Day 216 - May 29, 2013: Atlantic City, New Jersey

You can't stay at Cape May on the Jersey shore with out a walk on the beach, so we got back on our bikes this morning and rode through the city to the shoreline. The beaches are wide, well-groomed and clean, and run for miles along the Atlantic Ocean. It was sunny and calm, but the water was very cold or I would have brought a suit and taken a swim (and I am used to Lake Michigan). We had this part of the beach to ourselves, perhaps because it was early in the season, early in the morning, and not a weekend.

Anne in the Atlantic surf

Larry relaxing in the sun

Cape May homes facing the Atlantic

After a last pass through the town and a stop at a grocery store and seafood market (for fresh salmon), we went back to Great Laker and departed east through Cape May Harbor and out into the Atlantic Ocean. This trip northeast to Atlantic City was our first real experience with open ocean cruising, and we were a bit apprehensive. It turned out that even with 10 to 15 mph winds on our stern, and the 3 to 4 foot waves and nine second swells, the ride was amazingly comfortable.

Atlantic City is known for gambling, conventions and leisure. The famous boardwalk first appeared in 1870 as a way to keep guests from tracking sand into the hotel lobbies, and at one time it grew to over seven miles long. This city has experienced economic ups and downs since WW II and has adopted gambling as a strategy for growth. However, some casinos have closed recently due to hard times. Unfortunately, Hurricane Sandy has added additional burdens to this area. As we approached, the skyline revealed long beaches, many hotels, amusement parks, an old lighthouse now hidden behind some buildings, and some large windmills rotating in the distance.

Southern Atlantic City skyline

Northern Atlantic City skyline

We anchored in Brigantine Bay, which is inside the Absecon Inlet and has a view of the city. We relaxed and grilled the fresh salmon for dinner. This salmon turned out to be without question the best we have had on this trip! To celebrate, we had two pieces of dark chocolate each for dessert! After the sunset, the hotel lights came on, illuminating the sky and reminding us of Las Vegas. One hotel was covered from top to bottom with colored moving lights advertising their casino restaurant and entertainment.

This hotel was a movie screen