Quote Originally Posted by Big Jay View Post
OI is one of the inlets I'd love to run one day just to say I have. I've heard some stories about that cut.



Dude, I have a story that will pucker your shorts.

We run out of Little Egg Inlet in NJ. Now Little Egg is a beaut. She's a straight run. All marked. However, 3 years ago before they moved the channel and buoys North she was filled in at the south end. However, it was still marked as the channel.

So basically you had an inlet over a mile wide, with a channel what was 100 yds. wide. At the end of the channel, smack dab in the unprotected open portion of the inlet she barred in. 3ft. at low tide. About 8-10 at dead high.

I'll never forget coming out of that inlet at 2:30 am one morning. I was at the helm. We had this moron in a little 24ft. cuddy come flying past us in the pitch black. He pulls in line in front of us. I had a clear view of his stern light. I backed off to give him space.

I was navigating off my radar and GPS when and I had some hellish sea clutter on the radar about 300 yds ahead. I looked at my crew and said hang on. We hit bonified 8-9 footers in the pitch black. We had the last part of outgoing tide and a stiff SE. Right on the nose. We took the first couple right over the bow. All of a sudden, about 50 yds ahead I see the 24ft. cuddy coming up the face of a wave broadside. He tried to turn at the wrong time. I screamed all sorts of nice words and threw her to starboard. Now i was pointing at a beautiful giant green inlet can at 14-15 kts. with my bow off the sea. I look over and see the cuddy in my spotlight almost tip her gunnel into the drink and three guys holding on for dear life.

I whipped her back to port and got her over the bar. I remember thinking to myself after that "Holy sh*t were going to bump"

Finally we made it through and it laid down nice.

Thank god they changed that inlet.

I stopped running the "marked" channel about 15 years ago... It has not been good in many years Jay. The "change" to the currently marked inlet was after literal begging of the CG to make it. A couple guys in the area, Capt. Adam of Karen Ann and Capt. TJ of Legal Limit, were instrumental in this and actually marked out the new inlet for the CG before they considered the change. Like all inlets, they are never good all the time.
I run the "north cut" 99.9% of the time outbound. Stay about 50-100 yards off the tip of Holgate and have never experienced less than 5' at low. That gets sloppy also in the right conditions but my ass would rather be clinched for 300 yrds. than 1+ miles. Inbound, if coming from the south I will normally use the marked channel or hug Little beach on the old inlet track after a look see. Don't mind the surfing as much as taking them on the head...