LOOKING TO GET involved somehow environmentally, Leigh Oarsley booked a ticket on the Shrewsbury River Eco-Cruise.
“I thought this would be an introduction,” said Oarsley, who lives in Monroe. “I love the Jersey Shore.”
“I’d rather sit on water than on the couch,” said Oarsley’s daughter, Isabelle, 15. “I love the idea you get a different perspective (on the water).”
The Oarsleys were among about 80 aboard the 85-foot Captain John, which on Sunday, July 17, cruised Raritan Bay, Sandy Hook Bay and the Shrewsbury River between Keyport and the Sea Bright-Rumson bridge. It was one of the water tours sponsored by the Keyport-based New York/New Jersey Baykeeper.
“We think the best way to protect the water and environment is to see it,” said Greg Remaud, deputy director of the Baykeeper. “What we always try to do is get people on the water ways. If a picture is worth a thousand words, being out in the environment is worth 10,000.”
Mans pointed out the Baykeeper’s pump-out boat, which pumps out a boat’s sewage for free on Raritan Bay. The alternative would be pumping out at a marina or even dumping sewage into coastal waters, Mans said.
“It’s a great way to keep pollution out,” Mans said.
This summer, the Baykeeper also is running Monmouth County government’s pump-out boat, the Royal Flush, on the Shrewsbury and Navesink rivers. This, too, is a free service.
As Chris McFarland cruised on the Captain John, he was on his home waters – he grew up in Holmdel and his family kept a sailboat at Keyport on Raritan Bay. McFarland, 55, also served in the Coast Guard, stationed at Sandy Hook for three years.
“I like the ocean, I’ve always liked the bay,” said McFarland, who lives in Toms River. “A lot of good memories.”The New York City-based No Water No Life is now studying the Raritan River basin, trying, for example, to show upstream influences on downstream water quality, said the group’s director, Alison M. Jones.
Jones said she had heard from acquaintances Raritan Bay stinks. But she took a boat ride and reported back “you have no idea how beautiful it is.”
“It was a beautiful sunset,” said Jones, recalling her boat ride. “We saw dolphins. It’s a resource that serves 6 million people in New Jersey and New York City. It’s the largest open space that serves that area.”
Raritan Bay, including Sandy Hook Bay, is 109 square miles.
On this trip, Jones, an internationally known photographer, shot photos.
The Shrewsbury River has been in the news lately, because clinging jellyfish, an invasive species from the Asian Pacific Ocean area has turned up in the river. The dime-size jellyfish have a severe sting, which hospitalized a man.
Clinging jellyfish are a concern to the Baykeeper, Remaud said. Remaud said the Baykeeper will “learn as much as we can and share that information.”
Maya Speelmans, 61, of Rumson said she was concerned about the clinging jellyfish. She said she goes kayaking in the Navesink River, which flows into the Shrewsbury River.
“I don’t think they’re there (in the Navesink River), but you never know,” Speelmans said.
Speelmans attended the cruise with her boyfriend, Alex Purdon, 63, of Belmar and her son, Michael Sleutz, 20, of Rumson.
“The eco-cruise thing interested me,” Speelmans said. “It’s my surroundings. I believe in environmental issues.
“I knew it was going to be out on the water, which is a nice thing to do,” Speelmans said.
“Great day out,” Purdon said.
The Baykeeper, founded in 1989, advocates for the New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary. It basically runs north to south from the Tappan Zee Bridge on the Hudson River to Raritan Bay and west to east from Perth Amboy to Sandy Hook.
The cruises provide “much more community engagement, all good things happen from that,” Remaud said.
“Plus, it’s just an enjoyable time,” Remaud said. “We can’t always be fighting battles.”
Upcoming is the New York-New Jersey Baykeeper “Boat and Bridges Eco Cruise” circumnavigation of Staten Island, 3:30 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 21. The Baykeeper is at 52 West Front St., Keyport, 07735; 732-888-9870; nynjbaykeeper.org.
