43:45 of "seat time." I'm taking waterstained notes of impressions that I'll write up when I can keep my eyes open, but I'll just say that the folks along the way have been great, I'm keeping my sanity, and I am enormously appreciative of the work Kathy and Peg have done to keep this thing updated...and thanks to Peter for his great "wingman" help over the first three days.

Happy 29th again, Peg!

Gentle Reader...I must sleep. Must...sleep.....

xx00......to zzzzzzz's..........

Mr. Frei