Atlantic City

After having our faulty water pump replaced, we prepared to leave Cape May on May 23. It was a clear, sunny morning as we backed out of our slip at Utsch's Marina. "This is going to be the best day ever," we thought. A friendly sailor in a neighboring slip helped us get off and as he cast off our last dock line and tossed it to me, it met me in the face knocking my fairly new prescription glasses into the the murky depths. Or course, I should have been wearing croakies to hold the damn things on. Time to get out the spare drug store glasses.

Less than a quarter of a mile out of the marina, Kenny pointed out our engine's temperature gauge. It was nearly pegged to the max., topping 200 degrees Fahrenheit. (It usually reads around 130). As we were nearing the anchorage, we decided to turn into it and drop the hook. Best day ever. After talking to a mechanic on the phone we decided it prudent to call for a tow back to the marina rather than fire up the engine and have it blow up on us.

Back at Utsch's Marina, another mechanic, named Steve, came and assessed the situation. Seems there wasn't enough coolant in the system. We asked him to replace the thermostat since he was there. As Steve replaced the old one with our new spare which we had on board, he explained every manoeuvre, so we would understand exactly what he was doing. To be sure, he completed every statement with the phrase, "You know what I'm saying?' He was a man who was clearly passionate about his work. In a few hours he had us up and running, but it was too late at that point to head for Atlantic City, so we took a long last walk into Cape May to watch the tourists coming and going with their giant ice cream cones and strollers.

The morning of May 24, we left at 6:30 a.m. and headed for Atlantic City. It would be the best day ever, no doubt. This time I kept my glasses on and the temperature gauge stayed at 130 degrees. We motor-sailed all the way to Atlantic City and arrived at Gardner's Basin Marina shortly after 1 p.m. We got together with our friends, Paul and Colleen, whom we met here in 2005, when Paul helped us solve a mechanical problem with our steering. They hope to go long-term cruising in the near future, so they too can fix their boat in exotic places. Our little cocktail party aboard Mary T lasted from 6 p.m. 'til 10 p.m. without a single gap in the conversation.

Unable to justify spending any more money on marinas, this morning (May 25) we came out to the anchorage. It is well protected and calm, so we will wait out the passing of several cold fronts here gazing at the gleaming casinos in the distance.

Next stop: Block Island.