Phew! It has been a looooong week.

Atlantic City seems like EONS ago!   From AC there was a short stop over in Point Pleasant, New Jersey.

Tom’s fraternity brother has a weekend home there that can only be described as the ultimate weekend escape.  The pool/hot tub/bar area alone is enough to make you want to indulge in boozy umbrella drinks….and then there’s this! 

We did a little relaxing, “droning”, drinking, and dined like royalty with Brian’s close friends who own Via Veneto.  Is this real life?

Our visit was far too short, and under photographed.  But – Brian, I promise we will be back!

So we’re off again.  Chasing down NYC at dusk.

 

We coasted into our marina just as the sun set and quickly realized that this is where boats come to die.  A boat graveyard if you will.   The docks creaked, they shook, they splintered.  It was like a haunted house with ghosts of past boats beating down the docks at night.  (This marina lured us in based on its low dockage fees…but the saying is true, you get what you pay for!)  Thankfully it was just a one night stay and we were off to meet Jen & Steve for a weekend in the Hamptons!

HERE is where my blog headline comes into play.  As we made our way north into the Long Island Bay we grounded our boat. WHAT!?  Yep…

We’ve heard other boaters say “If a captain says they’ve never run aground, they’re lying!” and even while doing my research for the loop I read it more than once, “its not IF, its WHEN”.  Well, we’ve officially joined the club.

The jolt was like being in car accident.  One minute we’re cruising along and then everything came to an abrupt stop.  I flew several feet forward, our engines powered down and our hearts sank.   We did a quick “you’re okay? i’m okay” check with each other and then jumped into action with checking our engine room and getting BoatUS out to tow us.

We sat somberly silent on the hour long tow to Seaborn Marina.  Our minds were reeling. Whats the damage?  Did we lose a pod, both?  How long will we be off of the water?  How will this impact our trip?  (As luck and the power of connections would have it, Seaborn was not only the closet Volvo certified marina BUT also happens to be managed by a friend of a friend.)

So(!) the boat was hauled out…

and we held our breath….

The props were bent but the pods were still there! Annnnd our Volvo engines had come out impressively unscathed.  *insert dancing girl emoji here!*

Lou at Seaborn immediately sent the the props over to Bossler & Sweezey…where “You bend ’em, We mend ’em”.  (yes, please).  The guys there came in at 4 am on the Saturday of 4th of July weekend and got us back in the water less than 24 hours after the incident.

Whoever conjured up the mentality of the nasty New Yorker has clearly never visited Bay Shore, NY.

So we’re back in the water, its Saturday, and we are still rattled.  Steve & Jen understood that our nerves were SHOT and did what best friends do when you’re SPENT….they introduced us to Rocket Fuel and Fire Island.  *Maybe* it was the Rocket Fuel but Fire Island was like Peter Pan’s NeverLand.  There are no cars, the houses are little bungalows lined down narrow sidewalks and the streets were littered with sunburned vacationers enjoying cocktails and dancing to the music from the live band in the street…soaking in the sheer happiness of s.u.m.m.e.r!

So here we are, still in Bay Shore (Long Island, NY) (and loving it).  Jen steered us to this incredible little Italian market.  We had lunch…and then came back for wi-fi and coffee so I could update the blog.  Just LOOK at that cappuccino…and *him*.

Until next Tuesday…