(red sky in the morning, sailors take warning)
9/8/09
Atlantic Highlands
40°24′42″N 74°02′02″W / 40.411703°N 74.033873°W
Phew, Atlantic Highlands is a nice change in pace after being in New York City. It was nice to see the Statue of Liberty and my sister. I also got to meet some really cool people while in NYC.
We found out not an hour after showing up in Atlantic Highlands that a huge “Nor’Easter” was blowing in the next day, but it didn’t show up the next day, it came in the following day. Then after it showed up, we still had to wait out one more day for the sea swells to calm from 10-15 feet down to 3-5. We stayed a total of five nights.
Now, there was plenty of activities to do in Atlantic Highlands, but when you have rain, and high winds, it makes it tough to participate, in fact, a lot of activities were canceled. So we mostly checked out the local joints, and did small chores on the boat. I did how ever get a chance to check out the library and well-come center, and got a few interviews from some locals.
There was also a day when the marina was fairly calm, so I climbed up the mast and connected the wind vane. (We forgot to put it on before we stepped the mast in Catskill) It’s a tough job but someone had to it. I loved it, I love the thrill and I love heights! (I can see John Anderton shaking his head and saying “The One Meter Rule Claire, Don’t forget the One meter Rule!”) I got some cool shots from up there too!
that me way at the top of the mast!
a view of the marina from the top of the mast! 
the mooring field 
the boat from the mast!
a job well done!Atlantic Highlands is home to the hills which are of one of the highest points on the U.S. eastern seaboard. The village was incorporated in 1887 as a borough.
The town overlooks Sandy Hook and Raritan Bay, just south of NYC, in fact it was neat cause most nights and awesome early morning sunrises, we could see the Manhattan skyline on the horizon with super neat hues of color.
Atlantic Highlands was discovered by the Europeans, and most famously, Henry Hudson was one on the first explorers to set foot there in 1609. The Lenape Indians were the original inhabitants of the area, but in 1655, the Europeans bought the area from the Lenape.
The Lenape were a very interesting tribe, and I will go into detail about them in a different blog.
Henry Hudson used Atlantic Highlands as a safe refuge from bad weather, and the Lenape showed him a small creek from which he could fresh water from, it is now called the Henry Hudson Spring.
Atlantic Highlands has a very strong sense of Victorian style, and I got a good taste of it as we walked 2 miles down the board walk
to Highlands NJ.
Highlands is another town nearby which is located at the base of the Sandy Hook Peninsula. IN Highlands we searched for a trinket shop, but never found one, everything was closed Monday-Wednesday. Plenty of houses for sale though. . . .
hmmmmmm anyways, I think the shops are closed because the most their money comes in from the weekenders from NYC.
We decided to walk to the Ocean, about 3 more miles, and see it while the swells were big and watch the waves crash.
And not much to our surprise,
we were glad to not be out in the ocean sailing!9/13/09
The weather finally let up, the Seas calmed to 3-5, and only a small craft advisory was issued, we were out there! Our Canadian friends who have been heading south with us on and off were right along side us.
Our next destination the: C & D Canal (the Chesapeake and Delaware canal) It was a 30- 40 hour shot (depending on the tides in the Delaware Bay) from Atlantic Highlands to The C & D canal, but as soon as we rounded the Sandy Hook Point, we put up the head sail, and headed south. At this point, after so many days at port, I was so happy to be sailing!
In the Atlantic Ocean! YAY
The wind was not much to speak of, which is good, considering we experienced over 63mph in the Atlantic Highlands Marina, so we only used a head sail. The head sail did add a few more knots an hour
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