Today was another pretty long day….for a slow boat, especially. Fifty four miles and almost 8 hours of cruise time. The ride from Barnegat Light, NJ to Sandy Hook was split, half “inside” on the intercoastal, and then outside, beginning at the Manasquan Inlet.
We passed under 3 road bridges, 1 railroad bridge, and through 1 very swift canal. We crossed the Toms River and enjoyed the pass through Bay Head, NJ. It was a beautiful setting with houses right on the intercoastal. The houses all were traditional beach homes and looked brand new because they were so well maintained. We learned later than many probably were brand new, because Hurricane Sandy hit this area 4-5 years ago and caused major damage to many of the homes.
The train came just as we arrived. These bridges are normally open for boaters. 
A bascule bridge. It was high enough, not requiring an opening for us. 
Bay Head is beautiful.
We traversed the intercoastal for approximately 4 hours before arriving at the Manasquan Inlet (which in this case for us was technically an outlet). I wish the pictures were videos so you could appreciate the wave height and action of an inlet. It’s like a roller coaster, except if something goes wrong, it’s my fault.
Dealing with the tide isn’t enough. We had to weave between all the fishermen and stay off the rocks. 
These waves reached 4-5 feet and the current turns us side to side.
The second half of our day was uneventful. No whale or porpoise sightings. Just a beautiful view of the Jersey coast as eased into Sandy Hook. The fishing must be great in the bay, as fishermen are everywhere, fishing for fluke, a fish that neither Amanda or I had ever heard of.
Our parking spot for the night was Atlantic Highlands Marina. By far, the worst customer service and lazy staff we have yet to encounter. We will not consider this an option if and when we pass this way again. The docks are fixed, so extra care must be taken when tying lines to the pilings and cleats. With an almost 5′ swing in the tide, our dock lines got way too tight before I realized what was going on. A little input from the marina hands would have been nice, but we were lucky to get them to tell us where our slip was located. Too bad because it could have been a nice experience.
Wes & Amanda,
Sorry for the late comments, we just arrived home in B’more. We (I) really envy the fact you are continuing on the Loop and we are back to our respective routines. I see you decided to stay inside from Barnegat to Manasquan – good move. The Jersey coast is really beautiful.
Sorry about your stay at Atlantic Highlands. I thought the docks that were replaced after Sandy were floating docks. If you remember, I told you not to go to Highlands for this reason – fixed docks and 5-6′ tidal swings. You also experienced the typical “Jersey” attitude.
I see you visited the “2nd highest” point on the east coast, I’m sure you were at Twin Lights which is the neighborhood where my sister & mother currently live. My parents moved there after we moved out. Most cruisers bypass this area, which is why we recommended it. I hope the inconviences were worth it. I hope you had a chance to walk down 1st Ave in Atlantic Highlands.
Steve & Debbie
Hey no problem on Atlantic Highlands. The docks were definitely not replaced with floating. The attitude was the worst of the situation. Funny thing, we were gone for 2 days from there and the girl in the marina office called and asked if we stayed 1 night or 2. I started to tell we didn’t stay at all so don’t charge me. It’s just funny they didn’t even know what I did.
We’re now in the Erie at a little “dive” marina called Blair’s Marina (or something close). We were whooped after the locks today, so we just dove in here. On to Amsterdam tomorrow.
Keep in touch!
Wes