Thursday, November 29, 2012

Getting Ready for Winter

I spent the last few days prepping the boat for winter haul out. Oil change, removing all the fishing gear, clothing, boots, rain gear and a through scrubbing inside and out. Next comes winterizing the engines and haul out. The park is now open on the north end. You can enter the marina, the store is open, as are the restaurants and the ferry to NY. The rest of the park remains closed until repairs are complete.

Friday, November 23, 2012

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone is enjoying the Holiday. Skip told me about a cool website with some video of the storm from the areas that we fish. NYharborwebcam.com  Check it out.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

All Done

Since the storm passed, I only had two people interested in fishing, so I decided to get the boat ready for the winter lay over.This is the earliest end to the season we ever had but with winter setting in fast and the damage caused by the storm, no one wants to go.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Running Out of Time

Every time I think we can start fishing again, I have to deal with more problems from the storm. I got to the boat this week to find the batteries had no charge and I could not start the engines. The next day the shore power was restored so that should no longer be a problem. All of the state parks are closed and the rangers at the gates are turning away the public, only allowing workers and boat owners to enter. Then a new advisory came out this week saying not to eat any fish from the bay because of pollution caused by the storm damage. I will check the situation today to see if anything improved.

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Saturday

The park is still closed and I got to see some of the damage first hand today. It will be a while before the repairs are finished. My biggest concern about going fishing is the amount of debris in the water. The marina crew filled a dumpster with all the stuff floating around the docks and after this weeks storm another load of junk floated in. Fishing in the bay usually slows down in December as the water cools and the fish move to deeper water. I will continue to monitor the situation and keep everyone posted.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Wednesday

Not much has changed today except that it's SNOWING like mad. What's next?

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Election Day Update

As far as going fishing, there is nothing to report. The park is still technically closed, although they are allowing boat owners and commuters in after they pass a check point. As far as getting around, we went to Brooklyn today with not much of a problem. Most detours were on local streets due to repairs being made and traffic was at a stand still at times. The water in the bay did not appear too dirty, but debris was visible everywhere. Gasoline is still a pain but the lines are getting shorter. I checked out five gas stations and only found one open and had to wait fifteen minutes to the pump. A passer by shouted out to the police officers that all the stations outside the Holland Tunnel were open with no lines. He replied that he knew and didn't care and he was going to be there all day. By the way, the car in front of me on line took five dollars worth.

Monday, November 5, 2012

Monday

The park is still closed but they are letting commuters in to ride the ferry. I got to the boat and charged the batteries. The Marina crew was busy cleaning up and they are doing a great job. The boat yard is starting to look like a boat yard again. PSE&G crews were working on getting the power restored but it will be a while.  The water was full of debris and it will take time for it to be cleaned up. Getting around is improving, but there are still street closures and long gas lines. Progress is being made and I will keep everyone posted.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Three Hour Walk

We started out walking to check out the gas lines and just kept going. Police had streets closed and were detouring traffic around gas stations. There was even a four block long line to a gas station that was closed. The bakery was open so we grabbed some goods and continued on to the farmers market at Van Vorst Park. The farmer said out west, near the PA border, fuel was not an issue and they had no problems. We bought some good stuff and continued on towards the boat. The foot bridge at Jersey Ave. was totally destroyed, so we made our way east along the light rail tracks. We got to see the destruction first hand. Homes and business flooded, family's possessions piled in dumpsters, it really struck home. The height the water reached so far from the bay was incomprehensible. The marina on the North side of the canal, behind Surf City was demolished. Across the canal we could see the Pioneer in the slip and the crew cleaning up the marina. We started the long trek home through Downtown and up the hill. I will never complain about going up the hill again.

More News

NOAA has sent the survey ships that did the bottom scanning for the GPS charts to the area to make sure the channels in the harbor are clear for navigation. Limited commercial and ferry traffic have resumed, but I think it will be a while before recreational traffic is allowed. Also government officials are checking the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island for damage. I will try to find out more about the park this weekend.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Update

There has been an oil spill in the Kills, the State Park is closed, most cities have dumped their sewerage into the ocean, NJ has put out an advisory not to go near the water, most aids to navigation are gone in NY harbor and over 100 containers from Newark, Howland Hook, and Red Hook are missing. While all this bad stuff is going on, the marina is making progress with the clean up. I even heard some boats are going fishing.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Thursday 7:49PM

The power just came back on and I just wanted to let everyone know that Evelyn and I, and the Pioneer are all OK. I will have more information and stories to tell over the next few days. I hope everyone is OK. God bless all that suffered losses. You are in our thoughts and prayers.