Great Bay, NJ and the Great Bay Marina

jimgo · #1 11-11-2012

We've enjoyed our summer at Sunset Bay Marina in Somers Point, but are considering moving up to Great Bay in the Tuckerton/Mystic Isles area. Does anyone have experience in that bay? It seems like there are t a lot of marinas or boats; is that because Barnegat Bay is so close? We want a quiet bay (the back bay of Great Egg Harbor was, but it's a bit small), and it looks like, at least on a chart, this might be a good choice.

Thanks in advance!

chef2sail · #2 11-11-2012

Jim,

I lived in Ocean City for 18 years and kept my first keel boat and Islander 28 in the Great Bay Marina next to the Vicking Factory for two years. I did that beacuse sailing behind OC is very limited.

It is very hot there in the summer filled worth mosquitos and greeneheads. The Great Bay to sail as some room, but 4 foot draft is the limit of most boats. The motor down the Mulica to get to the Bay takes over 45 minutes. I didnt like my expereience there. It also is NOT sailboat friendly as it is mostly PB.

I would opt for the lower Barnegat Bay ( Forked River) up to Toms River. NIice cool Ocean Breeze every afternoon. Sallow water, but not as shallow as Great bay. I moved my boat there before selling her and moving to MD/

There are a number of nice Sailneters from Barnegat on here.

Dave

jimgo · #3 11-11-2012

Dave,
Thanks for the reply. I was looking at Great Bay Marina, which is right on the bay. I agree with you, the marina near the Viking plant is too far from the bay for me. Were the greenheads and gnats any worse there than OC? I hated the gnats this spring! Once we were under way, it wasn't so bad, but they were brutal at the marina until I got bug spray on! I really liked the back part of Great Egg, it was very quiet. We'd see maybe 8-10 boats in many of the 2-3 hour sails we did. That made it easier for my family to get comfortable, which was good. I am worried about traffic getting to the central and northern parts of Barnegat Bay, plus I have family members with houses in OC and Avalon, that's why I am trying to stay south if I can. I had considered the Tuckerton area on the extreme southern end of BB, but I'm guessing the bugs aren't any different there, and I had hopes that Great Bay would be a little quieter and more protected than Barnegat Bay. Great Bay also seems to have enough water for me most of the time, but so would BB.

jimgo · #4 11-11-2012

Dave,
Thanks again for the reply. You've encouraged me to do a little more digging. I scouted out Great Bay marina a few months ago and it seemed fine (nothing special, but the rates are good and it's close to the bay), but it's really out in the middle of no-where. Not much in the way of food or anything nearby (except the marina's restaurant); even the closest WaWa is a few miles away. So I started looking at other nearby areas, and Tuckerton has several marinas that seem to be open to sailboats (given the number of them that I can see in slips on Google Maps). Sheltered Cove (http://www.shelteredcovemarina.com/) is especially interesting. No real current, small tidal swing, and "deep water." Plus, the marina is no farther from me than Great Bay Marina, and there are a few restaurants nearby. There are a few other marinas a little farther up the Tuckerton Creek, too, that look interesting. The ride is longer to the bay from those, though.

Hmmm...more to ponder. Thanks again for the reply!

chef2sail · #5 11-11-2012

No protection on Great Bay...Its very wide open with marsh lands...no tree

jimgo · #6 11-12-2012

Good point. Thanks!

ottos · #7 11-13-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by jimgo

... I scouted out Great Bay marina a few months ago and it seemed fine (nothing special, but the rates are good and it's close to the bay), but it's really out in the middle of no-where. Not much in the way of food or anything nearby (except the marina's restaurant); even the closest WaWa is a few miles away. So I started looking at other nearby areas, and Tuckerton has several marinas that seem to be open to sailboats (given the number of them that I can see in slips on Google Maps).

Jim - Just a thought...any research done a few months ago is null after Sandy. Many marinas have received extensive damage, and the further north you go in NJ, the worse it seems to be. Due diligence is called for more than ever. Best of luck.

jimgo · #8 11-13-2012

Good point, thanks Ottos. I hadn't meant it that way, but it's a very good point. That's actually another in my laundry list of reasons why I'm looking at the southern half of the state. Tuckerton and the Delaware are looking more and more attractive. So too is the idea of giving up on owning a boat.

mad_machine · #9 01-22-2013

If you have family in Avalon.. have you considered Cape May? You can do down the canal to the deleware side and avoid ocean.. or you can sail north up behind the WildWoods (depending on boat size)

Most of Cape May County made it through the storm with very little damage.. just flooding

jimgo · #10 01-22-2013

Thanks Mad. I haven't considered Cape May. We've been focusing on 'protected waters', and I had been told, both here and on other forums, that the Delaware Bay isn't really the best place as a "home port"/normal cruising ground, so I wrote it off. Plus, with a 28-32' boat and a 4-5' draft, most of the back bays seemed too shallow. Am I wrong? I'd love to be wrong (at least in this case)!

We also have a 15' Albacore, and THAT boat would be perfect for the bays behind Avalon and Wildwood. We're trying to figure out where we could keep the trailer if we take that boat to the shore.