May 24-27                                     Cape May, New Jersey

With winds varying between 15 and 25 miles per hour, the sunny weekend was not inviting to boats.  Most of us in the marina remained in place and few boaters ventured in to dock. We felt it was not wise to ride our bikes in such gales.  We left the boat for several short walks but the cold and wind sent us quickly back to the boat.

After visiting Tony’s Marine Shop for supplies needed to complete our onboard projects, we opted for lunch at The Lobster House.  This renowned restaurant is built for crowds and they come every day.  At the entrance is the beautiful bar area of polished mahogany with gleaming brass accessories.  The floor is covered in a red and green plaid carpet and magnificent prints of dogs engaged in duck hunting adorn the walls.  The dining rooms are mostly casual with red checked tablecloths, barrel chairs and nautical accessories.

The waitresses, all young and slender (probably college students), are dressed in white uniforms with red, white, and blue nautical collars, red scarves, and small aprons with the same red, white, and blue trim. They were reminiscent of waitresses from the 1950-1960 eras.  Unfortunately, the food we ordered did not meet our expectations.  The Caesar salads had grit which probably derived from poorly washed lettuce (we complained and the charge was removed from our check).  Fried clams and New England clam chowder proved to be more successful.

Memorial Day brought a welcome weather change with little wind and a sunny sky.  We quickly left on our bikes for a long ride through the city.  Beach Avenue is a delightful treat with its unbroken line of elegant, large Victorian era homes (many now inns or bed and breakfasts) painted in an array of pastel colors and surrounded by beautiful lawns.

Across Beach Avenue from the mansions is the chief attraction for visitors to Cape May—a lengthy beach of white sand bordering an expanse of ocean with its gentle waves.  Multi-colored beach umbrellas provide protection for the bathers who seem more interested in lounging than getting into the water (which still must be very cold!).

Returning to the boat, I began to restore the teak blinds on the windows in the salon.  Teak oil applied with a small sponge immediately made a visible improvement in areas whitened by weather and salt residue.  It’s a tedious task but I plan to complete restoring all six blinds before leaving on Friday.  They are too attractive and expensive to allow any further deterioration.

The marina was busy with boaters and several large yachts who chose to dock nearby.  We were excited to see a small fishing boat come in and begin to unload a huge fish.  With considerable effort, the fish was hoisted on the scale.  It weighed 289 pounds.  When it appeared the rod would break, the fish was harpooned and pulled in by the five fishermen on board. 

As we were enjoying our steak dinner on the aft deck, a 50 feet sailboat with a mast of more than 40 feet came into the marina and docked near us.  Two small children, about six and four, and two adults were on board.  Netting was stretched around the deck of the boat and the children were freely moving from bow to stern without life jackets.  We quickly perused our book on flags and learned they were flying the colors of Germany.  When the boat turned, we could see that Germany was written as its stern.  David left the table and assisted them in catching their lines for dockage.  We were in awe that anyone could make a journey from Germany to the US in such a boat—and with children aboard. 

This had been an unusually quiet holiday for us as we were away from all the family.  Telephone calls were made and welcomed all day as we checked in on one another.  Stephanie, Joe, Blake, and Amanda returned early on Memorial Day from a weekend in Las Vegas.  That afternoon we received a precious movie of Winn playing in the pool.  Suzanne reported in from Denver where she is working.  We also received a text from Kennedy who is luxuriating in Georgetown, Great Cayman Island.  We will all be envious of her tan!