I’m Back!! I picked up a second job for the summer working with LBI Parasail and Watersports. The owner Mark needed someone to run his other boat. He takes people parasailing while I whip people around on a 10 person raft off of Barnegat Light. I was skeptical that people would pay to be towed around on a raft for fifteen minutes, but they really have a great time. Many say they’ll skip the parasailing the next time and just do the “Banana Raft”. Shows ya what I know.
Earlier in the summer the guys got together for a “Boys night out”. We got a limo and headed down to Atlantic City. We didn’t go to gamble. We went to see the ballet. No tu-tus. Lot’s of long legs though.
The beginning of August saw another get together thanks to our buddy Mark. It was actually more like a small high school reunion. He works for Virgin Mobile and was able to get us all together down in Baltimore for the Virgin Festival. I finally got to see The Police Live and they played a really good show and a 4 song encore. Also there was: Incubus, Ben Harper, Wu Tang Clan, Velvet Revolver, The Beastie Boys, Smashing Pumpkins, Bad Brains, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and more. It was a fun show. We even got to check out Velvet Revolver and the Pumpkins from the side of the stage and made it to the VIP after party.
The rest of the summer has been pretty chill, surfing a little now and then and waiting for some fun fall swells to hit. In the meantime I’ve begun doing some deliveries for HMY/Viking. I met Capt. Tom while preparing Capt. Dennis’s boat for delivery. It turns out that we flew down to FL to early as the boat still needed some work finished up. However, not long after getting back to NJ Tom called on me to do a delivery with him from Atlantic City down to Riviera Beach, FL. It was a 64’ Viking just like Dennis’ “Bac in Five” only it didn’t have a top or enclosure yet. Just a piece of scratched up plexiglass jury rigged in place to give us some protection from the wind and spray generated at 35 knots! The seas weren’t the greatest for the trip so we were glad for some protection, but we still got wet. And if it rains forget about it!
Well we knocked out that delivery in nearly record time, 2 & 2/3 days and docked next to “Bac in Five” which Dennis and Mate Nick were going to bring up the coast to NJ starting the next morning. So we all went to dinner and the next morning I was retracing my tracks heading back up north again in another 64’ Viking, only this time it was enclosed and a much more pleasant cruising condition. We ran for a bit after dark on the third day and tried out the night vision, but unless there is a temperature gradient for it to lock on to it looks about the same as with your own two eyes. It got late so we put in to Cape May and the next morning Dennis and Nick dropped me off at Trump Marina so I could hop on a 54’ Viking and do the trip one more, this time heading south again.
So I kept busy and did 3000 nautical miles in 12 days and got to stop in the various ports: Rudee Intet, VA, Beaufort, NC, Southport, SC, St. Simon, GA and St. Augustine, FL. This week I’ll be getting on a 74’ Viking in AC and bringing it up to Barnegat Light so Dennis’ Boss can check it out. He’s only had his Brand New 64’ two weeks and he’s already looking to move up!! After we show it we’ll bring it down to Florida and from there we may bring another 74’ around Florida and up to Lousianna.
Sometime soon Little Sis will be popping out a baby and having a Bris so between work and snipping the weebeastie I should be kept busy for the rest of Fall before heading down for the Lauderdale Boat Show. Till then just keeping our fingers crossed that the Barnegat house will sell soon……
Sailin’ On, Sailin’ On
