We again had to time today’s passage, but with the current. We were going to be going through Point Pleasant Canal which has a current approaching four knots. This is also our last day traveling in New Jersey. Yay! We departed around 9am and timed it perfectly. We got a nice push through the canal and ended up in the Manasquan River which is as far as you can go in the New Jersey ICW. We had spotted another boat on Nebo that appeared to be anchored in the river. We saw them and didn’t like the lack of protection. In our research yesterday I had looked at Micks’ log he had sent us and it showed a $35 dollar dock. Hmmm.. I called the marina which was listed in our guide as more expensive. I inquired about the rates and was told we could indeed get a dock for $35! Sweet! First we had to come to the fuel dock and check in. We docked and I checked in and was told the dock is back up the river about a mile. The discounted rate was for overnight and should have fuel but they would let me slide on the fuel part. There were no restrooms or showers available but there was water and electric so we were good, especially since we just got pumped out a couple of days earlier. We found the dock and tied up without issue. We unloaded the bikes and rode to town of Manasquan to explore. We did some light shopping and retreated back to the boat. The weather was supposed to stay windy for another day so we decided we should probably stay here another night. That night the fog started rolling in thick. It was crazy how it just kept getting thicker and thicker. We could hear people fishing in their boats but couldn’t see a thing. A boat docked next to us but at another marina was having a party and some of the kids came over to chat about our boat and apologize for being so loud. They eventually quieted down and we had a peaceful night.
Day 2- We woke up to more fog and threat of rain later. We decided it was better to stay put another day. I called the marina office and confirmed it was okay. We again took the bikes and explored Point Pleasant. It was a town with a strong Italian presence. We found an Italian food shop and purchased fixings for a delicious dinner.
The bikes have been awesome to get around, but the issue with our brakes eventually needs to be addressed. Neither of our bikes have working brakes at this point, so downhill can be a bit scary, but we made it there and back. Upon returning I saw the owner of the dock and thanked him for letting us stay another day. He told me he could save us a stop in the morning by paying him now and if we have cash he would take just $30. We didn’t have any cash so I jumped on the bike and rode to an ATM and back and paid the man. Tomorrow we want to leave as early as possible as the wind should be less in the morning. We are finally getting out of New Jersey and heading to New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty!