new jersey, the best sailing on earth :)

TomY

Alden Forum Moderator
Jun 22, 2004
2,758
Alden 38' Challenger yawl Rockport Harbor
Nice footage, Jon. I watched most of it.

NJ gets a bad rap but what better place to race scows than the protected bays on that windy coast. Wow, those folks are sunburned!

A 30's design still fast, still fun, still active.

I was born in NJ and learned to sail on Barnegat Bay. I remember the sunburns. I've got mediterranean tone skin, probably why I'm still here. :)
 
May 25, 2012
4,333
john alden caravelle 42 sturgeon bay, wis
LOL :) the video is about racing e scows. it's a great recording of the national championship from 2015. in the video a comment is made that for that venue, new jersey is the best place on earth to sail. it is a very exciting video to watch. some of the best sailboat racers in the world today are involved. the group that puts the race on does a stellar job.
all my boats are put away for the winter. snowmobiles, skis, ice boats ..... are all being readied for the upcoming winter season. i was thrilled to watch this. just thought i would share.
"sailing" means many different things to all kinds of sailors. within the context of this video. new jersey is the best. watch it and you too will see why.
with over 1,000,000 miles at sea i have learned that if i'm messing around on a boat 'anywhere' it is GREAT. :)
i have an ascow myself. it's a hoot to drive.
i thought the title would entice some to watch :)
 
Jan 1, 2006
7,039
Slickcraft 26 Sailfish
I'm not watching the "Full hour" but they made a good case in the first minute why Little Egg Harbor is a good sailing venue especially for Scows. My parents retired to Tom's River and the sea breeze there is reliable and strong. No need for mylar tell tails. It's full on in the pm. The bays are shallowish but for a Scow it's fine. And the Ocean, such as Island State Park is spectacular. It's easy to beat up on New Jersey; and I'm from New York which makes it almost sport. But the coast of NJ is beautiful and is a great sailing venue. Hundreds of thousands of visitors believe that's true too. They can't be all wrong.
 
May 24, 2004
7,129
CC 30 South Florida
You must be kidding, New Jersey has managed to amass a collection of all the undesirable traits of all different sailing venues.
 
May 17, 2004
5,025
Beneteau Oceanis 37 Havre de Grace
You must be kidding, New Jersey has managed to amass a collection of all the undesirable traits of all different sailing venues.
Not sure which traits you mean, but I couldn't disagree more. The sea breeze is predictable and provides perfect sailing wind almost every afternoon. Barnegat Bay is well protected and wonderfully sized for day sailing.
 
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Oct 19, 2017
7,732
O'Day 19 Littleton, NH
Thanks for the video, Jon. I've never sailed a scow, but when I was describing my idea of the perfect racing hull design to a racing friend, she asked me if I'd ever heard of a scow. I knew what a scow was, but not the racing sailboats. They pretty much matched my ideas.

The only deficiency I see with swelling NJ is the going ashore.

-Will (Dragonfly)
 
Jul 7, 2004
8,402
Hunter 30T Cheney, KS
SNL used to really rag on NJ back in the 70's when I used to watch it. I was about 10 when my dad was stationed at Ft Dix in the early 60's. I remember enjoying it in every season. Don't know anything about sailing there
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,989
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
50 years ago, Eagle Fans pelted Santa clause with snow balls. Were they fans from Pennsylvania or New Jersey?
I here Santa has forgiven...

You might ask, “John what does this have to do with the great state of New Jersey?”

Well... The Santa scheduled for the game was from NJ and he did not make the trip across the river.
The snowy onslaught began with the real Santa Claus stuck in New Jersey and unable to make it to the final game of the season between the Minnesota Vikings and a moribund Eagles team that started the season with 11 straight losses.
The young man who volunteered to stand in for the Red Suited guy happened to have worn a Santa Suit to the game. And when asked jumped up and took on the task...
Olivo, who was in the stands wearing a Santa suit and fake white beard, was asked to fill in. But when he ran downfield past a row of elf-costumed "Eaglettes" and the team's 50-person brass band playing "Here Comes Santa Claus," thunderous boos erupted from the crowd of 54,535 and snowballs began raining down.

