Nick, hurricane season runs till Nov. 1st or so, so Oct.15th certainly shouldn't be too late. Be careful with the NJ coast, if you look at the
charts it runs shoal much further out than you might think, making for some nasty rough water when the wind and currents are opposed. The inlets aren't passabel in heavy weather either--so you'll want to keep searoom unless the weather is very good with a solid forecast.
Coastal traffic shouldn't be a problem, as long as you are keeping a deck watch.