August 12-14                               Atlantic City, New Jersey

We exited Cape May Canal on a beautiful, sunny day with little wind (just as we like it!) and entered the Atlantic Ocean for our six hour journey to Atlantic City.  The autopilot that had intermittently presented problems was now repaired and working well.  Almost thirty years old (original equipment for our Hatteras boat), it would have been very expensive to replace.  Our marina in Cape May had a technician certified by Robertson-Simrad, the manufacturer of the autopilot, and he quickly and accurately diagnosed the problem and made the needed repair.  We were amazingly fortunate!

Kammerman’s Marina is a small, family-owned business across from the large Golden Nugget Hotel and Marina.  Heavily damaged in Hurricane Sandy, the owners, Chris and Stacy Kammerman, have worked very hard to restore the place.  They have exciting plans to improve and expand which will increase their business and double their capacity.  On one side, they are bordered by a collection of ramshackle “fishing cottages” that have been grandfathered for years.  These lend quaintness to a scene which is largely comprised of newer, more modern structures.

We had a great slip overlooking the channel and bay area.  We constantly witnessed boats and watercraft of all sizes and types coming through for docking or fuel.  As the weather became increasingly hot and humid, we opted to remain on the boat throughout our stay.  It was actually hotter in Atlantic City than in Fort Worth, Texas!  Our plans to escape Texas heat had not worked well.

We were delighted to host Stacy and Chris for dinner on the boat.  Chris is a lieutenant with the Atlantic City Police Department in addition to his duties at the marina.  Stacy is a former science teacher with amazing entrepreneurial skills and has several internet ventures that she manages as well as performing a myriad of tasks at the marina.  They were warm, lovely people and great conversationalists.  Meeting them was a definite highlight of our visit to Atlantic City.