The halftime behavior during the team's final home game, broadcast around the country on Howard Cosell's national sports show, helped cement Philadelphia's reputation for rowdy sports fans.
Once you become Santa you become Santa.....
Santa had... a great sense of humor and took it in stride, even telling one nearby fan who pelted him that he could expect coal in his stocking on Christmas morning.

Olivo was a barber by trade, and had his own shop for a while, then spent two decades in the casino industry in Atlantic City, New Jersey. He later sold cars and worked in the mortgage industry before ill health forced him to retire.
Sounds too me like the guy was a great representive of New Jersey spirit.


And that’s the rest of the story.
 
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May 24, 2004
7,129
CC 30 South Florida
Not sure which traits you mean, but I couldn't disagree more. The sea breeze is predictable and provides perfect sailing wind almost every afternoon. Barnegat Bay is well protected and wonderfully sized for day sailing.
Do not mean to be negative and will be brief; Barnegat Bay not a true Bay and prone to shoaling, long but narrow stretch of Intracoastal waterway with heavy motor craft traffic. 2nd largest horse flies I have ever seen. Perhaps a good day sailing venue for small boats but not for a 34' coastal cruiser with a 5' draft. Could be spoiled as my sailing area is the Florida Keys, and Tampa Bay. Have also sailed extensively in the Cheaspeake Bay and Long Island Sound. I do like Cape May very much as a destination.
 
Oct 26, 2008
6,041
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
Great video! I see Lake Hopatcong Yacht Club represents! Beach Haven is a great venue for E-Scow sailing. Beach Haven, south end of Long Beach Island is a great location on the Jersey Shore. World class sailing & a great vacation destination … fueled by Pork Rolls, a Jersey favorite. We know it in North Jersey as "Taylor Ham" … Ham, egg & cheese on a bagel. yum!
 
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Oct 26, 2008
6,041
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
New Jersey does represent E-Scows. Look at the symbols and it appears that there are 13 yacht clubs in New Jersey represented. That's over 20% of the fleet nationwide, it seems. They are:
T Toms River
BH Bay Head
BB Brant Beach
IH Island Heights
LA Lavalette
LE Little Egg Harbor
MR Manasquan River
MA Mantaloking
SH Shore Acres
SS Seaside Park
These are just the Barnegat Bay area
Then there is
SR Shrewsbury
SL Spring Lake
HO Lake Hopatcong

I wouldn't say that Barnegat Bay is limited to small boats at 34' or under. There seems to be lots of larger long-keeled boats, granted with shallow drafts. Under 5' does seem to be the magic number for marina access, but large areas are good for 10' depth. I think it's best for the largest boats on the bay from about Cedar Creek down to Barnegat. I wouldn't say that the power boat traffic is ever overwhelming. The bay is downright empty 90% of the time, it seems. I think power boats don't really like being out on the bay when the winds are 15 knots or greater, which is frequently in the afternoon.
 
Jan 19, 2010
1,169
Catalina 34 Casco Bay
NJ may very well be the best place on earth to sail.. But sailing the coast os Maine is pure heaven...
I'll stick with heaven over earth...
The operative word was/is MAY... A polite term that neither hurts nor offends....Maine is still HEAVEN !
 
Oct 26, 2008
6,041
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
Why no PFDs? Especially in a race.
Not a bad question … but knowing in that situation, neither would I, I'd never even give it a thought, I guess. I wonder how the race rules address this issue? It's not as if a swimmer would ever end up out of sight from anybody in this location and with that many boats. It's inland, it's flat water. The water was probably 75 to 80 degrees at the time so hypothermia would not be an issue.
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,989
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Or some of them could be wearing the belly pack thin racing pfd's. I know in those conditions we did not have the sense to wear a pfd. They were required to be available.

More likely to be "knocked" overboard in a race then to just fall.
More likely to be swept from the deck when cruising.