Well, the US Coast Guard says NORTH JETTY: http://cgvi.uscg.mil/media/main.php/v/main.php?g2_itemId=1432744

111013-G-0000X-001 Odes of Joy sinking
BARNEGAT LIGHT, N.J.- The 38-foot sailing vessel Odes of Joy sinks offshore of Barnegat Light after striking the northern jetty Thursday, Oct. 13, 2011. Coast Guard Station Barnegat Light crewmembers rescued four people from the sinking vessel. U.S. Coast Guard Photo.

SO -- Let's agree it struck the North Jetty for now. The picture seems to show the light of the sun -- so the view is probably taken from the end of the NORTH JETTY, looking either East or SE.

As for the time...well the USCG Station is only a few hundred yards from there. IF the story is correct, then the current conditions are different than about 5:30 PM. As Larry points out, that would mean the the flow was INTO Barnegat Bay. At 7:00 PM it's pretty neutral -- but 30 minutes later is predicted at just under a knot. I don't know what the real conditions were there -- I'm sure it pretty complicated by the local conditions between the Bay and Ocean and the Wind driven interactions. Anyway, an inbound current would only be moderately good, depending on the breaking waves over the jetty from the east while the entrance (and breakwater) is angled from SE to NW. The the current SUCKING THEM INTO the crunch(es) and the waves driving them into the breakwater.

Poe wrote that short story about the maelstrom that I recall:

http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/eapoe/bl-eapoe-descent.htm

Take some time and refresh you memories.

-- A referral from one of the Axe Murderers, Tom ;^))))

With an easterly wind breaking over that breakwater at an angle, and the current running in