By Bruce Klauber
During my college years at Trenton’s Rider College, now Rider University and later at Philadelphia’s Temple University, my childhood fascination with amusement parks and amusement piers developed into something that was, shall we say, slightly more adult. The emphasis here is on the word “slightly.” I still love a thrill ride!
However, since reading the Shore Local newspaper ads for Playland’s Castaway Cove on the Ocean City Boardwalk and the coasters within, I’ve considered taking up riding once again. And it’s in my own backyard, to boot.
With the closing of Gillian’s Wonderland, Castaway Cove is the only remaining amusement pier in Ocean City. The rides at Castaway – around 30, give or take – have been delighting families, thrill ride and coaster fans since its opening in 1959. Castaway’s roller coaster history is so unique that it has been documented by the Roller Coaster DataBase, considered “the bible” for coaster fanatics.
Since the early 1990s, Playland’s Castaway Cove, earlier known simply as Playland, has been home to nine coasters of various kinds. In the now-defunct category, the database rated three of them – the Flitzer, Mighty Mouse and Python – as “thrill” rides, with the Python designated as “extreme.” That ride, highlighted by a 36-foot-high loop, was in operation from 1996 to 2015. The Mighty Mouse, which ran from 1996 to 2004, has a bit of history behind it. The first “Wild Mouse” ride, an all-metal coaster, was part of the Royal American Shows traveling carnivals until 1959, when it was dismantled and stored in Oregon. Castaway Cove, then Playland, bought it in 1995.
Right now the pier houses four coasters, with one rated “thrill” and the famed GaleForce rated “extreme.” Note that Castaway Cove, like Ocean City itself, is geared toward families. Hence, the Cove’s two other coasters, Pirate’s Gold Rush and Whirlwind, are milder rides and carry the designation “family.”
For thrill seekers and coaster enthusiasts, the focal point of Castaway Cove is GaleForce, which first opened on May 26, 2017. Getting it up and running wasn’t easy. The original plan was to open GaleForce in 2016. The Cove’s Flitzer and Python were taken down to make room for GaleForce, but because of what was described as a “faulty track piece,” the ride didn’t open until a year later. After the first season, some riders complained about what they said was a rough ride. Since Castaway Cove aims to please, the ride track was replaced.
Statistically, GaleForce measures 125 feet high with a 90-degree-plus drop. Launch speed is 64 mph, and one of the features that sets this ride apart from others is that the ride has three, separate launches.
While all this sounds dangerous – after all, roller coasters have sold the idea of danger for decades – Castaway Cove’s Vice President, Brian Hartley, is quick to point out that the Cove’s safety record is impeccable.
“Our maintenance staff does a tremendous job not only in season, but in the off season, of maintaining all of our equipment,” Hartley said. “It is a constant battle, given the salt air and elements that we deal with at the shore. We have all of the equipment, staff and support structure from our ownership to make sure that each and every ride is in excellent working order and safety is always of the utmost importance for our guests.”
It hasn’t always been fun and games at the pier. In January of 2021, a four-alarm fire broke out on the Ocean City Boardwalk. The fire destroyed an entire building used by the pier to house an arcade, electrical room and offices, as well as a Dairy Queen. Although the park itself was untouched by the blaze and the Cove opened for business as usual, the iconic, three-masted pirate ship with the oversized parrot was destroyed.
Never fear, says Hartley.
“The pirate ship, captain and parrot were iconic features for our location,” he explained. “This was the one thing we heard the most about from our guests after the fire, ‘Would the ship and characters be replaced?’ The answer is a resounding yes! As of today, the plan for installation is for the week of April 21-25, weather permitting.”
If coasters aren’t your thing, among Castaway Cove’s other thrill rides are Alien Abduction, described as “a lesson in centrifugal force at a speed of 24 rpms, where riders will spin in a semi-darkened chamber that creates an unforgettable sensation of becoming ‘one’ with the force.” Other Cove thrillers are The Buccaneer, the High Seas Log Flume and The Hurricane, said to simulate what it would be like to ride the crest of a tidal wave.
Thrill rides aren’t for everyone, so Playland’s Castaway Cove also runs the Pier 9 Golf and Seaside Speedway, featuring go-karts; and Golden Galleon Pirate Golf, featuring two, 19-hole mini-golf courses.
Playland’s Castaway Cove has been entertaining Ocean City visitors of all ages, with thrill rides, family attractions, golf, go-karts and much more for some 65 years. We wish them many more. As for me, you can probably find me in line to ride GaleForce.
Castaway Cove opens on Saturday, April 12 at 1 p.m. See https://oceancityfun.com/ to learn more.
Bruce Klauber is the author of four books, an award-winning music journalist, concert and record producer and publicist, producer of the Warner Brothers and Hudson Music “Jazz Legends” film series, and performs both as a drummer and vocalist.
