Shake Down Cruise 10-18-08

OK, so after almost a month of negotiations, sea trials, marine survey and finalizing insurance, etc, we finally took possesion of Vintage Viking on October 17, 2008. On Saturday, October 18th, we took her from her previous mooring at the Passaic River Boat Club on the Hackensack River in South Kearny/Jersey City. My friends Jim Rocklein and Jay Santiago came with me with supplies and equipment for her maiden voyage. Jay was going to come along with me on the first leg of our journey. After using gerry-cans to fuel her up with enough fuel to get her to Sandy Hook/Atlantic Highlands, we took her down the Hackensack River, past the ports of Newark and Bayonne, around the north shore of Staten Island and into New York Bay. Past the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, under the Verrazzano Bridge and into Lower New York Bay and then into Raritan Bay. The air temperature was a balmy 55*F, the winds were 20mph out of the north-west and the seas were 4-5'. There weren't the usual 1000's of small fishing boats dotting the bay. But Vintage Viking didn't seem to mind the sea conditions.

By lunchtime, Jay & I came into Atlantic Highlands Municipal Marina just off Sandy Hook Bay. I had estimated that the amount of fuel that we gerry-canned the night before would surely get us to Atlantic Highlands, but not all the way down to Barnegat, NJ, Vintage Vikings new home port. We pulled up to the fuel dock, behind a classic sailling cruiser. The sailboat homeported from Nova Scotia, and was traveling down the East Coast on its way, eventually, to Bahamas. Boy, I was both excited and jealous! That is what I hope to do in a few years. It's much cheaper in a sailboat, however, as I soon discovered that Vintage Viking took another $300 of fuel to 'top-off' her tanks. This on top of the $300 of fuel I gerry-canned the night before. At least now, she had full tanks from which I could begin to calculate her fuel burn-rate. But today, it didn't matter; I was on the flybridge of a 'VIKING'!! I had never dreamed of owning such a classic yacht.

This is where Jay ended his journey. His wife and daughter picked him up in Atlantic Highlands. The next leg of our journey would be just me, alone, on what would be an off-shore run from Sandy Hook to Barnegat. Plan A was to run all the way to Barnegat Inlet, into Barnegat Bay and due west to Sun Harbor Marina. This would call for me to run offshore all the way down. Once I came around Sandy Hook, the north-west winds picked up to 25+MPH and the seas increased to 6-8'. Although Vintage Viking handles the seas and wind just fine, this route would keep me from the safety of inshore marinas, fuel and food.

I decided to go for Plan B. This route would bring me offshore as far as Manasquan Inlet, into the Manasquan River by Brielle and Pt Pleasant. Running south offshore with the wind behind me and the swells coming stern-quarter kept Vintage Viking busy on the run to Manasquan Inlet. She passed Sea Bright, Elberon, Long Branch, Asbury Park and other shore towns. By 2pm I came to Shark River Inlet, which leads into the Shark River basin, but continues nowhere from there. Continuing on south past Spring Lake, Sea Girt and Manasquan brought me to Manasquan Inlet. This can be a tough Inlet to navigate, and with the NW winds and large swells it would only make it worse. I hung around off the Inlet for a short time, and since it was now about 3pm, party fishing boats should be returning to port, if any were even out. Fortunately, the Gambler was on its way in, so followed behind him and watched how he maneuvered through the swells into the Inlet. Glad I did; it looked like I had been operating this boat for years. Calm waters ahead.

A short run up the Manasquan River brings me to the headwaters of the Inter Coastal Waterway (aka the ditch) which runs inland from here all the way down to Florida. It starts at the Manasquan Canal, a man-made waterway that connects the Manasquan River system with the Barnegat Bay. Once through the Canal, you are at the convergence of the Metedeconk River and Barnegat Bay.

As I came through the Inlet, I encountered the first of several bridges that presented height restrictions. First a railroad bridge across the Manasquan River (which was up fortunately) followed immediately by the Route 35 highway bridge. Vintage Viking requires 27' of clearance from water to top of her outriggers and antennae. This bridge showed a 28' clearance on the base of the bridge stanchion. Too close for me! Quick call to the bridge tender/operator on VHF Channel 13. He advised me that I would have sufficient clearance. I hope he's right; otherwise I'll be whacking the bottom of his bridge with the tops of my outriggers. I swear that I cleared that bridge by inches. Whew!!!

Now clear of the Rt 35 bridge, it was a short run east up the Manasquan River to the Manasquan Canal. Once I turned south into the Canal, the size and mass of Vintage Viking took hold of me. Up until now, she was in large bodies of water. The Canal is like a 'driveway' or service road leading from one highway to another. I now had shoreline on the port side and starboard side that were within 50 feet of the boat. Again, there didn't appear to be many boats out, and I had two more bridges to go under. Another call on the VHF to the bridge operator, but this time I requested raising of the bridge. Too cool!! Another 1000 yards, and I had to do it again. I could get used to this cruising-on-my-yacht-thing and having people and 'things' get out of my way.

Now approaching 4:00 pm, and the end of the Canal, I enter into the area know as Bay Head. Absolutely gorgeous!! And another bridge!! This is the Mantoloking Road bridge, connecting the Metedeconk section of mainland Brick Township with Mantoloking on the barrier island, just south of Bay Head. Once again, I had to have the bridge open up, but it also had to open for a sailboat that was traveling from the Metedeconk river into Barnegat Bay. Once I cleared the bridge, an immediate right turn brought me into Hinckleys Yacht Basin, where I had made reservations to tie up overnight. I had a feeling that Plan B would be used. Another trip to the fuel dock to top off the tanks, another $250.

Tied up for the night, all topped off with fuel, and safely protected from wind and wave, Vintage Viking was snug for the night. A quick phone call to a local pizzeria (recommended by the dock attendant) and by 7pm I was eating veal parmigiana dinner on my 'yacht'. This is what I call heaven.
Absolutely perfect way to end Day 1.