The Sailing Club, Inc.

The trip description was fulfilled to the letter, right down to the fine afternoon winds and the picnic hosted by Joe Brozek and his family, Helen and Deena. The trip went with a total of 6 boats skippered by Joe Brozek, Jack Buckley, Steve Krakauer, Joel Mack, Vic Oburg, and Larry Sherwood.

We boarded the small boats at Nelson's Sailing Center, located in the small historic town of Island Heights, in the late morning. Those used to sailing larger yachts were wondering why the boats were bouncing around so much. However, the small boats, ranging in size from 22' to 28', were perfect for sailing the marshy bay waters. They were light enough to sail the faint morning winds, yet sturdy enough for the south winds that predictably blow in the hot summer afternoons.

With the boats equipped only for day-sailing, orientation went quickly. Most of the boats had electric outboard motors (instead of gas or diesel engines). Accurate navigation was crucial since you can come up on one of the many shoals quickly. However, we did have the experienced help of Capt. Bob Edwards on his comparatively large O'Day 34, named Explorer, sailing along as a "Friend of the Club." Bob helped more than one of us during this trip.

"Just drop your lines and go!" shouted the Dockmaster. Our usually meticulously planned departures were cut short. After all, it is a small boat and you can just push it off the dock, which is what we did. Heading out to our first rounding of the Toms River shallows, marked by buoy "10" took quite a long time for some of us - the promising early morning winds had slacked and the small electric motors did not provide much propulsion. With a suggested maximum running time of two hours, we watched the clock closely as we 'powered' down Tom's River. We jealously watched strings of small racing boats being briskly towed by powerboat to their race start.

The winds greatly improved as we reached Barnegat Bay at the mouth of Toms River, and passed the aptly named Goodluck Point. Before accurate charts and navigation buoys were available, a boater needed considerable luck to snake through the hidden 2-3' shallows that surround this area. One of our boats, a deep draft Sabre 28', was briefly grounded, but was soon freed with the help of Bob Edwards and a chase boat from Nelson's. Thus the Sea Tow pirates were cheated out of a $350 ransom.

The fleet rounded Goodluck Point, changing from a beat to a close reach, and accelerated to 5 knots. The promise of a good sail was being fulfilled and we had grins on our faces all the way to our lunch stop at Cedar Creek Cove. The winds were perfect for an entry into the cove and our anchors easily held in the 5' deep water. Steve Krakauer and Jack Buckley gracefully anchored under sail. Some members swam from boat to boat, exchanging compliments while we ate lunch. Larry Sherwood wouldn't leave his boat until he was assured that he could borrow Joe Brozek's boat ladder. He managed to walk halfway to Joe's before having to swim. Vic Oburg continued sailing the waters outside the cove; as his boat's inboard engine was dead and he didn't want to risk the entry under sail.

At about 3:00 PM we pulled our anchors under sail and headed out into the fair winds of the bay. A comfortable broad reach carried us north past Island Beach to the now familiar water tower landmarks of Seaside Park. The winds continued to climb as we entered Toms River. The small boats surged to 6 knots on a reach. We sailed past Nelson's to view the historic homes further along the banks of Toms River, many of which were built before the turn of the previous century. Eventually we landed the boats at Nelsons and headed for at the Brozek's summer home for a fabulous picnic of pork tenderloin, Kielbasa, and a patriotic desert.

This was a short, but fabulous trip.