Atlantic City

We were so happy to be leaving Cape May. Something about it just left a sour taste in our mouths. Our next destination and where we are presently is Atlantic City, New Jersey. It was so nice to get back to ocean cruising like we are accustomed to. No shallow water, no crab pots to watch out for, no worrying about currents and the best time to leave just cruising. Traveling in the ocean brings it’s own set off stresses though like wind and waves heights but we prefer it to cruising on lakes and rivers. So Wednesday July 5th we left Cape May at 10a.m. and made the 6 hour trek to Atlantic City, NJ. We were both looking forward to this stop because we have always heard of Atlantic City but neither of us have been here. I made a reservation for a mom and pop marina that has been around for 50 plus years and seemed really nice. We really needed some nice after Cape May. When I called them on the radio the lady who answered was polite and welcoming and I felt good about my decision. I read that they had floating docks which are important to us so we can tie up the boat and forget about it. A lot of places have fixed docks which means when the tide goes up and down you are constantly adjusting your lines to keep the boat secure. When we arrived this was not the case. We were put on a long finger pier with pilings and a fixed dock. Jeff was not happy. He told the lady we thought they had floating docks as it states on Active Captain. She said they do but not for boats our size. Jeff said we were not going to stay and called the Golden Nugget Hotel and Marina to see if they had room for us. They did. We both felt really bad (maybe me more then Jeff) for  leaving this nice family owned marina where they seemed so nice to head over to the big corporate marina but sometimes piece of mind is worth it. And it was kind of exciting to stay right at the casino. We got checked in and came back to the boat to get ready to go out gambling later. Showered and ready to go we set out for the casino. We decided it would be a blackjack kinda night and scouted out the tables a bit before sitting down at a 10 dollar table. We quickly were loosing and the table was kind of boring so we got up and left in search of a better table. We found another one across the way that looked pretty good. We sat down with three other people - one female and two males. It appeared as if they had been sitting there for awhile because they were all talking to one another and high-fiving. One of the two men was new to the game and the second man was coaching him on how to play. We assumed they knew each other but found out they didn’t. We were able to sit and play at the table for quite awhile and had many free drinks. Overall we both ended up down and decided to call it a night. We never ate dinner so we wondered into the casino diner and ate before returning to the boat for bed. A great first night.

Golden Nugget

Tiding of Joy at Golden Nugget

Casino at Golden Nugget

Yesterday we woke up to pouring rain. Before leaving Atlantic City we wanted to go to the iconic boardwalk we have always heard so much about. We pondering waiting to see if the rain would let up but after studying the forecast that wasn’t looking so good. Finally we hoped on the Jitney bus and got dropped off at Bailey’s casino and cut through to the boardwalk. We each had our umbrellas and just made our way through the rain. We weren’t alone. Lots of people were out. They even had a covered golf card you you ride in and a covered tram. We saw the many casinos, shops, food venders and the beach. Rain or shine we were glad we were able to see the boardwalk before leaving Atlantic City. 

Boardwalk in the Rain

We were supposed to leave today but the sea is a bit rough 4-5footers and it’s foggy so we will stay one more day. Our plan today is to hit the gym then the spa in the Golden Nugget and use the jacuzzi, steam room and sauna. Later we will try our luck one final time in the casino. Then tomorrow on our way to Manasaquan, New Jersey. One stop away from crossing our wake.