Monday, July 14. The river finally quieted down
last night, and we had a peaceful sleep. A sailboat came in just before
dusk, and by the time we woke up it  was
gone. We headed toward the Point Pleasant Canal and cruised through it
against the current. The traffic was slow. We met one cruiser going
south, and we caught up to  one
sailboat. It was nice, especially after the fury of the weekend. We
headed toward Manasquan Inlet. Pearce had spotted a place in the Boat US
book that offered a discount. We found it right across from the Coast
Guard Station in the midst of the fishing fleet. If we had not already
given the location to Jon, Kay would have refused to stay there. We are
parked between the draggers and the local bait processing plant... interesting
to watch the action.
Jon arrived at noon and immediately commented on the ambiance. He &
Pearce rigged a gangplank to get Kay off the boat. There is a 4 foot tide
here, and the docks are not floating. Aside from the leap of a few feet
from boat to pier, Kibon's railing was also several feet below the pier. We
all made it ashore and headed to the Broadway Cafe for lunch -- locally
recommended. We walked along the beach and boardwalk on Point Pleasant,
and then Kay went shopping until the tide came up. We have fresh
yellow-fin tuna and steamers for dinner tonight. Early to bed because an
early leave is planned.
Tuesday, July 15, 2003. We woke up a bit earlier than expected. The
crews from the fishing fleet weren't noisy, but their voices as they prepared to
cast off were enough to break through our sleep. Kay grunted and rolled
over, Pearce lay awake going over the navigation in his mind, and Jon gave up
and went ashore. He said the crews of the boats didn't waste any words or
motions. They put the boats together, cast off their lines, and headed out
to sea. The full moon was two nights ago, so there was a lot of light to
see by. We all had had our first cup of coffee, some cereal, and some
toast by 6:30. At 6:45 the lines were pulled in, and Kibon headed toward
Manasquan Inlet which was just a few hundred yards away. The tide was
coming in, but there was no wind, and the Inlet was calm. The Ocean was
flat as a plate of Jell-O, and the crossing to Jones Inlet was not only uneventful, but
it was a quick ride. We were passing Atlantic Highlands by nine o'clock,
and we came in Jones Inlet before noon. Jon had come along not only  because he
wanted the ride, but also to help Pearce if he needed a relief from
driving. Crossing big bodies of water sends Kay to the lowest level of the
boat where she looses herself in a novel. The trip was so quiet that Jon
even went below to catch up on some sleep.
The trip along the inside of the barrier island needed some careful
watching and maneuvering. The upper bridge depth sounder had malfunctioned while we
were crossing Barnegat Bay, and traveling through Great South Bay is as
interesting as traveling up the ICW in New Jersey. Even though this is our
home water, currents change the bottom, and an eye on the depth sounder is a
requirement for safe passage. Jon stationed himself on the foredeck so
that he could watch the depth sounder at the lower helm and could call up to
Pearce when the bottom of the Bay came too close to the bottom of Kibon.
Pearce declared the Loop closed as he came through Jones Inlet at 11:36 am. Kay thought the Loop was closed as Kibon passed Brooklyn because
that's where we crossed our path of June 14, 2002. Nevertheless, Kibon
returned to her home at 1:45 pm. We have Closed The Loop. Kibon is resting
at her northern home dock and the "crew" is taking a well deserved
rest!
There will surely be more cruises ahead for us, but for the moment, this one is
over. We've seen a lot of miles go under our keel and posted a lot of pages to
this web. We hope that you who have shared your time with us have enjoyed every
moment as much as we have. Thanks for looking in. Pearce & Kay
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Cruisin' The Loop Aboard Kibon