05:26 local, 19 July 2019
Lat: 39° 02.7’ N
Lon: 73° 39.6 W
Weather: Partly cloudy, wind 14kts, NW
Water temperature: 81°F/Air temperature: 75°F
Course: 090M
Speed: 7.5kts
Distance from Delaware Bay Entrance: 66NM
Distance from Halifax Harbor Entrance: 558NM

As the early summer sun rises, Harmonie is rolling miles beneath her keel in good form. The last of the night time haze is burning off even before the sun clears the horizon. Our course is taking us more east than north right now, chasing some wind to power us north, and heading out toward the Continental Shelf.

Here off the coast of New Jersey, the ocean bottom slopes very slowly deeper. Right now we are about 50 miles off shore and it is still less than 200 feet deep. Out another 50 miles and it will still be only 400 feet deep. But then, the bottom drops suddenly to over 2000 feet and is cut by enormous canyons. All of this complex underwater topography stirs up the water as it moves, which brings nutrient rich water to the surface, which grows little fish, which bring big fish, which brings fishermen.

If the weather holds, our forecast arrival at the entrance to Halifax harbor is the morning of July 23.