As Boating Season Begins, F-Cove Access Still Open

Brick's hottest party spot has survived another winter.

F-Cove, a cove off Barnegat Bay just north of the Mantoloking Bridge, gets its name due to its unique shape, with several channels and spits of adjoining land forming the shape of the letter 'F.' The location, though shallow at its entrance, contains deeper water and beaches along its interior and serves as a gathering place for party-minded boaters all summer long.

But early in 2009, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had wanted that party to be stopped in its tracks without so much as a last call. Because the area is part of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, the federal government took issue with boaters' use of the cove as a general recreation area, arguing that summer fun doesn't gel with the specifically allowed recreational activities that can go on in a refuge such as fishing, hunting and nature photography.

The federal government's plan to block access to boaters included partially filling in the approximately 10-feet deep lagoons and placing bollards and the cove's entrance to physically restrict boats from being able to enter the area. Township officials – and thousands of boaters who took to Facebook and social networking sites – opposed the potential closure and called on township officials to fight Uncle Sam.

More than two years later, there hasn't been much noise made about the issue either way, according to Brick Mayor Stephen C. Acropolis.

"As of right now, we have not heard of any changes," Acropolis said. "My understanding is that everything is going to stay as is."

The goal of any township efforts regarding the site would be to maintain access and avoid litigation with the federal government, Acropolis said. As a new boating season begins, he added, boaters can help their cause by making sure to pick up trash left at the site.

"If there is litter, we'd like people to pick it up," Acropolis said. "It's a carry-in, carry-out place. We hope people abide by that."

The mayor also said it is likely that law enforcement may step up its efforts in the area this summer, so ensuring a designated skipper is free to man the helm is a necessity.

As for the federal government's role in all of this: "No news is good news," Acropolis said.