May 21-23                                   Cape May, New Jersey

Lacking any good reason to stay longer in Greenwich, we took advantage of the favorable weather to continue our journey to Cape May.  As I was pulling in the lines and saying goodbye to the dockhand, another swarm of stinging gnats attacked me.  They seemed to be particularly attracted to my hair.  I felt like Katherine Hepburn in The African Queen but before I became hysterical, I managed to get inside the boat and shut the doors.  Unfortunately, some of the gnats followed me and for hours afterwards, I felt their stings.  They ignored David who remained completely unbitten.

The voyage to Cape May was uneventful except for an unexpected sighting of porpoises leaping in the waves behind the boat.  We were thrilled to be assigned a choice slip at South Jersey Marina, one of our favorite marinas.  With excellent dock help, we were quickly and easily secured. From the aft deck, we could see the charming little “fishing cottages” that line the edges of the water.  Most are less than 800 square feet with verandas facing the water and have been given Victorian facades.  They are usually owned by the same families for generations.

After a brief respite, we walked to the seafood market at The Lobster House, a large restaurant that is a favorite destination for many diners in this area.  David agreed he would be the chef for the evening and he was delighted to find fresh soft shell crabs.  Smoked blue fish and crab salad were bought for quick lunches.  We returned to the boat and enjoyed a fantastic dinner of sautéed soft shell crabs.  We are looking forward to visiting Cape May.  If the weather warms sufficiently, we plan to go to the beach several times during our stay.

On Wednesday, we learned the marina had a courtesy car and they agreed to take us into town (only 2 miles ) and come back for us.  This gave us a good opportunity to visit the grocery store and buy heavy items we couldn’t carry on our bikes.

The lovely pedestrian mall in Cape May is lined with shops and restaurants.  Victorian facades carry out the prevalent theme of the town.  With more than 200 Victorian era homes, many of them quite grand, Cape May is a showcase for nineteenth century architecture.  We enjoyed a light lunch at A Ca Mia watching the many tourists, most in their senior years, stroll in front of us.  I praised my Italian vegetable soup and quiche with artichokes.  David had a delicious grilled prosciutto sandwich.  With a large Italian population in this area, Italian food is invariably an excellent choice!

After a night of sleeplessness caused by incessant itching from the stinging gnats, I awakened early, unloaded my bike, and rode to the local CVS for medication.  The pharmacist told me that the itching would probably last several more days but prescribed some ointment that might bring relief.  My lower legs and arms are covered in welts and my scalp bears the bites of many gnats.  The anti-itch medication helped immensely.

The weather steadily became cooler with increasing winds.  It was a good day to stay aboard.  David was on the phone most of the day with the office and clients.  I had carpet to shampoo and ironing to finish.  To make those tasks more tolerable, I bought a movie from Direct TV.  Silver Linings Playbook, a highly acclaimed movie, was about a man struggling with bipolarism.  The language was very coarse and some of the scenes were difficult to watch but the acting was exceptional and the story was enthralling. 

Dinner was chicken in wine and mushroom sauce over rice with candied carrots.  As we finished our meal, we heard a loud noise to our left and realized it was the grinding of bow thrusters.  A large white yacht had entered the marina and was preparing to dock.  With a visible crew of nine, they required no extra dockhands.  Cape May is a popular place on holidays and the Memorial Day Weekend is upon us.  If the weather improves, we will likely see many more huge yachts.