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Why Spending Memorial Day Weekend On Great Egg Harbor Bay Is Perfect Way To Kick Off Your Summer

OCEAN CITY, N.J. (CBS) – Summer is unofficially here and if you're not hitting the beach in Ocean City, chances are you're headed back to the bay.

"It's peaceful, it's quiet," Ocean City Yacht Club manager Brian Huntsman said. "Can you picture waking up to this as your office every day?"

The Great Egg Harbor Bay spans about 8½ miles with Somers Point to the west. There are roughly 32 species of fish in the bay plus Cowpens Island, which is a bird sanctuary.

The Ocean City Yacht Club is a historic building along the bay and as the summer unfolds, the action here ramps up.

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That includes a junior sailing program.

"We start them off at 5 and 6," Huntsman said, "put them into Opti's, then move them from the Opti's into sunfish, lasers and 420's."

Speaking of boats, the crew at Baycats - Ocean City, NJ - Kayaks, Paddle Boards & Catamarans are prepping for a busy season.

"We do all sorts of water activities, mainly kayaking, paddleboarding, and sailing on Hobiecats," Baycats employee Alex Weisman said.

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Baycats has also become a spot where generations continue to hone their skills on the water.

"We get a lot of kids who want to learn how to sail and we try to do it in a fun manner where multiple instructors teach them about sailboats, rigging, and sailing," Weisman said. "It's kind of just constantly transitional, where you have kids in sailing camp turning into instructors."

A Hobiecat is a small catamaran usually about 12 to 20 feet long.

It's perfect for a quick cruise along the bay, which is exactly a perfect way to spend Memorial Day Weekend.

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