While Endless Summer can handle most anything within reason, running offshore in the Atlantic Ocean is always a catch as catch can affair. One day you can have 5-7 foot head seas and the next 2-4 following. As I looked out as much as a week ago, it seemed there was going to be a "window of opportunity" today to make our run from New York City to Cape May along the New Jersey coast. That is why we left Essex Connecticut on Tuesday.
While the winds were forecast to be 12-15 knots, it was blowing from the west (offshore) so the wind waves were minimized as long as we kept close to the shore line -- which we did! The "swell waves" -- those things that surfers yearn for were forecast for 2 feet out of the south at 10 seconds apart. The combination was more than manageable and we had a very pleasant (well, at least reasonable) six hour run.
Running offshore is often less interesting than inside the Intracoastal Waterway because there isn't that much to look at except the distant passing shoreline or the open ocean horizon. Today, we were treated to not just dolphins dancing in the waves but we even saw a whale. Either that, or it was the biggest damn fish I've ever seen! Regardless, keeping a watchful eye made the time pass more quickly.
The other good thing that happened was the sun was shining bright, the sky was crystal clear and the air temperature was somewhat warmer. That always makes for a better day!
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