On the hook in Sandy Hook

We were both physically and mentally exhausted when we clipped onto the mooring at Atlantic Highlands Municipal Marina on Tuesday morning.  What had promised to be an easy nights sail turned into a marathon of cold, wet, and constant adrenaline rush.  We had little time in the night to do anything else but sail the boat and avoid commercial traffic, so we were famished as well.  Tuesday would be a day for recovery.  AHMM runs a launch service to all the boats on moorings, so we hailed the launch and went in search of food.  The TowBoatUS captain had suggested the On The Deck Restaurant to us, and we saw it was close at hand.  The restaurant is located on a second floor deck above the harbor with great views of the Raritan Bay.  As we were climbing the stairs to get up there, I suggested to Niki that we should use the elevator on the way down.  I was having a low blood sugar moment and was feeling light-headed and sleep deprived.  The midwife just said "Welcome to my world".  Lunch never tasted so good before.

When I went to use the men's room after lunch, I braved a look in the mirror.  My eyes looked like two blue marbles floating in tomato soup.  The one hour tow in from the channel at speed had pushed a lot of salt spray back into the cockpit.  Niki was "enjoying" Mr. Toad's Wild Ride down below decks.  I was at the helm trying to make sure the boat did not broach while being pulled so hard across the chop.  I guess more salt water got behind my glasses than I had realized at the time.  When lunch was done, we both agreed that some sleep was called for.  We took the launch back out to the boat and quickly fell into a two hour nap.

That afternoon we went into town to get some laundry done, and to look for O-rings.  The downtown of Atlantic Highlands is just two blocks from the marina.  Within four blocks of the marina, we located a laundry, an Ace hardware store, a marine store, and a Napa.  It was just about closing time for the hardware store, so we went quickly to the back and bought two of every O-ring they had in stock.  I had not taken the time to pull the vent before leaving the boat, but surely with 18 sizes in hand, there was a high probability of getting the right size?  OK, that is enough theoretical physics and quantum theory in action for one simple trip on a boat.  Maybe in some parallel universe the right O-rings exist.  Time for dinner.  The Harborside Grill had a great looking menu, and they had plenty of Johnny Walker in stock.  I surprised Niki by ordering a scotch for us both.  We had earned it.  The steak and garlic scampi was almost enough protein for me, and Niki downed the salmon in short order like she needed it.  We almost felt like ourselves by the time we got back to the boat.  Now for some real sleep.