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June 6-7, 2013 Days 15-16  Offshore on the Jersey Coast

At anchor
Atlantic Highlands, NJ

Today was a long day offshore, so our early start at 5:40 am was important. We departed with Irish Attitude, the two Journeys, and Symmetry II.   We traveled under a partly cloudy day with a one foot sea and two foot swells for much of the day. By 2:00 the seas had increased to 2-3 feet.  We needed to get to our anchorage to get ahead of Tropical Storm Andrea.

       
Along the way, Irish Attitude and Symmetry II decided to increase their speed and go all the way to the marina at Liberty Landing.  Journey decided to stop at a marina in Manasquan and Rick and Margi on Journey decided to stay with us and go to an anchorage at Atlantic Highlands.

We arrived at 3:45 and anchored for two nights, not wanting to be out in the approaching weather.  The worst weather arrived Friday and by Friday evening we were wondering if we had made the right choice. The winds had shifted to the North and East and we no longer had protection.  We have never experienced such bad conditions at anchor.   We pitched forward and aft and rolled side to side!  The ferries zipping back and forth did not help the situation!  We were up most of the night checking on things and were happy to see daylight arrive so we could leave and enter the New York Harbor and the Hudson River.